Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
वृक्षस्थाः पितरो देवाः प्राणिनां हित काम्यया । वृक्षाणां सेवनं श्रेष्ठं सर्वमासेषु सर्वदा
vṛkṣasthāḥ pitaro devāḥ prāṇināṃ hita kāmyayā | vṛkṣāṇāṃ sevanaṃ śreṣṭhaṃ sarvamāseṣu sarvadā
«Les Pitṛs et les dieux demeurent dans les arbres, désirant le bien des êtres vivants. Servir les arbres est la pratique la plus excellente—en tout temps, en chaque mois.»
Gālava
Type: kshetra
Scene: A sacred grove where luminous Pitṛs and Devas are subtly depicted residing within tree trunks/canopies; devotees offer water and circumambulate; animals and birds appear protected, emphasizing universal welfare.
FAQs
Tree-care is elevated to a perennial dharma because it supports life and honors both devas and ancestors.
The teaching is embedded in the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya narrative frame, though the verse universalizes the dharma beyond one locale.
Sevana (service) of trees—nurturing, protecting, and honoring them—is prescribed as an always-valid meritorious act.