The Peepal Tree: A Silent Rishi Among Trees
In the heart of many ancient Indian villages stood a Peepal tree — not merely as vegetation, but as presence. It was not planted for decoration. It was planted for remembrance.
The Peepal, or Ashvattha, is no ordinary tree in our sacred imagination. In the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 15), Bhagavan Sri Krishna describes the cosmic tree:
“With roots above and branches below stands the eternal Ashvattha…”
What a startling image — roots above? Branches below? The Lord reverses our vision. The true root of existence is not in soil, but in the Supreme. The world we see is only the outward branching of an unseen divine origin.
Thus, the Peepal becomes a philosophical metaphor. To sit beneath it is to sit beneath a living Upanishad.
The Tree That Breathes Grace
Traditionally, elders would say that the Peepal releases life-giving breath even at night. Whether understood scientifically or symbolically, it has always been revered as a giver of prana.
And what is spirituality if not this — to breathe life into others?
A saint is like the Peepal. He stands quietly, yet many draw strength from him. He speaks little, yet many find clarity around him.
The Peepal teaches us that holiness is not noise. It is nourishment.
Witness to Time
A Peepal tree does not hurry. It lives for centuries. It has watched kingdoms rise and fall, temples built and rebuilt, generations born and gone.
When Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, it was not accidental. The Peepal stands as a witness tree — a tree of awakening.
Awakening does not happen in chaos. It happens in stillness.
And the Peepal embodies stillness.
Its trunk is firm, unmoving. But its leaves tremble constantly, shimmering in the slightest breeze. What a paradox! Stability and sensitivity together.
Is this not the ideal spiritual life?
Be firm in conviction.
Be sensitive in heart.
Village Life and the Sacred Centre
In many villages, the Peepal stood at the centre — near the temple tank, beside a shrine, or at the crossroads. Elders gathered beneath it. Panchayats met there. Stories were told. Vedas were recited. Lamps were lit at dusk.
Women circumambulated it with prayers for family welfare. Children played around it. Travellers rested under it.
It was not fenced with exclusivity. It belonged to everyone.
The Peepal teaches us inclusiveness — it gives shade without discrimination.
The Symbol of Detachment
Its leaves are delicate and heart-shaped. They fall easily. And yet the tree does not grieve their fall.
It stands serene through seasons.
The name Ashvattha itself has been interpreted as “that which does not remain the same till tomorrow” — a reminder of impermanence.
Thus, the Peepal is also a teacher of detachment.
Life changes. People change. Situations change.
Hold your roots deep — but let your leaves go.
The Tree Growing From Ruins
Have we not seen Peepal saplings emerging from old temple walls, from cracks in stone, from abandoned structures?
Life asserts itself.
Even when civilisation forgets, the Peepal remembers.
It grows where no one plants it. It survives where others wither.
It whispers a message to the discouraged heart:
“You too can grow from your broken places.”
A Meditation Beneath the Peepal
If one sits quietly beneath it, something subtle happens. The play of light through trembling leaves feels like mantra in motion. The sound of rustling becomes japa. The breeze becomes a blessing.
It feels as though the tree is praying.
Perhaps that is why our ancestors revered it — not as superstition, but as recognition. They recognised sanctity in nature.
The Peepal does not demand worship. It inspires it.
The Inner Ashvattha
Ultimately, the Peepal outside is a reflection of the tree within.
Our body is the trunk.
Our thoughts are the branches.
Our desires are the leaves.
Our karma is the spreading network.
But our true root is above — in the Divine.
The moment we forget that, we become entangled in our own branches.
The moment we remember, we become free.
The Peepal tree stands like a silent rishi — not writing scriptures, but embodying them.
It teaches:
Root yourself in the Eternal.
Stand steady through change.
Give freely.
Let go easily.
And become a shelter to others.
If every home had the spirit of a Peepal, the world itself would feel like a sacred village courtyard once again.
The Peepal (Ashvattha) in the Upanishads and Puranas
I. The Upanishadic Ashvattha – The Cosmic Tree
1. Katha Upanishad (2.3.1)
One of the earliest and most profound references appears here:
“Ūrdhva-mūlo’vak-śākha eṣo’śvatthaḥ sanātanaḥ”
“This eternal Ashvattha has its roots above and branches below.”
The Upanishad is not speaking of a botanical tree. It is describing Samsara — the cosmic order.
Roots above – The Supreme Brahman.
Branches below – The manifested universe.
Leaves – The Vedas.
Fruits – Experiences of karma.
The Peepal thus becomes a living diagram of metaphysics.
When you see its spreading canopy, you are invited to remember: This world is sustained by an unseen Divine Root.
2. Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.1)
This Upanishad gives another beautiful imagery:
“Two birds, inseparable companions, perch on the same tree…”
Here, the tree represents the body or the world.
One bird eats the fruit (the individual soul experiencing karma).
The other merely watches (the Supreme Self).
Though the tree is not named Ashvattha explicitly, traditional commentators often link this metaphor with the cosmic tree symbolism.
Thus, the Peepal also represents:
The field of experience.
The relationship between Jiva and Paramatma.
II. The Peepal in the Puranas
1. Padma Purana
The Padma Purana glorifies the Ashvattha tree extensively. It declares:
The Peepal is a form of Lord Vishnu.
Worshipping the Peepal grants merit equal to great yajnas.
Circumambulating it removes sins.
It is said:
“Among trees, I am the Ashvattha.”
This echoes Sri Krishna’s declaration in the Bhagavad Gita (10.26):
“Aśvatthaḥ sarva-vṛkṣāṇām” — “Among all trees, I am the Ashvattha.”
Thus the Peepal is not merely sacred — it is identified with the Lord Himself.
2. Skanda Purana
The Skanda Purana describes the Peepal as:
The seat of the Trimurti.
Roots — Brahma
Trunk — Vishnu
Leaves — Shiva
It advises devotees to perform pradakshina (circumambulation) of the tree, especially on Saturdays and Amavasya.
The symbolism is powerful:
Creation, preservation, and dissolution are present in one living organism.
3. Brahma Purana
The Brahma Purana mentions that planting and protecting a Peepal tree brings immense punya. It is regarded as a tree that sanctifies the land.
It states that deities reside in it, especially during certain sacred times.
III. Philosophical Depth of the Word “Ashvattha”
The word Ashvattha itself carries layered meaning:
“Shva” – tomorrow
“Stha” – to remain
“A-shvattha” – that which does not remain the same till tomorrow
Thus, the tree whose leaves are constantly trembling becomes a symbol of impermanence.
Yet paradoxically, it is called Sanatana (eternal) in the Upanishad.
What changes?
What remains?
The outer form changes.
The root remains.
This is Vedanta in botanical form.
IV. The Peepal as a Living Temple
In Puranic practice:
Women pray around the Peepal for family welfare.
Lamps are lit beneath it.
It is never casually cut.
It is worshipped as Vishnu or Narayana.
Why?
Because the ancients did not separate ecology from theology.
To protect the Peepal was to protect dharma.
To sit beneath it was to sit in satsanga.
V. The Inner Contemplation
When the Upanishad speaks of cutting down the cosmic Ashvattha with the “axe of detachment,” it is not instructing destruction of nature.
It is teaching:
Detach from identification with the branches (worldly entanglement).
Seek the root (Brahman).
The outer Peepal invites us to meditate on the inner tree of consciousness.
The Peepal tree stands in villages, temple courtyards, and roadside shrines — but its roots reach into the Upanishads and Puranas.
It is:
A metaphysical diagram (Katha Upanishad)
A field of duality (Mundaka Upanishad)
A form of Vishnu (Padma Purana)
A seat of the Trimurti (Skanda Purana)
A sanctifier of earth (Brahma Purana)
When we bow before it, we are not worshipping wood and leaves.
We are acknowledging the invisible root of existence.
And perhaps that is why its leaves never stay still — they seem to whisper:
“Remember your Source.”
