Talk:Asvattha

aśvattha (‘that which does not last till the next day’) Aśvattha (Ficus religiosa) is one of the highly revered trees in popular Hinduism. It is said to have issued forth from Indra, the king of gods. According to another version of mythology, it is a manifestation of Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavadgitā (10.26) that he is the aśvattha among the trees. Since the gods sit under a celestial tree (vide Atharvaveda 5.3), holy men of the earth too sit under it here. Its shade is said to confer miraculous powers like understanding the language of animals or remembering for¬mer births. Childless women worship it and circumambulate it with the hope and faith of being granted children. In the scriptures, the eternal tree of life is compared to an aśvattha, with the roots in heaven and branches spread below {vide Katha Upanisad 6.1; Maitrī Upanisad 6.4; Bhagavadgitā 15.1-3). The wood of this tree was being used to prepare sacrificial vessels as also the upper araṇi (one of the two pieces of wood used for generating fire during Vedic sacrifices). Works of Ayurveda like the Suśruta Samhitā describe its bark, roots and fruits as being endowed with medici¬nal properties.