The World Tree

May 14, 2006

I've found it interesting how so many different cultures in the world have a concept of a 'World Tree' that connects all of creation. Here are a few examples:

From Wikipedia (Yggdrasil):

In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil "World Tree", a gigantic ash tree, thought to connect all the nine worlds of Norse cosmology. Ásgard, Álfheimr and Vanaheim rested on the branches of Yggdrasil. The trunk was the world-axis piercing through the center of Miðgarðr, around which Jötunheimr was situated, and below which lay Nidavellir or Svartálfheim.

From Wikipedia (Whac Chan):

The Whac Chan (a.k.a. Mayan Sacred Tree, Mayan World Tree or Mayan Tree of Life) represented the three levels of the Mayan universe. It was believed that all three universes were joined by a central tree.

The roots of the tree plunged into the Maya underworld and its branches reached into the Overworld or the Heavens. The central tree was associated with the color green and the four trees in the Middleworld were white, red, yellow, and black.

From Srimad Bhagavatam:

SB 12.9.20: Once, while wandering in the water, the brahmana Markandeya discovered a small island, upon which stood a young banyan tree bearing blossoms and fruits.

SB 12.9.21: Upon a branch of the northeast portion of that tree he saw an infant boy lying within a leaf. The child's effulgence was swallowing up the darkness.

SB 12.9.22-25: The infant's dark-blue complexion was the color of a flawless emerald, His lotus face shone with a wealth of beauty, and His throat bore marks like the lines on a conchshell. He had a broad chest, a finely shaped nose, beautiful eyebrows, and lovely ears that resembled pomegranate flowers and that had inner folds like a conchshell's spirals. The corners of His eyes were reddish like the whorl of a lotus, and the effulgence of His coral-like lips slightly reddened the nectarean, enchanting smile on His face. As He breathed, His splendid hair trembled and His deep navel became distorted by the moving folds of skin on His abdomen, which resembled a banyan leaf. The exalted brahmana watched with amazement as the infant took hold of one of His lotus feet with His graceful fingers, placed a toe within His mouth and began to suck.

SB 12.9.26: As Markandeya beheld the child, all his weariness vanished. Indeed, so great was his pleasure that the lotus of his heart, along with his lotus eyes, fully blossomed and the hairs on his body stood on end. Confused as to the identity of the wonderful infant, the sage approached Him.

SB 12.9.27: Just then the child inhaled, drawing Markandeya within His body like a mosquito. There the sage found the entire universe arrayed as it had been before its dissolution. Seeing this, Markandeya was most astonished and

perplexed.

SB 12.9.28-29: The sage saw the entire universe: the sky, heavens and earth, the stars, mountains, oceans, great islands and continents, the expanses in every direction, the saintly and demoniac living beings, the forests, countries, rivers, cities and mines, the agricultural villages and cow pastures, and the occupational and spiritual activities of the various social divisions. He also saw the basic elements of creation along with all their

by-products, as well as time itself, which regulates the progression of countless ages within the days of Brahma. In addition, he saw everything else created for use in material life. All this he saw manifested before him as if

it were real.

SB 12.9.30: He saw before him the Himalaya Mountains, the Pushpabhadra River, and his own hermitage, where he had had the audience of the sages Nara-Narayana. Then, as Markandeya beheld the entire universe, the infant exhaled, expelling the sage from His body and casting him back into the ocean of dissolution.

SB 12.9.31-32: In that vast sea he again saw the banyan tree growing on the tiny island and the infant boy lying within the leaf. The child glanced at him from the corner of His eyes with a smile imbued with the nectar of love,

and Markandeya took Him into his heart through his eyes. Greatly agitated, the sage ran to embrace the transcendental Personality of Godhead.

SB 12.9.33: At that moment the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the original master of all mysticism and who is hidden within everyone's heart, became invisible to the sage, just as the achievements of an incompetent person can suddenly vanish.

SB 12.9.34: After the Lord disappeared, O brahmana, the banyan tree, the great water and the dissolution of the universe all vanished as well, and in an instant Markandeya found himself back in his own hermitage, just as before.

Or from Bhagavad-Gita:

Read Chapter 15 verses 1-5 about an upside down banyan tree. Here is part of Srila Prabhupada's purport:

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is said that there is an imperishable banyan tree that has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas."

"The branches of this tree extend downward and upward, nourished by the three modes of material nature. The twigs are the objects of the senses. This tree also has roots going down, and these are bound to the fruitive actions of human society."

Purport by Srila Prabhupada:

The description of the banyan tree is further explained here. Its branches spread in all directions. In the lower parts, there are variegated anifestations of living entities—human beings, animals, horses, cows, dogs, cats, etc.

These are situated on the lower parts of the branches, whereas on the upper parts are higher forms of living entities: the demigods, Gandharvas and many other higher species of life. As a tree is nourished by water, so this tree is nourished by the three modes of material nature. Sometimes we find that a tract of land is barren for want of sufficient water, and sometimes a tract is very green; similarly, where particular modes of material nature are proportionately greater in quantity, the different species of life are manifested accordingly."

Apparently there are Native American (Sioux Indian) stories of a world tree found on an island in the ocean called the Wak Wak tree. One may even consider the Lotus of Brahma to be an example of this "World Tree" which also has counterparts in Egyptian creation stories.

I find all this very interesting. I've never bought the idea of archetypes because I've always found that idea to be sort of like the word 'instinct'. Its a scientific word that doesn't explain anything but covers up this ignorance.

Anyone else know other World Tree examples?

May 15, 2006

The tree is also representative of the human body, with the brain being the root and the nerves extending out to the limbs of the body being the branches. It's an upside down tree, I think that may be the link with the "world tree".