Once upon a time, Sri Krishna was wandering in the forest with his friends. It was a very hot and sunny day and they were all drained of energy. There was a grove of trees beckoning them. The leaves were dark green and the branches were dense. Not a ray of light was coming through this cover of greenery. It was dark and cool. They took shelter in this space.

Sri Krishna on seeing everyone rushing to this shade said “See these immensely fortunate trees. Their entire life is dedicated to the welfare of others. They face storms, rain, heat and cold, but protect us from all of them. Moreover, their birth as trees is the most fortunate as they are the bestowers of life on all living beings.” Srimad Bhagvatam, 10.22.32.

Sri Krishna elaborated on this subject. He said that whosoever came to a tree never went back with nothing. The weary man could rest his back against the trunk, or close his tired eyes and lie down under the cool shade. The tree shares all it has with all the plants and creatures on this earth. The sap of trees is also of use. The tree’s wood is used as fuel, and for other purposes. Some of the trees leaves and bark are used to write upon. The tree is the greatest karma yogi.

Mother Earth is weeping

A Sanskrit verse says, “A pond equals, ten wells, a reservoir equals ten ponds, a son equals ten reservoirs, a tree equals ten sons”. Mother Nature is weeping and we are destroying the earth. Over cultivation is leading to forest fires, and less food for the animals. The rivers are drying as we are becoming greedy. We want to use the water to grow crops which will enable us to live longer.

We are only thinking about ourselves. Our eyes are closed and we are only opening them to see how we will benefit. We cut down trees because we want to build a bigger house, and have no respect for the tree. We want peace of mind and desire to be spiritually elevated but we are not respecting the true Karma Yogis, the trees.

I think I shall never see,
A poem as lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that in summer may wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Joyce Kilmer 1886 – 1918

The tree of life is an ancient symbol which is depicted as a large tree with roots that spread inwards to the ground and branches that spread outward to the sky. It means that we are all connected with mother earth and there is an eternal spiritual connection with nature. We have to go back to our roots and examine our life style, in order to save the Karma Yogi, tree of life.

Aim Hrim Klim

Photo by Gilly Stewart on Unsplash