Vedic Mythology c7.s7.4

c7.s7.4

Plants (*oṣadhi*) are also personified as divine. The whole of a long hymn of the RV. (10, 97)³ is devoted to their praise, mainly with reference to their healing powers⁴. They are called mothers and goddesses (v. 4), and Soma, to whom trees are subject, is described as their king. In another text a herb to be used medicinally is spoken of as a 'goddess born on the goddess earth' (AV. 6, 136¹). An animal sacrifice is even offered to plants in order to remove their obstruction to the attainment of offspring (TS. 2, 1, 5³).