Crowned with leafy tops tousled by the wind and alive with restless swarms of bees, the great tree seemed to reach up and gently wipe the very face of the sky with its emerald hands. Its thick clusters of long, yellowish flower sprays hung like radiant hair, and with bees darting in and out, it appeared to laugh joyously—its blossoms like mouths adorned with fresh betel. Circles of golden dust, shaken loose from playful blossoms of winding vines, shimmered in the air, lending the tree a moonlike glow, as if it radiated the fullness of the moon itself. Rows upon rows of dense branches rose up, resonant with the cooing of partridges and the melodious singing of kinnara, ascending like the celestial path followed by the perfected beings. Below, clusters of peacocks perched upon leafy seats, their plumage cascading down like garlands, beautifying the sky as if with Indra’s rainbow-hued bows and drifting clouds. Each slope of the tree was illuminated by the gentle movement of white chowries and the glow of full moons, with partridges trailing behind, so that it seemed as if the whole year were filled with shining moons. The air vibrated with the lively chatter of francolins, the sweet calls of cuckoos, and the resonant cries of jīvajīva birds, as though the tree itself was singing with a full, jubilant voice. Flocks of kadamba birds played at their nests, and the tree was encircled by resting siddhas in the hollows of heaven, so that it seemed as if the world itself was surrounded and protected. Here and there, clusters of blossoms with coral-red stems and dark, bee-like eyes clung to the branches, like the heavenly apsarases attending to the realms above. Restless pollen, drifting from heaps of flowers, formed a rainbow arc—an Indra’s bow—while the dark mass of blossoms gleamed like a raincloud streaked with lightning. Branch upon branch stretched out, a thousand arms filling the sky, so that the tree seemed to take on a cosmic form, dancing and adorned with earrings of the moon and sun. At its base rested a mighty king of mountains; above, the sky was crowded with stars; and in between, the tree resembled a second earth, woven entirely of flowering vines. Like the grandsire of all trees and forests, it stood as the earth’s single, bountiful storehouse of fruits, tender shoots, and blossoms. Clusters of buds hid beneath the dust of flowers, like the sky along the riverbanks veiled by sunlight and a network of stars. The branches swayed with flocks of restless birds, crowded with nests, so that the ground below appeared as if filled with lively villages of people. Banners of blossoming sprays and festoons of vines adorned the tree, and it shone white with masses of flowers, overflowing everywhere with heaps of blossoms. The calls of partridges, antelopes, parrots, cuckoos, and starlings filled the air, and the hollowed branches, hidden beneath dense flowers, became like secret windows. Within these hollows, birds moved languidly, intoxicated by nectar, as if they were the cherished inner chambers of woodland goddesses. Swarms of bees and waves of sweet fragrance, along with heaps of flower pollen, made the tree shine like mountain streams cascading down its slopes. Petals drifted down in gentle showers, playing in the breeze, and the tree grew tall, like a mountain surrounded by luminous white clouds. At its base, elephants pressed their knees and broad backs against the trunk, polishing it smooth, so that the tree stood firm like a great mountain anchored by its own slopes. Flocks of birds with many-colored wings moved through the hollows of its branches, making it resemble a horned mountain teeming with diverse beings. The restless network of clustered twigs seemed to gesture, as if the forest winds had set the dancing vines in motion. Only one free from all desire could depart content from such a place, for the tree itself seemed to dance, garlands of flowers swaying like circling vines. Beloved only by the vines that clung to it, the tree overflowed with the flavor of love, as if it were singing melodiously with the calls of intoxicated bees. From afar, with its newly blossomed flowers, it welcomed the sky-traveling siddhas, greeting them with the cries of cuckoos and the hum of bees. The trees all around, heavy with fruits and blossoming flowers, seemed to rejoice in their abundance, laughing with the radiant brightness of their buds and blooms. Like a pārijāta tree striving to ascend, its branches and clusters reached ever upward, the trunk rising boldly as if to pierce the sky. Swarms of bees hummed in its midst, and dense clusters of thick-petaled flowers made it appear as if it could rival Indra himself, shining with a thousand-eyed splendor. Its shining clusters of flowers, like jeweled serpent hoods, rose from the earth like the great serpent Śeṣa, eager to behold the sky. Dust-laden, the tree’s form resembled a second Śaṅkara, and its fruit-laden shade inspired awe in all the sages, just as Śaṅkara does. Dense, leafy branches formed natural walls, and flower-laden creepers created pavilions, so that the kadamba tree stood like a city in the sky, crowded with flocks of birds as if they were its citizens. Then, the wise one, his mind slowed and gladdened by joy, beheld the tree rich with fruits and tender leaves, resembling a great mountain of blossoms. He climbed the kadamba tree, the very pillar of the forest standing firm upon the earth, just as Viṣṇu once ascended the wish-fulfilling tree rising alone from the ocean. There, at the tip of a branch reaching for the sky, she entered the open expanse, like the mind of a monkey venturing to the end of a branch. Sitting down upon a soft, fresh bed of new leaves, she slowly gazed in wonder at the directions around her. She saw rows of rivers adorned with lovely banks, mountain peaks rising like the breasts of great hills, clear skies veiled with clouds, and blue lotuses swaying gently in the breeze. Clad in blue-green grass, with limbs pale as flowers, bearing pitchers filled with the ocean’s water, they adorned the city. Holding blossoming lotuses, with fragrant breezes for faces, the villages hummed with the calls of crows, while waterfalls resounded like the tinkling of anklets. With the sky as their crown and the earth as their feet, the forests formed their lines of hair, the wilds their broad hips, and the moon and sun their earrings—nature herself revealed in all her majesty and beauty.