Thus Spoke a Humble Tree, and the Woodcutter Threw away His Axe
A sensational revelation
Nature-raised Forests, sweet home for innocent dwellers; birds, animals, insects etc. Humans are guests to cherish the forest gifts and not ruin — Author.
When I was in my early teens, my father used to wake me up early in the morning, and I was supposed to recite Sanskrit Shlokas. I never liked getting up early, but I had to under his strict discipline. I used to sit near the worshipping place at home and chant Shlokas without caring about the meaning. One of them, I still remember, and the English translation is:
Life of the Tree is blessed one The tree is like a saint All along the life The tree gives everything to charity
After years, I realized its deep spiritual meaning and feel blessed.
It was summertime, a school vacation to go on holiday with the family. So did we, four adults and two kids, for a week-long to a place on the lake and uphill leading to woods, a wonderful place.
The morning was pleasant to start the journey from home. Looking around the hilly roads’ ups and downs with kids was a joyous time. On the way, we stopped at a railway station to buy some items for the kids.
While my daughter was busy buying, I saw a cargo train with several bogies transporting fallen tree trunks; I felt despondent and went closer, and my camera clicked on the hopeless dead wood.
To my great sadness, they were transporting bulky tree trunks. Yes, Timber is needed for several household and commercial purposes. Trees are planted for the said purpose and mercilessly cut when the business requires them.
So human desire and need prevail over mother nature….
(I heard trees are planted to replace them in Austria by this forest is preserved).
A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people — Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth ― Herman Hesse, German-Swiss novelist and painter (1877–1962).
Although vacation is meant for relaxing to all, being in the company of children is the truest thrill more than anything else. Looking at the children’s fun is a joy for elders, and so was mine. We walked up the hills along the curvy trail going up and down.
Freshness and the scent of the pine wood reached us well before we could climb. The melody of the singing birds echoed around to welcomed visitors.
After a long ‘stop and proceed’ hiking, we settled down under a huge tree. We enjoyed our snacks and drinks. Several hikers were passing by, many designing their trails.
Finally, restless children wanted to go to the lake for rowing and all left.
However, I decided to stay in the forest under the tree.
It was a magnificent tree with big branches with healthy green leaves. It offered a vast umbrella for the passer-by and a soft cushion underneath.
The life of a tree is the life of grace.
I looked at the gigantic tree and felt whoever planted this tree must be a virtuous, generously kind person. So I sat on the bench by the side of the tree.
My time passed looking at it……..
I got captivated, was entangled, moved into it, and lost my outer senses. There were only two of us, but I was one with it intertwined…..
At that moment, I was a part of the relation, a part of the feeling, an enriched flowing communication…..a message weaved…..
Thus spoke the holy tree, and I remained a mute listener.
Long ago, a wealthy woodcutter lived nearby a village. He made a fortune by cutting the wood from the forest and selling it to all the nearby towns.
First, he would come to the forest and test the sharpness of his axe by slicing a tree or a branch of it. Then he used to decide how much wood he could collect that day, enough for a week. After returning home, he would sharpen the axe and prepare it for the subsequent tree cutting.
As a routine, he would cut a growing tree while entering the forest. In a shot, the growing plant rolled down. Woodcutter looked with pride at his strength and the sharpness of his axe. He amassed enough wood every time that was ample for a week and went into his business.
After a week, he returned to the forest and saw the plant he had cut in the previous week was spreading its shoots. Woodcutter immediately axed the projections and went ahead to collect his bounty for the week. So, the routine went on, and time passed.
During the rain and winter seasons, he would not come to cut the tree; instead, he would do timber business.
Then came spring. Forest was filled with new life, the excellent and mesmerizing fragrance of the blossoming flowers, colourful creepers, singing birds, and several nests…. An enchanting atmosphere filled in the forest.
It was the time for the woodcutter to start his work of cutting trees. As he was getting ready to go to the forest, his four grandchildren accompanied him singing and dancing all along the forest. Soon they got tired and felt hungry.
The woodcutter knew each corner of the forest. He took them to fruit-bearing bushes and plucked delicious fruits for them. They all returned to the tree to sit on the soft grass carpet underneath the tree and enjoyed eating the fruits.
Children were excited, rolled on the grass joyously and played climbing the tree. Some of them ran happily chasing the birds….
Watching all this fun with his grandchildren, the woodcutter was extremely happy and thought of relaxing while his kids were enjoying nature. He stretched his body on the refreshing grass.
He looked up to the grown-up tree and smiled, this tree will fetch me a lot of money, and his mind went into business on chopping and selling the tree. His dream of becoming richer took his imagination afar in time.
He realized sitting was a waste of his time and wealth. But, he didn’t want to waste his time thinking and plunged into action. He took his axe in hand and called his grandchildren to follow him to cut the tree they were playing underneath.
The oldest of the kids, nine years old-girl, asked grandpa, why do you want to cut this tree? It’s so lovely, so shady, cool and refreshing. We can come here every day. You can rest, and we will play. Then, when we are tired, we can eat these delicious juicy fruits.
Where can we find shade to play if you cut the tree?
Hearing this, the other kids’ chorus continued in the same tone….
The innocent words of the kids touched the old woodcutter’s heart. The warm feeling of the child was more than his lucrative business. He sat down with his axe in his hand….
He looked up to the tree, giving him fresh breath and shade to relax even when he was planning to axe it.
He felt the spiritual spark, a life-changing message from the humble tree and sat gripped in stillness…..
The axe looking at the tree, said, you changed the mind of my master, but tell me, knowing well he harms you, why are you so benevolent to him?
Thus continued the holy tree….. My life is to be helpful to others and give what I have. I perform my duty.
The woodcutter’s job is to cut the tree. It is good of him to realize to become a protector of the trees instead of a destructor.
Time passed, and Tired kids asked him to return home.
Yes, we are going home now, and we all come back tomorrow.
Tomorrow we will have more fun. We plant more trees to make our forest nice and thick forest…..
That’ll work for our next generation….
Saying this, the woodcutter threw away his axe.
Years have passed, and the kind woodcutter is not alive, but his legacy remains. Now it is a big forest…
This holy message still lingers in my heart.
Sitting under the tree was like listening to the sensational story of the holy tree. The tree’s soul opened her life’s account and the secret that enriched the knowledge of my life.
Yes, true; we both tuned to the wordless, nonvocal, and voiceless dialogue we could understand.
With a sense of enlightenment, I walked down and reached my family on the lake-side.
Since time immemorial, trees have been worshipped in many parts of the world in the ancient time — for example, Celts, Hindus, Japanese, Egyptians and Greeks etc.
However, the early Hindu sacred texts, the Vedas (means knowledge, written c 1500–400 BCE) and Upanishads (written c 700–400 BCE reveal the truth, the source of everything as consciousness, free from the limitations of time and space), make frequent reference to holy trees, referring to them as the essential living forms on earth.
This contributed to the gradual change of the Hindu religion and cultural perception of the tree. Therefore, the tree has been a symbol of Divinity in Hindu culture since ancient times.
Louise Fowler-Smith writes in her article “Hindu Tree Veneration as a Mode of Environmental Encounter, that the worship of trees existed throughout Europe but declined, which associated such activity with pagans.
Research suggests that being around the trees is good for our mental, emotional, spiritual and social well-being. It also promotes creativity, kindness, and less stress.
People feel peace, joy and serenity when they sit under a tree or walk through a forest which adds magic to their spending time.
Is there something special about being among trees?
True, undoubtedly, it is everyone’s experience. Trees have shown an appealing role in spirituality. Trees have been sacred in many cultures, are considered very powerful, and can influence our spiritual lives. As a result, trees are involved in several religious and spiritual practices.
Like all living things, trees have an energy frequency, vibration, and aura. With roots reaching deep into the earth, they have excellent grounding energy. Their vibration frequency is low but more profound than many other living things.
The forest has an unlimited kindness and benevolence that makes no demands for its sustenance and extends the products of its life activity generously; it affords protection to all, offering shade even to the axe-man who destroys it. ― Gautama Buddha
One who plants a tree offers a hope for the future
Enjoy your unique natural beauty Tara Desai ©Tara Desai 2022.
Shoutout to beautiful articles on nature
Josephine Crispin Josephine Crispin
https://medium.com/reciprocall/cliffside-beaches-offer-stunning-views-of-the-sea-f03e62a
