Did you know that Arjun Tree, botanically Terminalia arjuna, has been cited in Lord Krishna's childhood stories and alluded to in religious offerings as early as 800 BC, apart from its unique herbal virtues?
Arjun Tree or simply Arjuna with botanical name Terminalia arjuna belongs to the genus Terminalia, a herbal plant, is a deciduous riparian tree, which has incidents narrated to it in the Bhagavata Purana on childhood mystical and divine displays of Lord Krishna in the Dwapara Yuga, but is also cited for its uses in religious practices around 800 BC. It is also conjectured that the hero of the Mahabharata epic, the third Pandava Prince, was named after this tree as Arjuna for its protective effects and its relation to the early life of Lord Krishna.
Arjuna tree is found across the Indian Subcontinent, and usually found growing on river banks or near dry river beds. It is known as Matthimara ( ಮತಿಮರ) or Hole Matthi in Kannada; Neer maruthu in Malayalam; Marutha Maram (marutham pattai) in Tamil; Thella Maddi (తెల్ల మద్ది) in Telugu; Kohda in Rajasthan; Arjuna in Sanskrit, Hindi, Gujarathi; and Kumbuk in Sinhala. In many Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu the tree is revered as Sthala Vriksham, known as Marutha maram
In the ancient Hindu scripture, Bhagavata Purana, the legend narrated to the evolution of Arjuna Tree, is related to the shenanigans of the two children of Yaksha king Kubera (the god of wealth), named Nala Kubera and Mangriva Kubera, during the Treta Yuga. Power and wealth had made them arrogant and disrespectful of other semi-divine beings. On a particular day, in a highly inebriated state, the two brothers accosted sage Narada and insulted him, leave alone offering obeisance to the learned sage. When, in spite of Narada telling them to behave properly, they continued to frolic naked with stark naked Apsaras of Devaloka. In exasperation, sage Narada cursed the two brothers for their continued insolence and sinful behaviour by converting them into Arjuna trees without making them lose their memory. Narada was also benevolent in his curse on them and told them that after 100 million Deva Years the touch of Lord Krishna in the Dwapara Yuga would restore them to their original form. Consequently, the sons of Kubera became a pair of Arjuna trees in Gokul near Mathura.
In Mathura, after Lord Krishna was born to Devakai and Vasudeva he was transported to Gokul to the house of Yashoda and her cowherd husband, for safe keeping and upbringing, away from the clutches of his cruel uncle Kamsa who was out to kill him. Yashoda brought up baby Krishna devotedly with great and love and affection. But Krishna's childhood pranks were too many, and once Yashoda in desperation when he broke a mud pot full of butter) tied him to a grinding stone (Oralu kallu) to stop him from running around wildly. Then, Krishna, the toddler, saw the twin Arjuna tree in the courtyard of his house, and crawling on his hands dragging the heavy grinding stone went towards the Arjuna tree. Even at that stage Krishna in his divine memory perceived the background story related to this tree and dragged the heavy stone block tied to him till it got fixed between two immense Arjun trees. He along with the grinding stone was wedged tight only for a minute, and with one more pull and he brought down the two enormous trunks which fell apart with a thundering crash. After the trees were uprooted, spirits of Kubera’s sons emanated from them, paid obeisance to Krishna and vanished into heavenly abode.
In Theravada Buddhism, Arjuna is said to have been used as the tree for achieving enlightenment by the tenth Buddha (title) called "Anomadassi Buddha".
The Arjuna Tree grows to about 20–25 metres tall; usually has a buttressed trunk, and forms a wide canopy at the crown, from which branches drop downwards. Seeds are sown in nursery beds in early summer; seeds are pretreated by soaking in the water for 48 hours before sowing in beds. Under natural conditions in India Terminalia arjuna grows along streams and rivers, from sea-level up to 1200 m altitude in humid areas, red lateritic soils, borders of forests, fertile lateritic soils. Its fruit is dried in the sunlight and then stored up to 6 -12 months. It has oblong, conical leaves which are green on the top and brown below; smooth, grey bark; it has pale yellow flowers which appear between March and June; its glabrous, 2.5 to 5 cm fibrous woody fruit, divided into five wings, appears between September and November.
Main chemical constitutes of Arjuna tree's bark are tannins, triterpenoid saponins (arjunic acid, arjunolic acid, arjungenin and arjunic acid), flavonoids, gallic acid, ellagic acid and phytosterols.
It is its bark, the main medicinal part, which in different forms like bark juice, powder, milk decoction etc., that is used in Siddha medicine credited to sage Agastya, and in Ayurvedic therapeutic preparations credited to Vagbhata (c. 7th century CE). Vagbhata mentions Arjuna tree in the treatment of wounds, hemorrhages and ulcers, applied topically as a powder. It is stated to combine the virtues and the essences of all herbs, and particularly for treating refractory heart failure, anginal pain, hypertension, consumption and poisoned blood. Its uses in heart diseases particularly earned it the encomium as “Guardian of the heart.”
The Arjuna is one of the species whose leaves are fed on by the Antheraea paphia moth which produces the Tassar silk, a wild silk of commercial importance.
- Narasipur Char
