Auspicious Shravan at Sandipani – Day 13
Why is Ram Katha Kalpavriksha (a wish-yielding tree)?
There is a belief and faith that an individual gets whatever he or she wishes for when seated under a Kalpavriksha (wish-yielding tree). There is a nice example: once, a man was lost in the forest. It was noon. He was hungry and thirsty. As he was tired, he sat under a tree, unaware that this is a Kalpavriksha. The traveller began to think: there is no one to show me the right direction and I am hungry, if only I could get some lunch. That’s it! On his wish, a whole plate appeared with puris, shrikhand, khaman dhoklas, chutneys, pickles, papad, kadhi and rice.
The man was surprised but as he was starving, he decided to eat first then think where this lunch came from. After eating, he was thirsty and desired for water. Water immediately appeared. He scratched his head in wonder, but drunk the water.
The man then got sleepy. He thought, there is a cool breeze under the shade of this tree, if only there was a bed with a pillow, mattress and blanket. He spoke and all this appeared. He reflected that it is amazing that he was getting whatever he wished for. He slept for three hours.
When he woke up it was dark. He began to wonder how all that he had wished for had appeared. However, he was now scared. He had heard that ghosts and spirits live in many trees. He said out loud that what if there are ghosts around here? Because he was under the Kalpavriksha, ghosts appeared in front of the man. Seeing the ghosts he said, “I will die!” and indeed the man died.
Personally, I have no experience of the chintamani, kalpavriksha or kamdhenu and I am not sure of you but from my experience and all katha narrators, Bhagavat and Ram Katha are kalpataru. In fact, they are more than kalpataru because chintamani, kalpavriksha and kamdhenu provide only worldly pleasures while Ram Katha and Bhagavat are also capable of providing liberation.