Parijata

The word, Pārijāta (Sanskrit: पारिजात), – refers to the Indian coral tree, night-flowering coral jasmine, or simply fragrance. But, written and pronounced as Parijāta (Sanskrit: परिजात) it means - descended from, begotten by or fully developed.

In Hindu mythology, the celestial Pārijāta tree is the tree of the universe which is owned by Indrani and planted in svarga located between heaven and earth, which tree, also known as Kalpa-taru, is believed to yield all objects of desire. This tree is identified with the Mandāra tree.

From the Bhagavata Purana, the Vishnu Purana and the Mahabharata it is learnt that the elaborate process of Samudra manthan of primal waters of the cosmic ocean yielded the Pārijāta tree as one of the three valuables, this tree, said to have blossomed atop Mount Meru in the garden of paradise and identified with the Indian coral tree, was claimed by Indra no sooner it rose to the surface and emitted its fragrance.

Krishna is believed to have stolen the Pārijāta flower from Indra’s paradise to which act pārijāta-harana (removal of the Pārijāta tree from heaven), which has two forms in the Harivamsa, relates; according to the puranas, at the behest of his wife, Satyabhama, Krishna had uprooted the pārijāta tree from the Nandana-vana of Indra and brought it to Dwarka though it has no role in rituals and is not associated with the world of humans, being merely a possession of sorts.