Plants of India: Parijata

Parijata-The Wish-Granting Tree
by Christopher McMahon

Part 3: Cultural Significance of Parijata

The parijatak tree is native to India and in its natural habitat is found growing up to an altitude of 1,500 meters. It adapts well to dry slopes and rocky ground. Because of its fragrant flowers it is cultivated in gardens throughout the country. Even when neglected it still produces fragrant flowers in abundance. Its greatest enemy is standing water which causes the roots to rot and die. If a little care is given to the plant in the form of periodic deep waterings, well rotted compost, and judicious pruning it can take on the form of a trully elegant specimen. Its flowering season is quite long, extending from August to December in most regions. It is an excellent selection for planting in semi-shady situations.

Aside from its esteemed position in the home garden parijatak has sometimes been planted in the precincts of temples as its fragrance creates a devotional atmosphere that aids in the remembrance of the sublime power embodied by the particular diety worshipped in that place. The flowers are particularly offered to Lord Ganesh, Satyanaryana, Samba and Swarna Gowri. In the Indian system of belief these dieties are embodiments of particular qualities or virtues which assist in the aspirants spiritual quest and so the offering of particlar flowers is highly significant. As with many of the ancient traditions the reasons for offering a flower with a particular shape, color and fragrance have been lost or is in the hands of a rare few individuals but one thing we now know is that specific odors can stimulate certain centers in the brain to act in a particular way. It is not an exact science as it can vary from individual from individual and from culture to culture. But in India the science of fragrance was highly evolved and could serve to evoke a particular response on a large group of people who commonly shared in the worship of a particular diety. That particular fragrance could bring the minds of those people a shared devotional aspiration. In that atmosphere fragrance along with several other rites and rituals could produce a state of profound concentration that would allow an openess to occur that would refresh a persons heart and mind and bring them into unity with the community in which they lived and with the mystery of life in which everyone was a participant. It is also possible that the sages knew that the perfume of a particular flower when inhaled could help stimulate the immune system against certain disease organisms prevailing at the season of the year in which it was blooming. We now know that natural fragrances do have some anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties so it is not impossible that ancient sages discovered these properties, not with technical instruments which they did not posses, but through the powers of keen observation which they had in abundance.

In India the parijat tree is planted in the precincts of temples because of the sublime atmosphere created by the aroma of its flowers. I know the fragrance of parijatak is dear to my wife, Suzanne and I, as we use fo go for a walk about a small temple in the suburbs of Bombay every evening during the month of January. A number of parijatak trees were planted in the shrines vicinity as we would inhale the delicious odor of the last flowers of the season as we slowly strolled about the complex. The refreshing odor helped sustain the beautiful time we had just spent listening create a mood of peace and relaxation that allowed us to quietly digest the words of a great sage whose discourse we had just listened too. To this day the memory of that time is quickly awakened when we smell the fragrance of parijat. The flower itself conveys a very special message to those who know how to read its language. If one closely observes its delicate beauty one will observe that it has a vibrant orange center. This color is a symbol of fire in the Hindu tradition. Fire, in turn, is considered that power which purifies a persons heart and mind so that all desires for the world are consumed. leaving only a pure consciousness which directly communes with the Hidden Power within that has been and is called by many names. The white petals which surround the orange center symbolic of that pure consciousness. In the ancient times Buddhist monks and Hindu ascetics dyed their robes a rich fiery color to show that they had renounced the world. This dye was produced from the very same orange centers of the parijat. When the flowers would fall to the ground, people would collect them and separte the orange tube from the white petals and dry them. Once they were dried they could be used for making this saffron-colored dye. At one time an attempt was made to commercialize this dye as it gave a fine color to cotton and silk but due to the labor intensive nature of its collection and the fact that a good means of fixing it were not obtained the concept was abandoned. Perhaps in the future the study of this dye will be resumed and a cottage industry developed where its beautiful color could be extracted.

The Muslim people, too, have an affection for the flower and it is said that it is planted in their grave yards. In the morning the ethereal flowers carpet the tombs with a natural aromatic floral display. The story that this tells is simple and beautiful. In nature, the parijat tree grows to a mature specimen which produces innummerable flowers. These flowers grow to maturity and for a brief time give off their fragrance for one and all to enjoy. When the perfume is exhausted, they fall to the earth, wither, and die having fulfilled the mission of their life. Our lives, in the ideal sense, should follow their example. We, as part of the human family, are like the flowers of the mother plant. In the beginning our innate beauty is hidden as it can only be developed through the experiences of life both good and bad. Through the ups and downs of life, if we are fortunate, we come to the point where out of the heart comes a sweet perfume of love and compassion for one and all. Having given of that perfume in a quiet, unassuming way, the time comes when the bodies resources are exhausted and we depart from this plane of existences and our soul essence reunites with the invisible essence from which we come.

Updated: 5/26/2006

Copyright (C) 1998 by Christopher McMahon. All rights reserved.

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