Light of Nonviolence

Author(s): Sushilmuni
Publisher: Vishwa Ahimsa Sangh Delhi

Page 93

THE ALKHAD TREE
"
The alkhad tree is a little known, much feared, highly poisonous tree in India. Contact with the oily leaves of the alkhad tree is said to result in turmorous sores and cancer of the skin. When the wind blows over its leaves, the poisonous su tance of the tree can be carried hundreds of yards around it to unsuspecting travelers. Since there is no known remedy to treat the poison of the alkhad tree, exposure to its chemistry can result in death. In this story, Guruji tells about his encounter with an alkhad tree and how he protected himself from its poison.
On
ne time I was travelling in Kashmir which is a beautiful country with high mountains and deep forests where I heard about the alkhad tree and its deadly poison. How can it be, I asked myself, that this tree is so poisonous that it can kill you just by the wind touching your skin after it touches the leaves? If you feel oneness with the tree and love toward nature, then no harm can come to you from a poisonous tree. So I decided to experiment with the tree.
First, I went to a forest ranger who had authority over the forest; then I contacted a business man who was a contractor for cutting trees in the forest. They had both
86