TEN IMPORTANT TREES (MYTHOLOGICAL) IN HINDU RELIGION

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Sacred banyan tree

 Banyan trees play major roles in Hinduism and Buddhism. The god Krishna is said to reside in the leaf of the banyan tree. In the Bhagavad Gita he says, "There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down, and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas." The Vedas are the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. Buddha is said to have received enlightenment under a variety of banyan tree in the region now known as Bodh Gaya.

The Banyan tree is mentioned in many scriptures as a tree of immortality. Its aerial roots grow down into the soil forming additional trunks and is therefore called Bahupada, the one with several feet. It symbolizes longevity and represents the divine creator, Brahma

The Banyan is associated with Yama the god of death and the tree is often planted near crematoria

Indians knew the Banyan tree as the vat-vriksha. When the British came to India, they noticed that members of the trading or Bania community used to gather under a large shady fig tree, which they named the Banyan, from Bania

The Banyan does not let a blade of grass grow under it. Thus it does not allow for rebirth and renewal. That is why it is not part of fertility ceremonies like marriage and childbirth

In iconography, Shiva is visualized as Dakshinamurti, he who faces the south, that being the direction of death and change. He sits under the Banyan, the botanical embodiment of the universal soul, facing the terror of death and change stoically, unafraid because of his profound understanding of the world


This tree is also sacred to the Buddhists. After attaining enlightenment, Lord Buddha is believed to have sat under a Banyan tree for seven days, absorbed in his new-found realization  

 

                                                                                                                                                                    Medicinal value of Banyan tree
* The bark and leaf buds of the tree are useful in arresting secretion or bleeding.

* The fruit exercises a soothing effect on the skin and mucous membranes, alleviates swelling and pain, and serves as a mild purgative. It is also nutritious.
* The leaf buds of Banyan are beneficial in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea and dysentery. The buds should be soaked in water' overnight and taken as infusion in the treatment of these diseases. The latex is also useful in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery

* A few drops of the latex of the banyan tree mixed in milk and taken daily helps cure bleeding piles. With this treatment, the diet of the patient should contain liberal quantities of green vegetables especially fenugreek and manattakkali or black nightshade leaves.

* Tender roots of Banyan are considered beneficial in the treatment of female sterility. These roots should be dried in the shade and finely powdered. This powder should be mixed 5 times its weight with milk and taken at night for three consecutive nights after menstruation cycle every month till the conception takes place. No other food should be taken with this

* A regular douching of the genital tract with a decoction of the bark of the Banyan tree and the fig tree is helpful in leucorrhoea. A tablespoon each of the powders of the bark of the two trees should be boiled in a litre of water till it is reduced to about half. Douching with the lukewarm decoction will keep the tissues of vaginal tract healthy