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KALPAVRIKSHAS- THE BENEVOLENT TREES
(Scientific Interpretation)
[Published in Arhat Vacan, Vol. 9, Issue-2, April-1997]
Myth or Real:
Both mythological and canonical literature of ancient religions of India is replete with references about miraculous benevolence of Kalpavrikshas. What actually was nomenclature for good dense mixed polyculture forests with variety of trees, shrubs and herbs, yielding vast variety of products catering to all tangible needs of mankind; the term Kalpavrikshas became, through passage of time, with superstitious superlatives and attributes for a particular tree, 'Adinsonia digitata' which is even now found in many forest areas. Of course the tree provides edible fruits like many other trees and is also known as bread tree. But it is difficult to understand as to how and why, since what point of time people started revering and worshipping it for bestowing all sorts of material boons, money, children, remedies for diseases, successes in various fields. It is tragedy of human mind that if someone gets some sort of benefit actually as a result of his efforts but may be after failures and perchance by paying homage to some object tree or even an inanimate stone gets success, though continuing effort, attributes success to that object. It is then spread through by multiplier effect. Many objects and persons of past, with special qualities, through legends got exalted and deified as supernatural.
The deities Rama, Hanuman, Krishna, Mahavira, Buddha and earlier Shiva and Durga all were real humans who with their pious, noble and ideal deeds benefitted and moulded the society. In recent history we know that Karnimata, Rani Gangabai, Jeenmata, Bhatiani Rani and others in Rajasthan were real good persons and have been deified and their idols put in temples to commemorate their benevolent deeds. It is good to respect and worship them as an object of concentration to recollect and then inculcate and follow their ideals, but worshiping to beg boons and that they should come and do things for us, is abject superstition. These icons whom people worship, themselves did not beg or kept idling and waiting for someone to come and solve the problems but made commensurate and matching efforts in a given situation of war, natural calamity or any other adverse circumstance, to solve the problem themselves. We should emulate them rather beg and wait for them to come and solve any of our problems. Any problem natural or created by us or adversary can only be solved by us with appropriate action and effort. History bears testimony that any amount of praying, worshipping or performing rituals to appease deities or planets never solved any problems and we were defeated repeatedly and no deity ever came to help. Whatever worship or ritual one may perform it is action and effort that is required to get anything, may be success, monetary needs etc. The student will certainly not
