Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 35
सुप्ते देवे वृक्षमध्यमास्थाय भगवान्प्रभुः । जलं पृथ्वीगतं सर्वं प्रपिबन्निव सेवते
supte deve vṛkṣamadhyamāsthāya bhagavānprabhuḥ | jalaṃ pṛthvīgataṃ sarvaṃ prapibanniva sevate
حين يكون الإله (فيشنو) في سباته الكوني، يقيم الربّ المبارك في وسط الشجرة، كأنّه يرتشف كلّ المياه التي دخلت إلى الأرض، وبذلك يخدم العالم ويُقيمه ويحفظه.
Skanda (deduced; not explicit in snippet)
Tirtha: Aśvattha (Viṣṇu-ādhāra during yoganidrā)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A colossal Aśvattha with Viṣṇu subtly enthroned within its heartwood during yoganidrā; beneath, the earth’s waters are drawn upward in a mystical cycle, suggesting the Lord ‘drinking’ and sustaining all.
FAQs
The sacred tree is not merely symbolic: it is portrayed as a cosmic seat where Viṣṇu abides and sustains life, giving theological grounding to tree-veneration.
The verse sacralizes the Aśvattha as a living sacred abode; the ‘site’ is the tree itself within the māhātmya landscape.
No direct rite is prescribed here; it provides the theological rationale supporting Aśvattha-sevā, especially in the Cāturmāsya season.