Of all trees, I (the Supreme) am Ashvattha (Peepul tree). Among Devarshis, I am Narada, the devotional ascetic. I am Chitraratha among Gandharvas, and Kapila Muni among the Siddhas.
Ashvattha, Peepul tree, carries exceptional holiness. It is ceremonially planted and cultured in public places, especially temples and holy abodes. Ritualistic science prescribes special ceremonies for planting, pruning and uprooting it, when necessary, all of which are rare occurrences.
Narada’s place and importance have already been stated. Gandharvas are mythical beings.
Kapila is the author of Sānkhya Yoga, which is different from Krishna’s Sānkhya (chapter 2), which exposes the unborn, immortal, all-pervading Self as the only true existence any time. All others are but appearances the Self displays with its inscrutable power. However, Kapila enumerates twenty four principles as constituting the whole Creation. He holds clearly that the entire manifest Universe has sprung from the unmanifest cause, the balanced state of the three gunas (sattva, rajas and tamas).