आम्र-सेक-पितृ-तर्पण न्यायः
= āmrasékapitṛitarpaṇa nyāyaḥ
= Amra-seka-pitRi-tarpaNa-nyAyaH
= the maxim of watering the mango tree while offering oblations to the ancestors. killing two birds in one stone.
Amra = mango
seka = sprinkling
pitRi = ancestors, [fore]father
tarpaNa = act of offering of oblations
nyAyaH = maxim
so this maxim says that one may be offering water oblations to the ancestors, but in the same act, one ends up watering the mango tree as well.
the mango is considered the king of fruits and the fruit of kings (the second one easily disputed by people today). india is one of the largest producer of mangoes and at least of the best varieties of them.
mango is critical to indian culture, for the spring onset is indicated by the mango buds coming out and the cuckoo starting to sing even sweeter than before, the classical description of spring.
it has been indian tradition to take care of neighborhood trees planting, watering etc. and many customs are created with trees in the focus or just involved. today 'educated' people may call it 'superstition' to worship a peepal tree or any other such tree, but for ordinary people not yet touched by ego of knowledge or fast and mobile life, these rituals made it enjoyable to practice the wisdom of land.
today we have govt programs to plant trees and public doesn't care. traditionally, trees have been central to many ceremonies. even today, you will find at certain holy places, large banyan trees on which devotees tie red thread or put a tiny statue of a deity and many such things. it all ends up keeping the trees in the focus.
maybe global warming needed a simple solution!
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We have lots of mango trees here in our country. They are all huge and give lots of mangoes during harvest season. I believe planting mango trees could help prevent global warming for they provide a huge shelter to different animals and to people, there size could absorb lots of carbon dioxide which could also help the environment.
ReplyDeleteNamaskar
ReplyDeleteThank you for this Gem ref Watering a tree/plant and Tarpana- WE do it on the Tulasi plant daily morning with Surya Namaskar-then Tarpana.--but did not know of this sanskrit teaching THANKS-
PL visit my blog at :
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http://prakruti-mothernature.blogspot.com/
Respects
TR
Capt Trikannad Rajkumar (retd)
ReplyDeleteChennai
Thanx for the real nowledge that watering mango tree is like offering water oblations to the encestors............
ReplyDeleteSeriously , I m watering three trees of mango this year and i received this knowledge.........what a coincedence...........
Anyhow i feel this way i would have better produce this time..........!!!
Avadhesh Kumar Saraswat
Delhi, India.
vrukshaha satpurushaha iva,Tarave namaha astu.
ReplyDeleteIt is a good news to the unknown.Wheather one worship trees or not it is a great service to mankind to plant more trees and it is also important to grow them in full.A mango tree has much more potential than their fruits.So also peepul and important trees that surround us.We must protect them at any cost.Their medicinal properties must be published
ReplyDeleteto the mass to understand their usefulness.
The form of the Nyaya is like this:
ReplyDeleteएको मुनिः कुम्भकुशाग्रहस्त आम्रस्य मूले सलिलं ददाति॥ आम्राश्च सिक्ताः पितरश्च तृप्ता "एका क्रिया व्द्यर्थकरीप्रसिद्धा"॥ आचम्य मूले सलिलं ददानो नोपेक्षणीयो विबुधैर्मनुष्यः ॥७॥
Source for the story: नारदपुराण - उत्तरार्ध अध्याय ४६, श्लोकः ७.
Also it glorifies watering Mango trees as divine act:
गोप्रचार समीपस्था आम्रा ब्रह्मप्रकल्पिताः ।।
तेषां सेचनमात्रेण पितरो मोक्षगामिनः ।। ४६-५ ।।
"आम्रं ब्रह्मसरोद्भूतं सर्वदेवमयं विभुम् ।।
विष्णुरूपं प्रसिंचामि पितॄणां चैव मुक्तये ।। ४६-६ ।।"
गोप्रचार समीपस्था आम्रा ब्रह्मप्रकल्पिताः ।।
ReplyDeleteतेषां सेचनमात्रेण पितरो मोक्षगामिनः ।। ४६-५ ।।
"आम्रं ब्रह्मसरोद्भूतं सर्वदेवमयं विभुम् ।।
विष्णुरूपं प्रसिंचामि पितॄणां चैव मुक्तये ।। ४६-६ ।
Watering Mango Trees is considered as holy ritual act in Narada Purana and the above Nyaya is highlighted in the next section with an episode:
एको मुनिः कुम्भकुशाग्रहस्त आम्रस्य मूले सलिलं ददाति ।।
"आम्राश्च सिक्ताः पितरश्च तृप्ता एका क्रिया व्द्यर्थकरीप्रसिद्धा" ।।
आचम्य मूले सलिलं ददानो नोपेक्षणीयो विबुधैर्मनुष्यः ।। ४६-७ ।।
The Nyaya is quoted as such in many texts:
"आम्राश्च सिक्ताः पितरश्च तृप्ताः" which is the common form of the Nyaya.
Hope this is very clear in Sanskrit.
Thank you Bhat ji for this reference. Look forward to more such wonderful comments from you on other articles as well.
ReplyDeleteThe nyayaa might mean that if pitri tarpana is performed under the mango tree, the pitris will be pleased by the tarpana as well as it would be like watering the mango tree. Two things are done at one time if the tarpana is done under the mango tree.
ReplyDeletenice post
ReplyDelete