उपवनविनोद (आचार्य शार्ङ्गधर - वृक्षायुर्वेद, भू-जल संधान एवं उद्यान-विज्ञान सटीक)

6 UPAVANA VINODA
And by the time of Manu destruction of plants came to be regarded
as State offence, and in his code provision was made for its punishment
(VIII, 285, 330 and 331 ; IX, 143, 145).¹
The Matsya Purāṇa prescribes degree of punishment proportionate
to the guilt; thus "one who fells his master's or other's trees should be
fined gold pieces; and double the fine should be imposed on those who
cut a tree near a tank, a thoroughfare, or a boundary line (91-92). Those
who break fruit trees, arbours, creepers and floral plants should be fined
one māsha of gold (93). Even a man chopping grass unnecessarily should
be made liable to pay a fine of kārṣāpaṇa (94). Out of the fine levied
for cutting trees the king should use his own discretion: he must pay
the owner of the trees the price for them and the rest should go to the
Royal Exchequer(95).²
Thus the plants are glorified because of their utility. They are either
sacred to some deity, or are shade-giving, or fruit-bearing, or bearing flowers
which one needed for worship.
II. GOOD AND EVIL OMENS RELATING TO RESIDENCE
NEAR TREES
Reference to the trees and plants which are to be avoided in gardens
adjoining a house, and to trees that are to be preferred, is plentiful in
ancient literature. Beginning with the earliest we find Gobhila enjoining in
Gṛhyasūtra :
"Let him (householder) avoid an Aswattha tree on the east side (of his
house), and a Plakṣa on the south side, Nyagrodha on the west side, and on
the north side an Udumbara". 22.
"One should say that an Aswattha brings (to the house) danger from fire,
one should say that a Plakṣa tree brings early death (to the inhabitants of the
house), that a Nyagrodha brings oppression through (hostile) arms, that an
Udumbara brings diseases to the eye". 23.
"The Aswatha is sacred to the Sun, the Plakṣa to Yama, the Nyagrodha
is the tree that belongs to Varuṇa, the Udumbara to Prajāpati". 24.
"He should place those (trees) in another place than their proper ones (25)
and should sacrifice to those same deities."³ 26.
1 Institutes of Manu, S. B. E. 25, pp. 304, et sq; & 459.
2 Chap. 227, sl. 91-95. S. B. H. 17 (ii), p. 245.
3 IV, 7; S. B. E. XXX, p. 122; for verse 24, cf. Padma P. Uttarākhaṇḍa where it is
said—
अश्वत्थरूपो भगवान विष्णुरेव न संशयः ।
रुद्रोरूपवटस्तद्वत्पलाशो ब्रह्मरूपधृक् ॥