P T L

Trees are sacred in India, and often associated with a god or a goddess. Some scholars believe that it is the tree that was worshipped first, maybe for its medicinal or symbolic purpose, and that the gods and goddesses came later. That may be the case but today trees are an integral part of a deity’s symbolism.

The Peepal tree is associated with Yama, the god of death and the tree is often planted outside the village near crematoriums.
The Peepal tree does not let a blade of grass grow under it. Thus Peepal tree does not allow for any rebirth and renewal. While Peepal offers shade from the sun, it offers no food. That is why it is not part of fertility ceremonies like marriage and childbirth where food-giving, rapidly renewing, plants with short lifespan such as Banana, Mango, Coconut, Betel, Rice and even grass, are included.
Thus, it emerges that in Indian thought, there are two types of sacredness – one that is associated with impermanent material reality and the other which is associated with permanent spiritual reality. The Banana and the Coconut fit into the previous category; the Peepal fits into the latter. Banana is the symbol of the flesh, constantly dying and renewing itself. Peepal is the soul – never dying, never renewing itself.

 The 15th chapter of the Gita opens with a reference to samsara as a peepal tree. But this tree is different from other trees, for its roots are at the top! Because the peepal is a sacred tree, 

 Bhagavan chooses it as an example to explain samsara,  And we must go through samsara in order to attain moksha. So, to that extent, samsara is essential. The peepal tree is called asvatta in Sanskrit. The word also means impermanent. So, it is an apt word to use for samsara.

But Bhagavan also uses the word avyayam, which means imperishable. How can samsara be both impermanent and imperishable? Samsara’s indestructibility is not like that of a jivatma. It is like a river. A river keeps flowing, but the water you see now is not the same that you see a few seconds from now, because of the flow. So, samsara continues, for we are reborn until we attain moksha. But samsara is destroyed through the axe of bhakti and prapatti.

The atma, however, is never destroyed. Why does the tree of samsara have its roots at the top? That is because creation begins in Brahma loka. The leaves of this tree are the Vedas. So now we are tempted to ask the question, what is the connection between the Vedas and samsara? The karmas that a person must perform are given in the Vedas. There are three types of karmas — kaamya karma, nitya karma and naimittika karma. Kaamya karma is that which is done with a view to obtaining some fruit. Nitya karmas are those that have to be done every day. One must do these karmas without questioning. Naimittika karmas are those that are done for special reasons. An example would be the observances on upakarma. The Vedas that tell us about the karmas, also tell us about the way to quit the samsaric cycle.