Coconut – called ‘SriPhala’ in sanskrit meaning the most adorable(sri) blessed fruit(phalam). It represents the whole of Life Herself, from the gross superficial level to the subtle and divine. It has been used in the extreme antiquity of spiritual  rites from the Veda (India).  It is the ‘fruit of aspiration’, and the guarantee of auspicious beginnings. It is metaphor for the womb and fertility for a bridal couple. After the cow, it is seen as the most revered offering of Nature to mankind.

But its real sacredness is its variety of food and medicines, as well as shelter and housing (thatch and timber). High in mineral, vitamins, oil and proteins, it is a ecosystem in itself.

It is cooling and tissue building and unctuous so  is a specific for pitta conditions and useful to vata… kapha already has most of its quality so need it only a little. Useful externally on burns and for hair growth and maintenence and internally  for dissolving kidney stone and support for heart and blood pressure. It nourishes the lungs and skin and is great in recovery especially from infectious diseases.

“In offering the coconut …… I feel the fullness of Life welling up within me”…. from Guru Puja.

Painting by Kailash Chand Sharma in ‘The Garden of Life’ by Naveen Patnaik.