Udumbara

Udumbara, “the cluster fig tree”

Grammar: masculine noun; the name of a tree. Its adjective is audumbara, “made of udumbara wood”.

Meaning: the udumbara, the cluster fig, one of the trees fit for yajña, whose wood, shoots, bark and samidhs (fuel sticks) are used in pūjā, homa and pratishṭhā.

In the scriptures: the Agni Purāṇa names udumbara in these places.

  • At the door and the gateways: in the pavitrāropaṇa, at the worship of the door-devatās, the trees aśvattha, udumbara, vaṭa and plaksha are worshipped in the directions beginning with the east (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 34). In the dikpāla-yāga which Bhagavān Hayagrīva teaches Brahmā, the toraṇas (arched gateways) of the four directions are of aśvattha, udumbara, vaṭa and plaksha wood (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 56). In the pratishṭhā of the liṅga which Parameśvara teaches, the gateways of the maṇḍapa from the east are of plaksha, udumbara, aśvattha and vaṭa wood, and are named Śānti, Bhūti, Bala and Ārogya; the gateway of udumbara is Bhūti (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 95). In the Śiva-pūjā which Maheśvara teaches Skanda, the worshipper sets an udumbara over the door, actually or in contemplation, and worships Gaṇapati, Sarasvatī and Lakshmī on its upper part; Nandi and Gaṅgā on the right, Mahākāla and Yamunā on the left; and he does the astra-nyāsa on the udumbara (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 74).
  • In the kalaśas and the bath of the deity: in the kalaśas set up for the abhisheka of the deity, the east kalaśa holds the shoots of twelve trees: vaṭa, udumbara, aśvattha, campaka, aśoka, bilva, palāśa, arjuna, plaksha, kadamba, vakula and mango (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 57). In the rite of snāna, the east navaka of kalaśas has ghee in the middle and around it the juice drawn from the bark of palāśa, aśvattha, vaṭa, bilva, udumbara, plaksha, jambū, śamī and kapittha (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 69). For the snāna of the devatā in the pratishṭhā, five decoctions are made from the bark of nyagrodha, udumbara, aśvattha, mango and jambū (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 95).
  • As a vessel and a ladle: in the Śrāddha-kalpa, the arghya vessel of the pitṛs is of gold, silver, udumbara wood or leaves (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 117). In the Vināyaka snāna, which Pushkara teaches for those afflicted by the Vināyakas, the guru places kuśa on the head of the bathed man and offers mustard oil in homa with a sruva of udumbara wood (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 266).
  • The samidh of Śukra: for the graha-śānti, the samidhs are of arka, palāśa, khadira, apāmārga, aśvattha, udumbara and śamī, a hundred and eight of each (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 95). In the homa for the nine grahas, the samidhs in order are arka for Sūrya, palāśa for Candra, khadira for Kuja, apāmārga for Budha, pippala for Bṛhaspati, udumbara for Śukra, śamī for Śani, dūrvā for Rāhu and kuśa for Ketu (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 164); the same order is given for the homas of ten thousand, a lakh and a crore (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 167).
  • Homas for a desire: in the Ṛgvidhāna which Pushkara told Paraśurāma, one who fasts three days, is purified, and offers udumbara samidhs in homa reciting “Mā nas toke” cuts all the nooses of death and becomes free of disease (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 259). In the Yajur-vidhāna, one who desires cattle offers homa with udumbara samidhs, and a thousand udumbara samidhs offered with “madhumān no vanaspatiḥ” bring wealth, great saubhāgya and success in dealings (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 260). Homa with udumbara gives sons (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 306).
  • Around the house: in the marks of vāstu which Agnideva tells Vasishṭha, an aśvattha to the north of the house and an udumbara to the south are good (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 247).
  • In medicine: In the care of horses, Śālihotra teaches that a wound from a blow, whether from vāta, pitta, kapha or anger, is cleansed with a slightly warm decoction of aśvattha, udumbara, plaksha, madhūka and vaṭa; and in eye disease, after a leech is applied at the corner of the eye, the eye is cleansed with decoctions of udumbara and aśvattha (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 289). In the Bāla-tantra, a child seized by a grahī is bathed in water with the leaves of palāśa, udumbara, aśvattha, vaṭa and bilva (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 299).
  • Where serpents live: among the places where serpents live are the trees śigru, śleshmātaka, aksha, jambū, udumbara, bamboo and vaṭa (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 294).

Related terms: Aśvattha · Vaṭa · Plaksha · Samidh · Śukra · Toraṇa

Sources

  • Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 34, 56–57, 69, 74, 95, 117, 164, 167, 247, 259–260, 266, 289, 294, 299, 306