Vibhītaka
Vibhītaka · vi-bhītaka, “the vibhītaka tree”
Grammar: masculine noun, the name of a tree.
Meaning: the vibhītaka tree, whose leaves are offered in pūjā and whose oil is used in Āyurveda.
In the scriptures: the Agni Purāṇa names vibhītaka in the pūjā of Śrī Mahāvishṇu, in the Āyurveda of Dhanvantari and in the Tvaritā vidyā.
Leaves that please Śrī Mahāvishṇu. In the chapter on flowers, after the flowers and their fruits, Agnideva names the leaves that please Śrī Mahāvishṇu: nīpa, arjuna, kadamba, kiṃśuka, agastya, gokarṇa, nāgakarṇa, sandhyāpushpī, bilvātaka, rañjanī, ketakī, kūshmāṇḍa, grāmakarkaṭī, kuśa, kāśa, cūta, vibhītaka, maruvaka and other fragrant leaves. One who worships with these is freed of pāpa and gains bhukti (enjoyment) and mukti (moksha) (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 202).
In Āyurveda. In the Āyurveda that Dhanvantari taught Suśruta, for meha (the urinary disorders) the wholesome things are cakes, kulmāsha (half-cooked grain), yava and its preparations, mudga, kulattha, old rice, bitter and dry greens and leafy vegetables, and the oils of tila, vibhītaka and iṅgudī (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 279).
In the Tvaritā vidyā. In the knowledge of Tvaritā Devī which Agnideva teaches, the nigraha cakra (the cakra of restraint) is written with its bījas and mantras; it is then buried face down in a pit in the cremation ground or at a crossroads, or placed in an anthill, or buried under a branch of the vibhītaka tree, and by this all enemies perish (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 314).
Related terms: Bilva · Pūjā · Āyurveda · Meha · Tvaritā
Sources
- Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 202, 279, 314