(oneness with God) Atziluth ("emanation"), associated with chayah (partaking of God) Beri'ah ("creation"), associated with neshamah (moral sense) Yetzirah ("formation"), associated with ruach (intellect) Asiyah ("action"), associated with nephesh (natural instinct) Hindu parallels There is a theory that Jesus traveled to India during his "missing years," and various Christian sects in India, such as the Saint Thomas Christians, trace their origins specifically to the Apostle Thomas. There are several places in Hindu mythology where "five trees" appear: The Hindu gods' celestial abode, Svarga, features a garden (Nandana) with five trees, whose species may be identified as: Mandara (Erythrina stricta) Parijata (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis); the specific tree in the garden, Samtanaka, "a tree of wonder having leaves which promote fertility in men" Haricandana (Santalum album), the sandalwood tree, which keeps away evil spirits Kalpavriksha, the tree of eternity, which arose from the churning of the ocean of milk and can grant wishes Temples dedicated to Lord Shiva will also be surrounded by five species of sacred evergreen tree, as detailed in the Puranas: the Amala (Phyllanthus emblica), banyan (Ficus benghalensis), bel (Aegle marmelos), neem (Azadirachta indica), and pipal (Ficus religiosa). Furthermore, "the flowers of five trees — asoka, mango, navamal lika (Ixora parviflora), pink lotus (Nelumbe nucifera), and blue lotus (Nymphae stellata) — adorn the tip of the bow of Kama, the god of love." See also References External links "Five" in Manichaean myth Gospel of Thomas Gnosticism Plants in the Bible Trees in mythology 5 (number)