Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41
मूले विष्णुः स्थितो नित्यं स्कंधे केशव एव च । नारायणस्तु शाखासु पत्रेषु भगवान्हरिः
mūle viṣṇuḥ sthito nityaṃ skaṃdhe keśava eva ca | nārāyaṇastu śākhāsu patreṣu bhagavānhariḥ
اس کے جڑ میں وشنو سدا قائم ہے؛ تنے میں کیشو ہی جلوہ گر ہے۔ شاخوں میں نارائن ہے اور پتّوں میں بھگوان ہری بسے ہوئے ہیں۔
Brahmā (deduced from 'Brahma–Nārada saṃvāda' colophon context)
Tirtha: Aśvattha (sacred fig) as vṛkṣa-tīrtha
Type: kshetra
Scene: A radiant Aśvattha tree shown as Viṣṇu’s body: luminous root with Viṣṇu, trunk with Keśava, branches with Nārāyaṇa, leaves shimmering with Hari; devotees circumambulate with lamps and water-pots.
FAQs
The divine is immanent in the natural world; revering the Aśvattha is revering Viṣṇu in manifested form.
The Aśvattha is elevated as a living shrine where the Lord is present in every part of the tree.
Implicit worship guideline: honor the whole Aśvattha as Viṣṇu’s embodied presence.