VALMIKI : OBSERVER OF NATURE 39

[Col Bimal Sarkar]

Dear Friend,

                    Attaching the image of the 39th member of the series.Valmiki mentioned Parijat in Ramaya.There are two contenders for this tree as per the botanical literature.

1.Nyctanthes arbortristis .Commonly known as Coral Jasmine.This is Harsinghar in Hindi and Sephalika/Seoli in Bangla.Legand says that in the earlier life this plant was a beautiful girl and was in love with Sun God.As the Sun did not notice this unilateral love the girl died.A plant came up at that place.As Sun neglected her the flowers of this plant fall on the ground before the Sun rises.

2.Erythrina variegata.Commonly known as Indian Coral Tree.In Bangla it is Palita Mandar.It is known as Dadap in Hindi.

 

 

Regards
Col (Retd) Bimal Sarkar
Mobile: 9434194942k

[Balkar Arya]

Dear Bimal ji

3rd pic is of Erythrina i think

--
Regards

Dr Balkar Singh
Head, Deptt. of Botany and Biotechnology
Arya P G College, Panipat
Haryana-132103
09416262964

[Tanay Bose]

Yes Balkar ji the 3rd picture is of Erythrina

Tanay

--

Tanay Bose

Research Assistant & Teaching Assistant.
Department of Botany.
University of British Columbia .
3529-6270 University Blvd.
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 (Canada)
Phone: 778-323-4036 (Mobile)

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ta...@interchange.ubc.ca

Webpages: 

http://www.botany.ubc.ca/people/mberbee.html

http://www.botany.ubc.ca/people/gradstud.html

https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/

[Anand Kumar Bhatt]

It has to be Harsingar, and not Erythrina which has been mentioned by Valmiki as Parijat. 

ak

--
Anand Kumar Bhatt
A-59, B.S.F.Colony, Airport Road
Gwalior. 474 005.
Tele: 0751-247 2233. Mobile 0 94253 09780.
My blogsite is at:
http://anandkbhatt.blogspot.com
(A NEW BLOG has been ADDED ON 9 August 2011.)
And the photo site:
www.flickr.com/photos/akbhatt/

(NEW PHOTOS HAVE BEEN ADDED ON 15 March 2011.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ten most  common surnames of Indians: Singh, Kumar, Sharma, Patel, Shah, Lal, Gupta, Bhat, Rao, Reddy. Cheers!

[Madhuri Raut]

Respected Bimalji,

I had a big Parijatak tree (1st flower) at my mothers home giving lots of flowers. Esp in Shravan many people used to come to gather these flowers to offer to God for what is called 'Lakholi' meaning offering  One Lakh flowers. It used to give me great pleasure to shake this tree to drop flowers and collect them in inverted umbrellas for these people. Thanks for sharing this story behind this lovely flower which I did not know.

There is also a mythological story about Parijatak which I would like to share

During samudra manthan (churning of the ocean), the gods had obtained Parijataka, the tree with divine fragrance. This tree was planted in the garden of Indra, the king of gods. One day, SageNarada went to this garden and collected some flowers that had fallen from the treeand gave them to Rukmini, Krishna's wife. Rukmini was very happy but when Satyabhama, another wife of Krishna, smelled its fragrance, she asked Krishna to bring her the tree. After defeating Indra, Krishna brought the tree on earth. But a quarrel started between Rukmini and Satyabhama, as both of them wanted the tree.

 

Krishna planted the tree in Satyabhama's courtyard in such a way that its flowers fell in Rukmini's house and in this way both his wives were happy.

Regards

Bhagyashri

[Madhuri Pejaver]

Dear Bhagashri ji Nice story telling. We have added you in the group anyway. Even I remembered the story first time when i saw the photo. Now I will like to add the child play related to parijataka. When we were kids we use to play the game of grocery shop. Here we use to sale many things in which the seeds of plants, dal, flowers and what not were included . And we use to deal with parijat seeds as monney- Paisa. I tused yo be valued as 10 paisa. If papadi seeeds available it use to be valued as 100 paisa or 1 rupee. Gone is the childhood and the days. Madhuri --- On Fri, 19/8/11, Madhuri Raut <iti...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Na Bha]

Yes I too remember paying with Paisa of Parijatak. Madhurijis story reminds me of it.
Nalini

[Dr Pankaj Kumar]

Many consider Adansonia digitata as Parijat tree. But this was a nice
story. thanks for sharing.
Pankaj

On Aug 19, 8:13 pm, Na Bha <nabha-megh...@gmx.de> wrote:
> Yes I too remember paying with Paisa of Parijatak. Madhurijis story
> reminds me of it.
> Nalini
>
> Am 19.08.2011 16:09, schrieb Madhuri Pejaver:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Dear Bhagashri ji
> > Nice story telling. We have added you in the group anyway.
> > Even I remembered the story first time when i saw the photo.
> > Now I will like to add the child play related to parijataka.
> > When we were kids we use to play the game of grocery shop. Here we use
> > to sale many things in which the seeds of plants, dal, flowers and
> > what not were included . And we use to deal with parijat seeds as
> > monney- Paisa. I tused yo be valued as 10 paisa. If papadi seeeds
> > available it use to be valued as 100 paisa or 1 rupee.
> > Gone is the childhood and the days.
> > Madhuri
>

> > --- On *Fri, 19/8/11, Madhuri Raut /<itii...@gmail.com>/* wrote:

> >     On Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 9:12 PM, Balkar Arya <balkara...@gmail.com

> >     </mc/compose?to=balkara...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> >         Dear Bimal ji
> >         3rd pic is of Erythrina i think
>
> >         On Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 7:59 PM, Col Bimal Sarkar

> >         <colbimalsar...@yahoo.com

[Geeta]

I believe Adansonia is not native to India--when might it have been
introduced, I wonder?

[Madhuri Raut]

Thanks Madhuriji and Naliniji for appreciating the story. And yes I am surprised how it never struck me to use Parijatak seeds as Paisa in childhood for this game which I too played. These seeds do look like paisas. 

Regards

Bhagyashri

[Ushadi micromini]

Dear Bimalda and ALL :
including Pankaj Kumar and Mr. Bhatt ji:

Re: the first two pictures, that is Parijat...

There are many regional mish mash... like Adansonia being mistakenly
called Parijat...

Since ADANSONIA was most likely introduced in India in the last
millenium/ centuries into the present era ie about 14th to 17th
century AD ... .it could not be a mythic tree!!!
It is mentioned as Goraksi in Raja Nighantu..an Ayurvedic text
supposed to have been written in the 17th century AD
by Narahari Pandit ... It is not found in the classic texts of
Ayurveda.


AND such regional mistaken usages adds to our confusion....


BUT PARIJAT of Indian Puranic Granthas like Ramayana and
Mahabharata ...
is ONE: Nycthenthes arbotritis Linn...
Valmiki mentions Parijat in Uttarkanda, Ayodhyakanda and ...in
describing travels in Himalayas and again in gardens of Ayodhya,
Chitrakut and Panchavati.......

and Kalidas speaks of Parijat in Kumarasambhava and in Raghuvansha ..
coolectively at least 8 eight times....

AND PARTIJAT AND HARSINGAR are the same thing... NOT different...
Most modern translations of OLD Nighanthus mention Parijat (sanskrit)
and its synonyms ... Harsingar (Hindi), Shiuli (Bengali) ...

@NA Bha and Madhuri Raut/Bhagyashri... what lovely stories...
My mom's garden had two.. both looked out on the ground that was next
to some huts, these women folk
used to spread their freshly washed sari under my mom's trees and
collect the flowers fallen during early morning hours... the red
pedical (is that the right term) of the flower and dry and use it as
substitute for saffron... Many others used the flowers for worship ...
my memory is best for the fragrance that used to waft up into my mom's
bedroom at about 4 am... punctually...

such memories!!!

Cherish it
Usha di
========

PS I HAVE TO RUN>>> FAMILY CALLING
I"LL COME BACK AND WRITE ABOUT YOUR THIRD PICTURE....

=================

[Madhuri Raut]

Respected Ushadiji,

You have added so much to my knowledge of this beautiful delicate flower Parijatak. Some call it Prajakta some Parijatak What is the real name out of the two? And yes the fragrance of this flower is just divine. 

I have another wonderful memory associated with this tree. Every year a tailor bird made its nest on this tree and sang the sweetest whistle I have ever heard. I have never understood out of all the trees why did it always choose this tree so close to my house?

Regards

Bhagyashri