Significance and Birth Importance of Bilva Patra dharma sandeham in telugu

BIVLA PATRA VISISHTATA - SIGNIFICANCE of the holy BILVA

SIGNIFICANCE of the holy BILVA – Lord Shiva’s Tree Scientific Name – Aegle MermelosEnglish Name – Golden Apple/ Stone Apple



1. ''Lakshmyaascha stana utpannam Mahaadeva sadaa priyam,Bilva vriksham prayachchhaami eka bilvam Shivaarpanam.Darshanam bilva vrikshasya sparshanam paapanaashanam,Aghorapaapasamhaaram eka bilvam shivarpanam.''

''Born from the breasts of Goddess Lakshmi, the Bilva tree is ever dear to Mahadeva. So I ask this tree to offer a Bilva leaf to Lord Shiva. To have darshan of the Bilva tree, and to touch it, frees one from sin. The most terrible karma is destroyed when a Bilva leaf is offered to Lord Shiva.Sri Bilva AShtakam (v. 6–7)''

2. ''Tridalam TrigunakaramTrinetrancha TriyaayudhamTrijanma Paapa SamharamEka Bilvam Shivarpanam.

''Offering of a bilvapatra to the three eyed god Shiva who holds a Trishula (weapon with three sharp edges) will wash away the sins committed in the past 3 lives.''

ORIGIN of THE BILVA: 
 Mahant Rama Shankar of Banaras quotes from the Skanda Purana and explains the origin of Bilva tree: "One day, some drops of sweat fell from PArvati's forehead on the mountain Mandara, from which grew the bel tree. Girija lives on the root of the tree, Maheswari on its shoulder, Dakshayani on its branches, Parvati among its leaves, Katyayani in its fruit, Gowri in its flowers, while in thorns the numerous Saktis find a home. It is also believed that Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, also lives in the bel tree." Those who perform the puja of Shiva and Parvati devoutly, using the leaves, will be endowed with spiritual powers.

This trifoliate leaf is symbolic of Trikaal or the Hindu Trinity of Devas known as Brahma Vishnu and Mahesh. The Bilva leaf or Patra as it is known, represents the Trinetra or three eyes of Lord Shiva. The main aspects like Trishakti (volition, action and knowledge), the three Shiva lingams and the three syllables of AUM or Omkar and are most favourite of Lord Shiva. There are also five formed Bilva leaves known as PanchaDal patra found on some Bilva trees and these too are held as sacred for the worship of Lord Shiva.

It appears from all the Hindu texts and scriptures that the Bilva tree itself has been held very sacred and auspicious and is considered very holy since time immemorial. Its significance is mentioned in Mahapuranas in various forms of mantras.The Shiva Purana mentions a particular narration of how the usage of Bilva due to its scientific as well as medicinal properties is of great adavantage to Mankind. The 22nd Chapter of maha ShivaPurana narrates '' The trifoliate Bilva Patra is so sacred to Lord Shiva & is therefore a symbol of the Lord. Adored by all the Gods, its importance is difficult for anyone to comprehend. The sacred tree can only be known to a limited extent. Sacred sites of this Earth can only find their place at the root of this auspicious tree. Those who meditate upon Lord Mahadeva in His form of linga at the root of Bilva obtain Moksha & become purified souls by attaining Shiva. Such are the marvels of this sacred Bilva.''

Indians believe that the knowledge of medicinal plants is older than history itself, that it was gifted hundreds of thousands of years ago to the original inhabitants by Brahma, the divine creator himself. Thus when the sages of the Ayurveda sought to heal human suffering, they were able to draw on knowledge that had already been evolving for millennia in the forests of India. One tree about which they had a very deep knowledge was the Bilva tree. The science of Ayurveda values the Bilva highly for the medicinal properties contained in its root, fruit and leaves. According to Swami Sivananda, it is a healing tree which cures all diseases caused by vata (wind) and gives strength to the body.

ABOUT THE BILVA TREE: 
 The Bilva tree grows in almost all parts of India, irrespective of the nature of the soil, and is bitter, astringent and dry by nature. The tree grows to a height of 8 meters with thorns. The leaves are alternate, ovate, trifoliate and aromatic. The tender leaves and shoots are consumed as salad greens. The flowers bloom in the month of May and will have a sweet fragrance.Tall and austere, with a stern aspect, gnarled trunk and sharp thorns, the Bilva is undoubtedly Lord Shiva’s tree. Shiva is always worshipped with its leaves, and it is said that this tree is much loved by him. It is to be found in all Shiva temples throughout India. The Bilva is also found in Devi temples, where it is worshipped. At midnight, on the evening before Durga and Kali pooja (worship), a tantric ritual called Bel Varan is performed with the appropriate mantras. A particular energy is taken from the tree and placed in a kalash (pot). This energy is then transferred to the statue of Durga or Kali to charge or empower it for the coming pooja. The process is called prana pratishtha, the establishing of the life force in the statue. When the pooja is over, the energy is released, a process called visarjan.

In the Atharva Veda it is described as being so sacred that its wood may not be burned for fuel. It is still worshipped today as a totemic deity by the Santhal tribes in India.

GLORY of the BILVA

Just like the way Tulsi plant is sacred to Lord Krishna and Durva grass is sacred to Lord Ganesha, Bilva tree is sacred to Lord Shiva. Since the Bilva leaf has such significance in the worship of Lord Shiva, it is common to find Bilva trees cultivated in the vicinity of Shiva temples.According to Shiva Purana, the Bilva tree is the manifest form of Lord Shiva himself, while all the great tirthas (pilgrimage places) are said to reside at its base. One who worships the Shiva Linga while sitting under the Bilva tree attains the highest bliss of oneness with Lord Shiva or the state of ShivaWashing the head by this tree is said to be the equivalent of bathing in all the sacred rivers. One who performs Bilva pooja with flowers and incense achieves Shiva loka, the abode of pure consciousness, and has happiness and prosperity bestowed upon them. The lighting of the deepak (lamp) before this tree bestows knowledge and enables the devotee to merge in Lord Shiva.The Shiva Purana also claims that if the devotee removes the new leaves from one of the branches of that tree and worships the tree with them, they will be freed from vice, One who feeds a devotee under the Bilva will grow in virtue.For Happiness and Prosperity – Perform Bilva Pooja with flowers and incenseFor Supreme Knowledge – Light deepa (lamp) before Bilva treeFor Freedom from Vice – Remove new leaves from one of the branches of Bilva tree and worship the tree with themFor Growth of Virtue – Feed a Shiva devotee under the Bilva

BILVA and the THREE GUNAS:
According to Hindu scriptures, the Bilva is Triguna which is connected to the three Gunas or components of natural characteristics of the tree. In Hindu philosophy, the three Gunas are Sattva, Rajas & Tamas with Sattva being the pure most while Tamas normally is to do with darkness & ignorance.

The Sattvic component is believed to be more centred within the bilva patra and therefore the high capacity to absorb and emit Sattvic frequencies. This has various effects on the environment as well as on anyone who even touches the leaf. One of them is the reduction of Rajasic-Tamasic atoms present in the atmosphere & more importantly within the human body. A Sattvic leaf -the bilva patra, when brought in proximity of a person suffering from negative energies such as distress and anxiety is believed to medically reduce these energies within the human body. People with negative outlook towards life and their environment normally do not realise they have negative energies building up within their body and are at a risk of subconsciously harpering destructive thoughts also. Whenever such people come into contact with a Sattvic atmosphere, what they fail to realise is their negative energies try to fight the positivity of a Sattva predominant environment. This struggle can build up at various levels and can vary from the human mind thinking negatively and can result sudden bursts of anger to destruction of things around them.

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

1. THE FRUIT:

The fruit has a hard wood-like rind, which is pale green when unripe, turning pale yellow to brown as it ripens. Its pale tawny flesh is sweet and astringent, containing tannin, which acts as an astringent to the bowels. It has a pleasant, agreeable and aromatic flavour, and provides an excellent dietary supplement. This fruit contains gums, vegetable acid and a very small quantity of sugar. It also contains white seeds and a tenacious transparent gel. The pulp of the dried Bilva fruit, powdered and mixed with arrowroot, is called ‘dietetic Bel’. It is both a sustaining food and a curative medicine, and is traditionally called by Indians ‘the fruit of plenty’. Puranic legend calls it ‘the breasts of the goddess of plenty’.The unripe fruit is roasted with a covering of mud, and the softened pulp mixed with water and sugar or buttermilk. It is more medicinal than the ripe fruit, particularly if dried in the sun. According to Swami Sivananda, “This is highly beneficial in sub-acute and chronic dysentery or diarrhoea, and is particularly useful in irregularity of bowels in children, because it acts as a mild stimulant to the intestinal mucus membrane and therefore stops diarrhoea, acting as a laxative when there is constipation. The unripe fruit cures excess vata and kapha, indigestion, stomach ache and dyspepsia.” A confection is made out of the pulp with amrita and honey, which stops vomiting.The half-ripe fruit is astringent, digestive and anti-diarrhoeal; it binds the bowels.The ripe fruit acts as a laxative, and is aromatic and cooling. The juice is an appetiser and blood purifier.

2. The LEAVES: 

The dark trifoliate leaves symbolize the three eyes of Lord Shiva, and contain a small percentage of Shiva’s alchemical substance – mercury. These leaves have a very pleasant aroma, are used in the worship of both Shiva and Devi, and form an essential ingredient in tantric rituals. It is said that offerings of water sprinkled on these leaves at any shrine will always remain fresh. Sri Bilva Shtakam (v. 5) states, ‘Dantikoti sahasraani avamedhashtaani cha, Koti kanya mahaadaanam eka bilvam Shivaarpanam’, which means “Donating a thousand elephants, and horses, and giving daan (offering) to crores of kanyas (virgin girls) is equivalent to offering one Bilva leaf to Lord Shiva.”

The consumption of Bilva leaves alleviates diseases caused by excess vata and kapha (mucus). They are also useful in diabetes mellitus. For this a few leaves should be chewed daily and their fresh juice drunk. They are diaphoretic (producing more perspiration), thus reducing temperature and lowering fevers, and an aphrodisiac. A decoction of leaves is a favourite remedy for ailments that often occur during seasonal changes, such as fever, flu and fatigue.There are sadhus who sustain themselves on Bilva leaves alone. According to Swami Sivananda, “The fresh juice of the leaves is given with the addition of black pepper in cases of jaundice, and when diluted with water or honey, this is highly praised remedy in catarrh and feverishness.”The consumption of Bilva leaves alleviates diseases caused by excess vata and kapha (mucus). They are also useful in diabetes mellitus. For this, a few leaves should be chewed daily and their fresh juice drunk. They are diaphoretic (producing more perspiration), thus reducing temperature and lowering fevers, and an aphrodisiac. A decoction of leaves is a favorite remedy for ailments that often occur during seasonal changes, such as fever, flu and fatigue.

3. THE ROOT: 

The root is the most important part of the tree medicinally, after removing the outer skin.

A preparation made from the root with ginger and toasted rice cures vomiting. For the treatment of piles, dysentery and diarrhoea, a preparation is made from the root mixed with the tuberous root of Padha or any tuberous root. The oil extracted from the Bilva root, boiled with the juice of Bilva leaves and applied to the head is excellent for nasal catarrh and diseases of the ear.The confection Vilvadi Lehiam is also made from this root.A preparation made from the root with ginger and toasted rice cures vomiting.

4. The FLOWERS:

The flowers cure diarrhoea, vomiting and thirst, while the gum of the inside pulp of the fruit is an aphrodisiac (kama-vardhani).

5. A Sattvic leaf like bilva patra when brought in proximity of a person suffering from negative energies such as distress and anxiety is believed to medically reduce these energies within the human body.

BILVA VRIKSHA STORY: The hunter and the Bilva tree

The Shiva Purana also relates the following story or myth. Once there was a cruel hunter by the name of Gurudruh who lived in the lonely forest. On the auspicious day of Maha Shivaratri he had to go out hunting because his family had nothing to eat. Maha Shivaratri (the great night of Shiva) is the most sacred time for fasts, prayers and offerings, when even the most involuntary acts, if pleasing to Lord Shiva, are made holy. By sunset Gurudruh had not been successful in the hunt. Coming to a lake, he climbed a tree and waited for some unsuspecting animal to come and drink water. He did not notice that the tree he had climbed was the Bilva tree. Neither did he notice the shivalingam beneath it, nor the water pot hanging in the branch just above it.

After some time a gentle deer came to quench her thirst, and Gurudruh prepared to shoot. As he drew his bow, he accidentally knocked the water pot hanging in the tree and some water fell down on the shivalingam beneath, along with a few Bilva leaves. Thus, unknowingly and unwittingly, Gurudruh had worshipped Shiva in the first quarter of the night. As a result his heart was a little purified by this act performed on such an auspicious night.Meanwhile the deer, startled by the movement in the tree, looked up and saw the hunter about to release his arrow. “Please do not kill me just yet,” pleaded the deer. “I must first take care of my children, and then I will return to be food for your family.” The hunter, whose heart had been softened a little by the accidental worship, on noticing the beauty of the deer, let her go on condition that she would return on the morrow to give her body as food for his family.

Later that same night, the sister of the deer came looking for her. Once more the hunter took aim and once more, without his being aware, the water and the Bilva leaves fell down upon the shivalingam. Again, unknowingly, the hunter had worshipped Shiva in the second quarter of the night. The effect of this was that Gurudruh’s heart was further purified. His pranas softened a little more, and he allowed this animal to also go and tend to its young, provided it returned the next day to provide him and his family with food.

In the third quarter of the night, the mate of the first deer came in search of her, and again the strange worship took place as the hunter took aim for the third time. But the hunter’s heart was beginning to melt due to the worship, and he let the deer’s mate go also for the same reason and under the same conditions. Later when the three deer met together, they discussed who should go and offer themselves for the hunter’s food. Even the children offered to give their lives. Finally the whole family decided to surrender to the hunter together, for none of them could bear to live without the others. Thus they set off towards the lake with heavy hearts.

When they arrived at the Bilva tree, Gurudruh was very pleased and relieved to see them, and he immediately prepared for the kill. He took aim for the fourth time, but in the same accidental manner as before, worship in the fourth quarter of the night took place unknown to him. This final action of Gurudruh brought about a complete change of heart and, as he was about to release the first arrow, his heart overflowed with pity for the innocent deer. Tears filled his eyes at the thought of all the animals he had killed in the past, and slowly he lowered his bow. Greatly moved by the selfless action of these animals, he felt ashamed and allowed the whole family of deer to leave unharmed.

Such is the purity and spiritual power of the Bilva tree that, even without his knowledge or conscious effort, the cruel-hearted hunter had been transformed into a man of compassion and understanding, and was delivered from his past bad karma by the grace of Shiva and the Bilva tree.


Shiva Bilva Ashtakam Stotra:

"Tridalam Trigunakaaram Trinethram Cha Triyayusham,Trijanma Papa Samharam Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam"

I offer one leaf of Bilwa to Lord Shiva,Which has three leaves, Which causes three qualities,Which are like the three eyes of Shiva,Which is like the triad of weapons,And which destroys sins of three births.

"Trishakhai Bilwapathraischa Hyachidrai Komalai Shubai,Shiva Poojam Karishyami, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam"

I offer one leaf of Bilwa to Lord Shiva,Which has three shoots, Which do not have holes,Which are good and pretty, And worship Lord Shiva.

"Aganda Bilwa Pathrena Poojithe Nandikeshware,Shudhyanthi Sarva Papebhyo, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam"

I offer one leaf of Bilwa to Lord Shiva, For if an uncut leaf is offered,To his steed the god Nandi, We get cleaned of all our sins.

"Salagrama Shilamekaam Vipranam Jatha Cha Arpayeth,Soma Yagna Maha Punyam, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam"

I offer one leaf of Bilwa to Lord Shiva,For it is equal to, offering a saligrama to a Brahmin,Or the great blessing got out of performing Soma Yaga,

"Danti Koti Sahasrani Vajapeya Sathani Cha,Koti Kanya Maha Danam, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam"

I offer one leaf of Bilwa to Lord Shiva,For it is equal to gifting thousand elephants,Or the performing of hundred fire sacrifices,Or giving away billions of girls in marriage.

"Lakshmyasthanutha Uthpannam Mahadevasya Cha Priyam,Bilwa Vruksham Prayachami, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam"

I offer one leaf of Bilwa to Lord Shiva,For it is equal to giving a tree of Bilwa, Which was born from the breast of Lakshmi, And which is very dear to the Lord Shiva.

"Darshanam Bilwa Vrukshasya, Sparsanam Papa Nasanam,Aghora Papa Samharam, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam"

I offer one leaf of Bilwa to Lord Shiva,As seeing and touching of a tree of Bilwa, Washes away ones sins and also very great sins.

"Kasi Kshethra Nivasam Cha Kala Bhairava Darshanam,Prayaga Madhavam Drushtwa, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam"

I offer one leaf of Bilwa to Lord Shiva,After living in the city of Kasi, Seeing the Kala Bhairawa, And also visiting the temple Of Madhawa in Allahabad.

"Moolatho Brahma Roopaya, Madhyatho Vishnu RoopineAgratha Shiva Roopaya, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam"

I offer one leaf of Bilwa to Lord Shiva, As Brahma resides at its bottom,Lord Vishnu lives in its middle, And Lord Shiva lives in its tip.

"Bilwashtakam Idham Punyaam, Padeth Shiva Sannidhou,Sarva Papa Nirmuktha Shiva Loka Maapnuyath"

Reading this holy octet of Bilwa, In the presence of Lord Shiva,Would save one from all sins, And in the end take him to the world of Shiva

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA  

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