Bakula (Maulsari)

The Tree in Vrindavan

In the thirtieth chapter of the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the gopis, having lost Krishna in the midst of the rasa dance, wander through the forest mad with separation, asking every living thing about Him. They call out to everyone in turn – first the ashvattha, plaksha, and nyagrodha, then the flowering ashoka, naga, and champaka, then tulasi and the jasmines – and last of all they address the great fruit trees on the bank of the Yamuna, among which stands the bakula:

Why the Gopis Trust the Trees

Why do the gopis trust the trees? The commentators – Sridhara Svami, Jiva and Sanatana Gosvami, Visvanatha Cakravarti – all explain it the same way: the trees on the bank of the Yamuna stand motionless, like sages absorbed in meditation, and their stillness shows that their minds are fixed on Krishna. Such beings will not lie. What is more, their very existence is parartha, “for the sake of others”: they feed everyone with their fruits and shelter everyone with their shade, and so out of compassion they will point the way. That is why the gopis do not ask them “have you seen Him?” – a question the trees, as Krishna's servants, dare not answer – but only beg them to show the path. In this list the bakula stands alongside the kadamba and the mango. And here, commenting on this verse, Vamsidhara explains that the bakula is the very tree popularly known as maulsari¹.

In Vraja the bakula grows not singly but in avenues and groves. In the Govinda-lilamrita of Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, the paths leading from the Yogapitha – the heart of Vrindavan – to the bathing ghats of the Yamuna are lined with bakula trees on both sides, and it is along such an avenue, between its two rows, that Krishna walks to meet His beloved:

Bakula Groves

In those same gardens a jeweled swing hangs from two bakula trees at the northern edge of the pond, and navamalika vines twine around their trunks. Srila Rupa Gosvami, in his drama Vidagdha-madhava, describes Krishna entering a bakula grove: “Friend, this grove is simply magnificent! Look: to the right is a shimmering lake, to the left a pond and little streams. This forest of bakula trees, full of murmuring brooks and cool pools, delights Me greatly.”

And Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, in the Krishna-bhavanamrita, describes Radha entering just such a grove: “stepping ever so slowly, striving to hold on to a composure that had already slipped away, She entered the bakula forest”².

The bakula also stands on the banks of Radha-kunda and Shyama-kunda. Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, in the Vraja-vilasa-stava, lists the trees there – champaka, young ashokas, mangoes, the lavanga and madhavi vines, and bakula – and calls these groves the Divine Couple's favorite place of pastimes. And the bees, he adds, humming softly among the mango, kadamba, and bakula trees, delight Radha and Krishna with their very hum.

Bakula-sakhi

The bakula also lends its name to one of Radha's maidservants in Vraja. In the Govinda-lilamrita and in the Ananda-Vrindavana-champu of Kavikarnapura, Bakula-sakhi, also known as Bakula-mala, weaves garlands³.

Spring, Kama's Arrows, and Flowers in the Hair

Through the bakula, spring and the god of love also enter the poetry of Vraja. In the Gita-Govinda, Srila Jayadeva Gosvami paints a spring forest languid with passion, where not a spot is left bare on the blossoming branches and swarms of bees hum frantically over the clusters of bakula:

Kamadeva's Arrows and Adornment

The bakula flower stands among the five flower arrows of Kamadeva as well. The Sanat-kumāra-saṁhitā, which Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura quotes in his Mantrārtha-dīpikā, gives each letter of the kāma-bīja, the syllable klīṁ, its own flower: ka – the mango bud (āmra-mukula), la – the ashoka, i – the mallika, the crescent ardha-candra – the madhavi, the dot bindu – the bakula⁴. The commentary on the Gita-Govinda says that Kamadeva does not own these arrows: he borrows them from Radha and conquers the universe only by Her mercy.

The flowers themselves serve Him too. In the Govinda-lilamrita, the forest presents Radha with a necklace of quivering bakula flowers, and Radha adorns Krishna's hair with them, mixed with jati, yuthika, and golden yuthi. In the Ananda-Vrindavana-champu, bakula, keshara, and nagakeshara are woven into belts for the gopis, and bakula flowers adorn Krishna's dark curls. During Holi, Vrinda lays a garland of bakula along Radha's hair parting – “as if kissing Her forehead”. And in the scene where the gopis search for Krishna, they call out to the tree itself: “O bakula! You are blissful, beholding moon-faced Hari, who has himself woven a garland from your fallen flowers.”

Worship

Bakula flowers are offered to the Lord. In the Hari-bhakti-vilasa, Srila Sanatana Gosvami gathered a whole collection of statements on this from the Puranas:

Gaura-lila

Bakula also has its place in the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya. In Jagannatha Puri, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited Haridasa Thakura every day and, to shield him from the sun, planted a toothpick that Lord Jagannatha had used. It grew into a large, shady bakula tree. Beneath it Haridasa Thakura chanted his three lakhs of holy names; here, too, Srila Rupa Gosvami recited Lalita-madhava and Vidagdha-madhava before Mahaprabhu and the devotees, and after Haridasa Thakura's passing, Lord Chaitanya danced under this tree with his body in His arms. The tree is worshiped to this day – under the name Siddha-bakula.

A bakula also stands in Navadvipa, in the courtyard of Srivasa Thakura, where Mahaprabhu held His nighttime kirtans:

The Flower of Vaikuntha

Bakula also has its place in Vaikuntha. In the Third Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, when the four Kumaras enter the spiritual kingdom, bakula is named among its fragrant flowers:

Ayurveda

In the Ayurvedic compendia, bakula (Mimusops elengi) is placed in the flower group – the Bhavaprakasha assigns it to the pushpa-varga, and the Dhanvantari Nighantu to the amradi varga. Its rasa (taste) is astringent and pungent, its virya (potency) cooling, its vipaka (post-digestive effect) pungent, and its quality heavy (guru); it pacifies pitta and kapha. Bakula is famed above all as a remedy for the mouth and teeth: a decoction of its bark is used to rinse the mouth for inflamed gums, loose teeth, and ulcers; the tender leaves are chewed for bleeding gums; and the powdered bark serves as a tooth powder.

Botany

Bakula is Mimusops elengi of the Sapotaceae (sapodilla family), a tree with a straight trunk and a crown so dense that deep shade holds beneath it. The leaves are small, glossy, and leathery, oval with pointed tips and slightly wavy margins, five to sixteen centimeters long. The fruit is a pointed drupe, two to three centimeters long, that turns red as it ripens; the yellow flesh is edible. Bakula is native to a range stretching from southern India and Sri Lanka through Southeast Asia to the Pacific islands; in Bengal it is called bakul, in Kerala elengi, and in Telugu pogada.