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
प्राण्यांच्या हिताची इच्छा ठेवून पितर व देव वृक्षांत वास करतात। वृक्षसेवा ही सर्वदा, सर्व महिन्यांत, श्रेष्ठ साधना आहे।
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.