Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion - Plant Life in South Asian Traditions - Fabrizio Ferrari
1. A Modern Kalpavr̥kṣa: Sathya Sāī Bābā and the Wish-fulfilling Tree
Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion - Plant Life in South Asian Traditions - Fabrizio Ferrari
Antonio Rigopoulos [+]
Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy
Antonio Rigopoulos is Professor of Sanskrit and Indology in the Department of Asian and Mediterranean African Studies at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
Description
In Chapter 1, Antonio Rigopoulos explores the significance of divine trees in the construction of the charismatic persona of Sathya Sāī Bābā (1926–2011), the famous god-man of Puttaparthi in southern Andhra Pradesh. Particular attention is paid to the pārijāta, the tamarind tree as kalpavr̥kṣa and the vaṭa/bodhi tree, which in the saint’s hagiography are related to his advent, his miraculous powers and the meditative practice conducive to final liberation (mokṣa), respectively.