Chapter 12 - Origin of the sacred Amalaki tree

Jaya and Vijaya asked Parvati if there was any other tree as sacred as Tulasi and Vilva, and were told that the Amalaki^[1] tree which had sprung from her and Lakshmi, was such. She then narrated the origin of this tree as follows:—One auspicious morning there was a large festive gathering of the gods at a place of pilgrimage known as Prabhasa. All the gods, including the great and mighty four-faced Brahma, the lord Sankara, with his wife Parvati and the lord Narayana with his wife, Lakshmi, were there, and all the great Rishis were also present.

Parvati and Lakshmi were talking to each other on various pleasant topics when each felt a desire in her heart to worship the other’s husband, and make some new offering to him. They communicated their thoughts to each other, and were so overpowered with emotion that two crystal (amala) tear drops fell from the eyes of each on the ground. These four tear-drops sprang up in the shape of four beautiful trees with fine green leaves and boughs; and as they were grown from amala tear-drops they were named Amalaki.

This tree serves the purpose of both Tulasi and Bel, and its leaves are sacred alike to Hara^[2] and Hari^[3]. As with Bel, an area up to a distance of one hundred times the length of an arrow-flight, on all sides of the stem of the tree should be considered a Tirtha.