The #Religious Significance and #Medicinal Properties of #Vilva #Bilva or #BelPatra

We cannot imagine a puja for Lord Shiva without the sacred Bilva leaves also known as Bel Patra or Vilvam. Offering of the Bilva leaf with devotion has a deep religious significance, as Mahadev is said to bless the devotee with whatever he wishes for. 

 The Bel Patra is trifoliate and, as per Hindu belief, symbolizes the holy Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.  The trifoliate Bilva is said to represent the three eyes of Lord Shiva and the three syllables of the Omkara, namely Akara, Ukara and Makara. It is also said to represent the three spokes of the sacred Trishul. Yet another interpretation is that the Bilva personifies the three gunas, namely, the Satva, Rajas and Tamas, and the middle portion of the Bel patra indicates the perfect balance of the three gunas.

According to the Skanda Purana, while Goddess Parvati was performing penance to get Mahadev as her husband, drops of perspiration fell on the Mandrachal mountain and Bilva trees grew from these sweat droplets. Hence it is believed that Goddess Parvati resides in the leaves, flowers, fruits, roots and all parts of the Vilva tree.

Girija - Root

Maheshwari – Stem

Dakshayani or Sati - branches

 Parvati – Leaves

Gowri – Flowers

Katyayani – Fruits

Another belief is that Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth resides in the Bilva tree as it was born from her breasts. People believe that by even having a darshan of the Bilva tree and touching it, you can be freed from sins.  

Just like the Tulsi is said to be dear to Lord Vishnu, the Bel Patra is held dear by Mahadev and it is believed that offering even one Bel Patra to Lord Shiva with sincere devotion can free a person from their sin or ailment. Devotees worship Lord Shiva with Bilva leaves while reciting the sacred Bilvasthakam. 

The Bel Patra is said to absorb Mahadev’s energy. Hence we generally find devotees taking back home a leaf or two to transfer a little of this positive energy to themselves.

There is a very interesting story of a hunter who was in the forest to hunt for his food.  Even by nightfall, he had not found any animal. Scared by the appearance of a Lion, he climbed a tree. Neither was he aware that it was a Bilva tree, nor did he see the Shivaling under the tree. To keep awake and pass time during the night, he kept plucking the leaves and dropping them below. The Bel patras were falling on the Shivaling. Lord Shiva was pleased with the continuous offering of the Bilva leaves and saved the hunter from the lion.

Another story from the Shiva Puran goes, that a hunter who was searching for food on Maha shivaratri day, did not find anything to eat. At night, he climbed unknowingly atop a Bilva tree to spot his prey. There was a Shivaling below the tree and a pot of water was hanging above, which the hunter did not see. When he moved a little, the water pot would shake and water would fall down on the Shivaling. He also plucked many of the leaves inadvertently and dropped them down until the Shivaling below was covered with Bilva leaves. So without being aware of his actions, he had fasted during the Maha Shivaratri day and also worshipped Lord Shiva with Bel Patras and water. His mind was getting purified. Just then a deer appeared. The hunter happily aimed his arrow at the deer, but the deer asked him to wait till he bid goodbye to his mate and children. For the first time in his life, the hunter felt sympathy for the deer and agreed. After some time the mate came searching for the first deer and then the child deer. Each of them requested the hunter for some time to bid goodbye to their family and overcome by kindness, he agreed. The deer family appeared together in front of the hunter to keep their word, but by then his mind was completely purified. He did not want to kill animals anymore and in turn asked the deer to forgive him. Hearing this, Lord Shiva gave him darshan. The hunter fell at Lord Shiva’s feet and turned into a great devotee and achieved salvation.

The Bilva tree (Aegle Marmelos) also called the Wood Apple, is also known for its medicinal properties. According to the Ayurveda, the Bilva fruits and leaves are antibacterial and anti fungal and can be used to treat various stomach related ailments and gastric ulcers. The extract of the Bilva leaf can be used to control Cholesterol levels in the blood, control blood sugar levels, and cure respiratory disorders like Asthma and common cold.  Inflammation is also said to be quickly cured when the extract of Bel Patra is applied on the inflamed region. This is due to its anti inflammatory property.  

#Shiva #Bilva #BelPatra #Religious #Vilvam #Medicinal #Ayurveda #worship #Mahadev #Parvati

#Religious Significance and #Medicinal value of #Tulsi

 

 

One of the most auspicious plants in a Hindu home is the Tulsi plant, which is worshipped as a Goddess, an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. People plant the Tulsi in a special pot called the Tulsi Madom which has carvings of Goddess Lakshmi among others on its four sides. There is a space on this pot dedicated to the placing of a lighted diya or lamp. One has to water and care for the Tulsi plant daily and the leaves are used for the worship of Lord Mahavishnu. They are generally woven into a garland to adorn Sri Krishna or Sri Rama. In fact, a Tulsi leaf is generally used for offering Neivedyam to Gods and Goddesses during worship. There are two types of Tulsi which are worshipped by the Hindus. They are the Rama Tulasi which has a light green stem and the Krishna Tulsi or Shyam Tulsi which has a dark stem. Vrindavan, the forest of Tulsi, is completely under the protection of Devi Vrinda. She is the one who arranges everything for the divine couple Sri Krishna and Radha Rani. Entry into Vrindavan is only possible with her blessing.  The Tulsi is said to connect the devotee with the Lord and lead him on the path of bhakti..

The legend goes that Brinda (Vrinda) was the pious wife of the Asura King, Jalandhara. She was a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu. Due to her continuous worship of the Lord, Jalandhara gained in strength and became almost invincible. None of the Devas could defeat him as Vrinda had undertaken vows for his victory. The Devas prayed to Lord Shiva to fight and vanquish Jalandhara. But it was difficult for even Lord Shiva to defeat him as Vrinda’s devotion and worship proved to be the protective shield for the Asura King.

Jalandhara was becoming more and more proud of his prowess and the prolonged battle worried Mata Parvati. She knew that the power of Jalandhara was in his wife’s virtuous love for her husband and her devotion to Lord Vishnu. The Devas therefore approached Mahavishnu for help. The Lord, though not happy about deceiving his beloved devotee, had to take the decision to come to Vrinda in the guise of her husband. Believing the Lord to be her husband Jalandhara, she left her worship and touched the feet of Mahavishnu reverently. Her one minute of distraction was enough to make Jalandhara weak and Lord Shiva could vanquish him. When Vrinda came to know of her husband’s death and the cause of it being her beloved God, she was saddened and furious. She cursed Mahavishnu to become a stone for being stonehearted towards her devotion. She also cursed the Lord to be separated from his wife which happened in the Rama avatar, when Rama and Sita were separated. The Lord accepted her curse and turned into a black Shaligrama stone. He also blessed his devotee to become a Tulsi plant and promised to marry her on the Prabhodini Ekadashi day, and that’s the reason for the Tulsi-Shaligrama vivah being performed with great devotion every year on that day.

 Apart from the religious significance of the Tulsi, the medicinal properties of this plant are well documented in the Ayurveda. Also known as the Holy Basil, the Tulsi leaves are an important ingredient in almost all ayrvedic medicines for cough, cold, headache and other ailments. The plant of the family Lamiaceae is widely found in India and some other South East Asian countries.

It is a rich source of Vitamin C and Zinc. Hence it is an immunity booster. It has anti bacterial, anti viral and anti fungal properties, thereby helping the body to fight against infections. The juice of Tulsi mixed with ginger and honey is very effective in reducing cough and cold, influenza, bronchitis and asthma. It has anti inflammatory properties which reduce inflammation and blood pressure. It is good for heart patients as well as for reducing sugar levels in diabetic patients. The Tulsi is also useful in treating gastrointestinal disorders, Gout and Kidney stones. Apart from all this it is said to improve the skin texture and prevent premature ageing because it is rich in antioxidants.

#Tulsi #HolyBasil #Medicinal #Religious #plant #antioxidant #Antiinflammatory #immunitybooster #Vrinda #SriKrishna #Vrindavan #Shaligrama #TulsiVivah