Banyan Tree

Banyan Tree

Feb 04 2013, 2118 hrs IST

The lives of earthy beings are tied to the trees, the river, the mountains. You can feel it in the sweet, salty breeze of the ocean, the blinding phosphorescence of the snowy mountain peaks, and the soaring abundance of the huge banyan tree. On a blazing afternoon when you rest under a colossal banyan tree, you would feel a strong pull of the earth. Its aerial roots would become part of your spirit. All of a sudden you would feel how it is possible to be a dot in the universe and yet feel something out there is bigger, greater.

The banyan tree will take the form of god, a witness to all our flaws and frailties. Under its huge shade, we feel a strange sense of security and comfort. The banyan tree remains grounded and provides shelter to thousands of spirits. It doesn't mind the narrow-mindedness and neglect of human clan and emanates a kind of generosity that enlightens us.

While looking at a banyan tree, I have vivid memories of swinging on a wooden plank tied to its aerial roots, of playing with clay toys under its shade, of plucking its wet leaves on a rainy day, of its fallen leaves blowing through our kitchen garden. I remember the meditating saint who took shelter under it for around a week. He had looked at me and read my future. It also takes me back to those quiet evenings in my office area during sundown, when bats hovered over it and intensified the silence.

                                           
Banyan tree is all forgiving in nature, to whom you could come, confess your darkest sins and deepest secrets, learn to invest heart into anything you do and remain completely unfettered. It is in a way symbolic of enlightenment and freedom from ages of oppression, darkness and waking up to life. It teaches us to stay detached from everything material, not succumb to despair and find an antidote for the emptiness of existence.

Meghna Maiti