
Parijata
When Kṛṣṇa and Satyabhāmā were returning from the capital city of Indra, Satyabhāmā remembered Kṛṣṇa’s promise to give her the plant of the pārijāta flower. Taking the opportunity of having come to the heavenly kingdom, she plucked a pārijāta plant and kept it on the back of Garuḍa. Once Nārada took a pārijāta flower and presented it to Kṛṣṇa’s senior wife, Śrī Rukmiṇīdevī. On account of this, Satyabhāmā developed an inferiority complex; she also wanted a flower from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa could understand the competitive womanly nature of His co-wives, and He smiled. He immediately asked Satyabhāmā, “Why are you asking for only one flower? I would like to give you a whole tree of pārijāta flowers.”
Actually, Kṛṣṇa had purposely taken His wife Satyabhāmā with Him so she could collect the pārijāta with her own hand. But the denizens of the heavenly planet, including Indra, became very irritated. Without their permission, Satyabhāmā had plucked a pārijāta plant, which is not to be found on the earth planet. Indra, along with other demigods, offered opposition to Kṛṣṇa and Satyabhāmā for taking away the plant, but in order to please His favorite wife Satyabhāmā, Kṛṣṇa became determined and adamant, so there was a fight between the demigods and Kṛṣṇa. As usual, Kṛṣṇa came out victorious, and He triumphantly brought the pārijāta plant chosen by His wife to this earth planet, to Dvārakā. After this, the plant was installed in the palace garden of Satyabhāmā. On account of this extraordinary tree, the garden house of Satyabhāmā became extraordinarily beautiful. As the pārijāta plant came down to the earthly planet, the fragrance of the flower also came down, and the celestial swans also migrated to this earth in search of its fragrance and honey.
(Kṛṣṇa Book 58 )
In the garden within the compound of each palace there were pārijāta flowers. The pārijāta is not an artificial flower. We remember that Kṛṣṇa brought the pārijāta trees from heaven and implanted them in all His palaces. Early in the morning, a mild breeze would carry the aroma of the pārijāta flower, and Kṛṣṇa would smell it just after rising from bed.
(Kṛṣṇa Book 70)
In the material world, one can get oranges from an orange tree or mangoes from a mango tree, but there is no possibility of getting oranges from a mango tree or vice versa. However, one can get whatever he wants from the pārijāta tree—oranges, mangoes, bananas and so on. This tree is found in the spiritual world. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu (BS 5.29). The spiritual world, cintāmaṇi-dhāma, is surrounded by these kalpa-vṛkṣa trees, but the pārijāta tree is also found in the kingdom of Indra, that is, on Indra’s heavenly planet. This pārijāta tree was brought by Kṛṣṇa to please Satyabhāmā, one of His queens, and this tree was implanted in the Dvārakā mansions constructed for the queens. The lotus feet of the Lord are exactly like the pārijāta trees, or wish-fulfilling trees, and the devotees are like bumblebees. They are always attracted by the lotus feet of the Lord.
(SB 4.30.32 purport)
Prabhupāda: No no, pārijāta plant is not here. It is not possible.
Guest (1): No.
Prabhupāda: That is heavenly.
Guest (1): We have got here, pārijāta.
Prabhupāda: No.
Guest (1): They call it pārijāta.
Prabhupāda: They call. (laughs)
Guest (1): A very beautiful, fragrant flower.
Prabhupāda: Oh, that is harsingar. Shiuli flower. (night jasmine)
Guest (1): Oh, it is nice.
Prabhupāda: It is nice. There are many nice flowers.
(731104 – Conversation – Delhi)