Nature worship had been part of all the ancient civilizations. Today it is still a part of Indian culture and we all must be proud of it. This article aims at giving information regarding the mention of trees in Vedas and Upanishad.
Vedas have been the most ancient religious text and it is also the foundation for all the other scriptures that came post it. Vedas mean knowledge. I would like to give my namans to the Rishi’s who have given us this ancient knowledge of Vedas. What does the divine voice say about our trees ?
om ishawasyamidagam sarvam yatkincha jagatyaam Jagat /
This is the very first mantra of the Ishavasya upanishad of Shukla yajurveda. Whatever is visible to us in this universe is pervaded by Eshwara. It says that God is present and all things.
In the same Upanishad the sixth Mantra says
yastu sarvani bhootani atmanyevanu pashyati / sarva bhuteshu chaathmanam tatho na vijugusyate /
In this Jagat whoever sees all life forms in themselves and themself in all other life forms they will face no sadness ever after.
purusha evedam sarvam yadbhootam yaccha bhavyam / rigveda 10.90.1
Whatever is visible to us in this world had been existing from the very beginning, whatever is existing today and whatever will come tomorrow to this world everything is Purusha ( god )
tatho vishwagnvyakraamat / sashanaanashane abhi /
From purusha sukta , yajurveda taittiriya aranyaka prashna 3
In this creation all the living and nonliving entity is has been pervaded by the Purusha ( ultimate reality )
sarvam khalvidam brahma tajjalaniti shanta upasita / Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1
All this is Brahman
tasmaadva yetasmaadaatmana aakashassambhootaha / aakashaadvayuhu / vaayoraginihi / ragneaapaha / adbhayaha prithivi / prativya oshadayaha / oshadibhyonnam / annaath purushaha /
The Akasha emerged from the atman. Vayu emerged from the Akasha. From the vayu came the agnee. From agnee came the water. From water came the earth. Many creepers ,herbs and big trees started emerging from the earth. From them came anna or the energy of sustenance. From Anna emerged human beings. This is how the creation happened according to taittiriya Upanishad.
All this versus confirming that there are no two but only one . The shariras ( body) are different, not the atman ( soul ) . Trees, animals, birds , and human beings in all of them exist the same life force . Our scriptures confirm that the creation and the creator are not different from one another.
We will now see some of the popular sukta and mantras regarding the trees from the Vedas.
Some mantras mentioning the trees in the popular Shri Rudra prashna of the Krishna yajurveda taittriya samhita
ye vriksheshu saspinjara neelagriva vilohitaaha /
Blue necked , copper colored Rudras are taking shelter in the trees save the mantra
atassamudra garayashcha sarvesmaathsyandante sindhavaha sarvaroopaaha / atashcha vishwa oshadhayo rasaashcha yenaoshcha bhoothastishtatyantaraathma /
From the paramathma images the oceans, mountains and rivers. From him only comes all the herbs and trees and the rasas and the life force.
namo vrikshebhyo harikeshebhyaha pashoonaam pataye namo /
To all the Green leaves and lord Rudra who is the Pashupati I am doing the salutation .
namo rohitaayastapataye vriskhaanaam pataye namaha /
Salutation to the red coloured Rudra who is the adhipati of the trees.
namo vanyaaya cha kakshyaaya cha
Salutations today Rudra who lives in all the green and the dry leaves.
ashwataha sarvavrikshanam devarshinaam cha naradaha / gandharvanaam chitrarataha siddhanaam kapilo munihi /
Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta chapter 10 Shloka 26
Lord Krishna says to Arjuna that of all the trees in this universe he is the Ashwatha . Of all the devarishis he is the Narada , of all gandharavas he is Chitraratha and of all the siddhas he is the sage Kapila .
These two mantras are from the ratri sukta of the rig Veda 10.8.127
orvapra amartya nivato devyu (u) dvataha / jyotisha badhate tamaha /
Ratri Devi fills the antariksha with darkness. She makes the trees and creepers visible with the light emerging from the stars .
saa noo adya yasya vayam ni te yamannavikshmahi / vrikshena vasatim vayaha /
Just like how the birds in the night return back to its nest in the trees . Similarly human beings also get back to their homes during this time.
aa yo yonim devakrutham sasaada kruthva hya (a) gniramrutha athaarita / tamoshadheeshcha vaninashcha garbham bhoomishcha vishwadhaayasam bibharti / Rigveda 7.4.5
The reason by which the fire God Agni in his consciousness, rescues devatha from their miseries similarly the devatha’s have built a place for Agni . The oshadhis , trees and the earth keep the Agni in seed form .
Kathe mahe rudraya bravaama kadraye chikitushi bhagaaya / aapa oshadheerutha no avanthu dyourrvaana giriyo vrikshakeshaaha / Rigveda 5.41.11
To attain wealth , how can we offer our praise to the Marut ganas , who are the children of Rudra or to Bhaga the one who knows everything and has limitless knowledge. Water bodies , oshadhi , heaven , mountains whose hairs are like trees protect us .
ava sruja vanaspathe deva devebhyo havihi / pradaaturastu chetanam // Rigveda 1.13.11
Agni who is also known as Vanaspati. Give our offerings to devathas . Let the yajamana or the person performing yajna recieve high divine knowledge
ashwathe vo nishadanam parne vo vasatishkruthaa / gobhaaja itkalaasata yatsnavata poorusham /
Oh oshadidevata let your abode be in the aswatha ( ficus religious) and palasha tree ( Butea monosperma)
Many more mantras regarding trees are there in Vedas. But here only some mantras are mentioned . One can study Vedas and other ancient texts to learn more about how our ancestors viewed nature in their times. Let’s all grow more plant and trees in our homes .
Urdhvamulamadhaha shaakamashvatham praahuravyayam / chandamsi yasya parnaani yastam veda sa vedavit // Bhagavad Gita chapter 15 sloka 1
The Lord Krishna is speaking about the Ashwatha tree whose roots are facing upwards whose origin is God himself . The branches are facing below which indicates material things and ignorance . Leaves are Vedas which have a lot of rituals and karma . The person who knows this tree is the real knower of veda or the Brahma gnana .
dvaa suparnaa sayujaa samanam vriksham parishasvajaate / Tayoranyaha pippalam svaadvattya nashnannannyobhichakasheethi // (1)
samaane vrikshe purusho nimagnosneeshaya shochati mahyamaanaha / jushtam yadaa pashyatyanyameeshamasya mahimaanamithi veetashokaha // (2)
There were two birds which had taken shelter in a tree who were very close friends and stayed together.
One of the birds used to eat the berries of the peepal tree and the other bird used to only watch it eat . Here one of the birds represents the atman or soul which is superimposed by the Maya and the other which isn’t. It is different stages of the same soul . The body is represented by the tree. In this tree the purusha is feeling helpless and sad. Once he realises that he is not the tree ( body / shareera )but he is different from it. He will come out of the bondage of sorrow.
In our ancient texts trees were not just another life form in nature. Instead it had a deeper meaning and role. It was used as a tool to escape from the clutches of Maya or Ignorance .
Compiled by Ajay Bonsai Mane
For translation of some of the mantras these books were referred
Ishavasya upanishad by Swami Chinmayananda
Mundukopanishatthu by Swami Chinmayananda
Mundukopanishatthu by Sri Sri Sachidanandendrasarasvathee swamigalu
Taitereyopanishad by Swami Chinmayanand
Sri Durga saptashati by Swami Harshananda
Purusha sukta bhashya Adhyatmapraksha karyalaya
Geetharthabodhini by Sri Shankaranandabharathi
