Vṛkshāyurveda in the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa

Vṛkshāyurveda, simply known as Vrikshayurveda, Sanskrit: वृक्षायुर्वेद, Telugu: వృక్షాయుర్వేదం, Hindi: वृक्षायुर्वेद.

Svātī has other meanings too: see all meanings of Svātī.

Vṛkshāyurveda means “the Āyurveda of trees”. Āyurveda is the traditional Indian science of health and healing, and Vṛkshāyurveda applies the same care to plants and trees. In Chapter 30 of the Dvitīya Khaṇḍa (second part) of the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, the teacher Pushkara explains this science.

The chapter covers the healing qualities of particular trees and herbs, the practice of dohada (seasonal rites of nourishment that make trees flower and bear fruit), and the role of the king’s garden as a living store of medicines. It is one part of the larger Āyurveda teaching found in the Dvitīya Khaṇḍa.

The Āyurveda of Plants

Vṛkshāyurveda teaches that trees and plants are living beings (jīvas), each with its own body and subtle nature. Just like people, they can be healthy or sick. They follow the rhythm of the seasons, and they respond to care. The healing power they hold reflects their own inner nature. A healer who knows Vṛkshāyurveda can find out what is wrong with a sick tree and bring it back to health. Such a healer can also recognise and prepare plant medicines, because he knows the nature of each plant closely.

Pushkara presents this science in a spirit of devotion. Bhagavān Vishṇu is present in all plant life. The tulasī plant is his clearest form among plants. But every plant that serves living beings, whether as medicine, food, timber or shade, carries the healing tejas (radiant power) of Bhagavān Vishṇu.

Dohada: The Nourishment Rite

The most unusual teaching in this section is the dohada system. It uses particular rites and particular kinds of nourishment to make trees flower and bear fruit.

The idea behind dohada: Trees, like pregnant women, have special “cravings” in the season before and during flowering. When these cravings are met, the tree flowers richly. When they are ignored, it gives few fruits or poor ones. The science of dohada names what each tree “wants”:

  • Aśoka tree (Saraca asoca): responds to the touch of a beautiful young woman’s foot. The text describes a rite at the start of spring in which the queen, or a chosen young woman, gently kicks the base of the aśoka tree. This “awakens” the tree and brings on flowering. Water from her bath is also poured at the root.
  • Campaka tree (Michelia champaca): responds to the smell of wine sprinkled at its roots, or to the breath of a person who has drunk sweet wine.
  • Mango tree (āmra): responds to a spray of water mixed with rice-washing water (the starchy water left after washing uncooked rice). It also responds to cheerful human voices and to music played nearby.
  • Bakula tree (Mimusops elengi): flowers when wine is sprinkled from a woman’s mouth at its root. When this rite is done, its flowers are said to stay on the tree for a very long time.

The practical side: Under the poetic description, Pushkara’s dohada system holds real knowledge of gardening. The things used, such as starchy water, mild ferments, and the warmth and natural oils of human touch, feed the tiny living things in the soil, help the soil hold moisture, and supply nutrients that start the tree’s flowering and fruiting cycle. The rite itself makes sure the right treatment is given at the right time.

Treating Sick Trees

For trees that fall ill, the text gives these treatments:

  • Root disease (rotting at the base): first scrape away the infected root tissue, then apply a paste of cow dung and clay.
  • Leaf disease (insect damage or change of colour): spray the leaves with fermented cow urine mixed with neem water.
  • Not flowering when the season is right: perform the dohada rites above, and also feed the root with a mix of powdered sesame, jaggery and water.
  • Branches dying for no clear reason: in Vṛkshāyurveda this is put down to a graha-dosha (a fault caused by the planets). A śānti pūjā (a rite to bring peace) is done at the base of the tree, along with physical treatment.

The King’s Garden

The king’s garden (udyāna) is described as a living treasury of Vṛkshāyurveda:

  • Some parts of it are set aside for medicinal herbs.
  • A garden keeper (udyāna-pāla) trained in Vṛkshāyurveda looks after it.
  • The garden is also a place of spiritual practice. Walking among healthy, flowering trees, breathing clean air and caring for plants are described as ways of restoring the king’s mind.

Sources

  • Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, Uttarārdha (Dvitīya Khaṇḍa), Chapter 30