Pārvatī’s Curse and the Sacred Trees
The Padma Mahā Purāṇa, in the Uttara Khaṇḍa (Chapter 115), tells how the three most sacred trees of the Vaidika tradition came to be. The Aśvattha (the pippala or sacred fig), the Vaṭa (banyan) and the Palāśa (flame of the forest) are the forms of Bhagavān Vishṇu, Bhagavān Śiva and Bhagavān Brahmā. The three became trees because of Devī Pārvatī’s śāpa (curse).
The devas send Agni
In an ancient age, Bhagavān Śiva and Devī Pārvatī were together in their sacred union. The devas sent Agni to them in the form of a brāhmaṇa, to interrupt it. Even the smallest worms and insects are allowed the joy of union. The devas had stopped it for the supreme couple.
Pārvatī’s curse
Pārvatī trembled with anger at being kept from this joy. She cursed the devas:
“Even worms and insects know the joy of union. O devas, you will obtain the condition of plants due to having obstructed it.”
So all the hosts of devas were cursed to take the forms of trees.
The three highest trees
Of all the devas who became trees, three are honoured above the rest because of the devas who live in them.
| Tree | Sanskrit name | Deva |
|---|---|---|
| Sacred fig (pippala) | Aśvattha | Bhagavān Vishṇu |
| Banyan | Vaṭa | Bhagavān Śiva (Rudra) |
| Flame of the forest | Palāśa | Bhagavān Brahmā |
Sūta declares: “There is no doubt that Bhagavān Vishṇu is of the form of Aśvattha, Vaṭa is Rudra’s form, and Palāśa has taken up Brahmā’s form. Seeing, worshipping, and serving them is said to remove pāpa. These certainly destroy grief, diseases, and the wicked.”
Completing the Kārtika vow
This teaching has a use in the Kārtika vow. The ṛshis asked Sūta how a person should complete the Kārtika vow if he is in a thick forest, far from a temple of Bhagavān Vishṇu, with no Tulasī and no brāhmaṇas. Sūta answered that such a person should worship the Aśvattha and the Vaṭa. Bhagavān Vishṇu and Bhagavān Śiva themselves live in these trees. So serving them is a full act of pūjā to Bhagavān Hari and is enough to complete the vow.
The Saturday rule for the Aśvattha
The Aśvattha is fit to be touched on Saturday (Śanivāra), but not on other days. The Purāṇa gives the reason as the “contact of Śani with Vishṇu”.
Sources
- Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 115