Kalpavriksha, the tree of life

Raghavendra Swamy of Mantralaya is described as Kalpavriksha in the famous shloka written by his disciple Appanacharya, as Rayaru has no bias towards caste, colour or creed in showering his blessings just like the Kalpavriksha . The wish-fulfilling tree, Kalpavriksha or Kalpatharu symbolises the source of eternal life and blessings not only in Hinduism but across the world culture. For example, the Baobao tree of Africa and Madagascar is known as the ‘Tree of Life’.

It grows in arid regions and hence its water is a valuable resource. Animals chew on the Baobao tree’s branches to open them up and then use the branches like straws to drink the water from inside of the tree. Its fruit is rich in antioxidants and the tree serves as a life-saver during desperate times.

The Fourfold Rules of Discipline, an early Buddhist work, describes a scene in which people take rest under a nyagrodha tree located near Kaushambi, India, wherein they also fit their elephants and horses and the carts drawn by them. Nyagrodha has been identified as the banyan tree in which branches root themselves like new trees and the latter give rise to more trunks and branches covering a large area and is considered immortal. Thus the banyan, besides being our national tree, has been venerated as Kalpavriksha in our legends.

The parijata tree is compared to that of the divine tree Kalpavriksha in Ayurveda as the leaves are used to treat fevers, cough, arthritis, worm infestation and so on. Lord Krishna is believed to have brought palm trees from heaven to please his wife Satyabhama and it is considered as Kalpatharu in Tamilnadu as every part of the palmyra is useful.

Similarly, the coconut tree is referred to as Kalpavriksha , as all the parts of coconut (the fibrous covering, hard-wood shell, kernel, coconut water and seed from which seedlings grow) are useful to mankind.

Khejri, the state tree of Rajasthan is known as ‘Kalpatharu of Thar’. Besides stabilising sand dunes and offering shelter in the desert heat, it serves the community as food, fodder, wood and medicine. Though Kalpavriksha is symbolic and mythical, it is almost real as all the trees constantly bless us with their bounty.