Flowers in Ancient Literature

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Ancient literature in India is replete with names of various flowers. Most of these flowers are referred to by
names which are not in common use today. One frequently comes across flower names like Kund , padam
, kumud , neelkamal . Surely, one would like to know what these flowers are, as we know
them today. The purpose of this section is to throw some light on this.
Ashok (Saraca indica) -- Sita Ashok
`Ashok' is a Sanskrit
word meaning without
grief or that which gives
no grief. Ashoka, a herald
of spring, has scarlet or
crimson bunches of
flowers in early March. It
is said to flower upon
being touched by a
beautiful woman's feet. In
the Ramayana, Sita spent
her sorrowful days under an Ashoka tree in Ravana's garden after
being abducted by him.

Prijt (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis) -- Hr-Singr

According to mythology,
Prijta is a heavenly tree
brought to earth by lord
Krishna. A quarrel over it
ensued between
Satyabhama and Rukmini,
Krishna's wives. But
Krishna planted the tree
in Satyabhama's
courtyard in a way that
when the tree flowered,
the flowers fell in Rukmini's courtyard.
Lord Vishnu's heavenly throne is placed under a flowering
Parijata tree, and Hanuman lives under its shade.
Another romantic story woven around the tree is about princess
Prijta who fell in love with the sun. When he deserted her she
committed suicide and a tree sprung from the ashes. Unable to
stand the sight of the lover who left her, the tree flowers only at
night and sheds them like tear-drops before the sun rises.

Akund (Calotropis gigantea) -- Crown flower

A pretty purple coloured,
and slightly scented
flower, having a sweet
and agreeable smell. It is
called Arca in Sanscrit,
and has two varieties,
both of which are held to
be sacred to Shiva. It
forms one of the five
darts with which the
Indian God of Love is
supposed to pierce the hearts of young mortals. Sir William Jones
refers to it in his Hymn to Kama Deva. It possesses medicinal
properties.

Champak (Michelia champaca) -- Champ

This beautiful,
delightfully scented
cream-yellow flower is
used often in worship.
The tree is grown in
temple precincts and is
considered particularly
sacred to Krishna. It
forms one of the five
flower-darts of
Kamadeva (Cupid).
Champaka flowers along with Ashoka and Punnaaga adorn the
locks of the Mother Goddess Lalitambika. Rabindranath Tagore
immortalised this flower in one of his poems too

Yuthik (Jasminum auriculatum/molle) -- Juh

Yuthika is a beautiful
Jasmine vine with
fragrant, attractive white
Kadamb (Neolamarckia cadamba) -- Kadamb
flowers. Stories of
Kadamba trees and
Krishna are full of
flowers are also a
reference to yuthika
universal favourite among flowers, like this one:
the Gods. Krishna loved "And look! The Yuthikato sport in Kadamba
flowers in this forest
smile very proudly when
forests, and the Mother
Goddess Durga resides in they attract the restless
a Kadamba forest
honeybees to themselves from the laps of the best housewives,

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(Kadamba vana vsin). the jasmine-flowers, with their fragrance ... "

Kamal (Nelumbo nucifera) -- Lotus

The (red) lotus has pride of place in Indian literature. The
national floweris another universal favourite of the Gods, and its
beauty is often used in in similes for the beauty of heros/heroines:
"face as beautiful as a blooming lotus" or "eyes shaped like lotus
petals". A woman's beauty may be compared to that of a pond full
of blooming lotuses (Nalin, padmin) or her slender frame to that
of a lotus stem. A famous couplet ascribed to Kalidasa describes
a woman's face as a miracle of flower blooming within a flower:
her beautiful eyes are like dark blue lotuses blooming in the pink
lotus of her face! The
goddess Lakshmi sits on a
red Lotus, and Sarasvati,
on a white one. The Lotus
is associated with Lord
Brahma, who was created
sitting on a lotus arising
from the navel of Lord
Vishnu. The lotus has
esoteric and sacred
significance in
spirituality. The Mother Goddess (Devi) is called Kamalmba or
"Lotus Mother": she resides in a thousand-petalled lotus said to
be located in the Sahasrra Chakra in the head. Raising the
serpent power kundalini to this place leads to Realization, which
is the aim of the practitioners of "Sri Vidya Upasana". Lotus
symbols are central in yantra patterns, and form part of many
designs of decoration in more secular contexts. The lotus blooms
at day and closes at night: so the sun is referred to as the "Friend
of the Lotus".

Kumud (Nymphaea lotus var. pubescens) --White

waterlily
The White waterlily is
another romantic
favourite. The moon is
her friend (since she
blooms at night) and the
sun is her enemy. A
woman's face is
compared to her cool
white beauty. A pond full
of lilies (kumudini) is
also a favourite simile for
beauty.

Jap kusum (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) --China Rose

The glory of the rising
sun is often compared to
this resplendently
beautiful flower. A
famous couplet in praise
of the Sun God begins
`japaa kusuma
sankaasam'. The glowing
complexion of the
orange-skinned Hanuman
is also compared to this
flower. Japa flowers are used in the worship of Goddess Durga.
Her glowing complexion as the Mother Goddess Lalita is
compared to the hibiscus in the lalitopaakhyaana.

Vat ( Ficus bengalensis) --Banyan

The banyan tree, India's
National Tree, is a
symbol of spiritual
knowledge. Lord Shiva in
his form of
Dakshinamurti the
universal Teacher sits
under a Vata vrksha and
illumines the minds of
sages seated at his feet. In
the great Cosmic Deluge,
Pralaya, nothing survives of the entire creation except for the
Lord in the form of an infant Krishna floating on a banyan leaf
(vata-patra shaayi), sucking his toe, a familiar theme for Tanjore
paintings.

Karnikr (Pterospermum acerifolium) -- Kanak

Champ
This golden-hued flower
has a beautiful tassel-like
form which makes it look
very ornamental. It has an
intense fragrance,
perceptible even from a
great distance while it is
on the tree. The fragrance
starts fading the moment
it is plucked. The golden
pendant flowers of the
Karnikara adorn the ears of Sri Krishna in the Bhagavatam
Taml (Garcinia xanthochymus) --Himalayan Garcinia
(karnayoh karnikram).
The dark green beauty of
this tree and its leaves,
and its long limbs make it
Vakul (Mimusops elengi) -- Maulsari
a favourite simile for the
A very small, yellowish Lord Rama. The baby

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and fragrant flower used

for garlands and other
ornaments. The
milkmaids of Vrindavan
are allured by Krishna
playing his flute under a
Bakula tree on the banks
of the Yamuna. This tree
is said to blossoms when
sprinkled with nectar
from the mouth of lovely women.

Mlat (Aganosma dichotoma) -- Mlat

Mlat is a vine with very
fragrant white
jasmine-like flowers.
This flowers is frequently
confused with jasmine.
Ancient Hindu
mythological stories are
full of references to
Mlat flowers, as in the
braids of women, or in
overhanging bowers
under which lovers meet. Malati flowers routinely drop from the
hair of women!

Mdhav Lat (Hiptage benghalensis) -- Mdhav

In stories of Krishna,
Madhavi-lata is found
every where in
Vrindavan, and creates a
wonderful atmosphere
with its fragrance and the
three-colored flowers:
"This forest has
Atimukta-trees, therefore
the chariot makers resort
to it (chariots are made of
the wood), the makers of Madhavi-garlands like it (Atimukta
means Madhavi flower) and those who desire liberation come
here (to Vrindavana; (Atimukta means completely liberated).

Ketak ! (Pandanus odoratissimus ) -- Kewd

A fragrant flower used in making perfume and aromatic oil,
Ketaki is not used in worship: it is supposedly cursed by Lord
Shiva for bearing false witness of Lord Brahma. According to a
Puranic legend, Vishnu and Brahma were arguing hotly as to
which of them was supreme. Lord Shiva interceded, appearing
amidst them in the form of a huge pillar of light. The contestants
decided that the question
would be settled by the
one who first found the
limit of this awesome
cosmic pillar. Vishnu set
off towards its base but
was unable to find it and

Krishna is compared to a
newly unfurled Tamala
leaf. The freshly
blooming tamaala tree
attracts hordes of bees,
and Shankaracharya
compares this to the dark
body of Lord Vishnu
attracting the bee-like
Photo: Missouri Botanical Garden
dark eyes of his spouse
Lakshmi in the kanakadhaara stotra.

Punng # (Calophyllum inophyllum) -- Sultan Champa

This flower is sacred to
Lord Vishnu, forming his
garland. A fragrant
flower, it adorns the hair
of Goddess Lalitambika
in the Lalitaa Sahasram.
The punnaga flower is
used in worship of Lord
Vishnu. There are many
references to the Punnaga
flower in the lyrics of
Karnatic Music, as a flower for worship and as adornment of
various Gods. A raaga by the name punnaagavaraali could be
named after this tree!

Kovidr % (Bauhinia purpurea) -- Purple orchid tree

Kovidara occurs
frequenctly in the
Ramayana. Bharata's
chariot is recognized by a
flag with a kovidara
ensign. It is also called
raktapushpa, literally
meaning blood-flower. It
is a close cousin of the
more popular kachnar
(Bauhinia
variegata), and is extensively planted as an ornamental tree
today.

Ptal (Stereospermum chelonoides) -- Paral

This beautiful red flower
is another favourite of the
Gods and decorates the
hair of Goddesses and
maidens. The ancient city
of Patna was called
PaaTaliputra probably
after this tree! The city
was variously refered to
as PaaTalipura,
Kusumapura,
Pushpapura or Kusumadhvaja and certainly has reference to this
flower.

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admitted defeat. Whereas

Brahma on his journey
upwards came across
ketaki flower floating
down slowly. Inquiring
from the flower from
where she had come
from, ketaki replied that
she had been placed at
the top of the pillar of
light. Unable to find the uppermost limits Brahma decided to take
the flower back to Vishnu to bear witness that he had reached the
top of the pillar. This infuriated Shiva. Brahma was punished for
lying and the creator was banned from being worshipped.
Similarly, ketaki was also cursed that she would never again be
used in worship of Shiva. Thus, ketaki is debarred forever from
being offered in worship.

Neel Kamal (Nymphaea nouchali/stellata) -- Blue

Waterlily
The dark complexion of
Krishna is compared to
that of Neelkamal. For
this reason, the Blue
Waterlily is also called
Krishna Kamal.
In the 'Ramayana', as it
goes, Rama went to
'Lanka' to rescue his
abducted wife, Sita, from
the grip of Ravana, the
king of the Demons in Lanka. Before starting for his battle with
Ravana, Rama wanted the blessings of Devi Durga . He came to
know that the Goddess would be pleased only if she is
worshipped with one hundred 'NeelKamal' or blue lotuses. Rama,
after travelling the whole world, could gather only ninety nine of
them. He finally decided to offer one of his eyes, which
resembled blue lotuses. Durga, being pleased with the devotion
of Rama, appeared before him and blessed him.

Kund (Jasminum multiflorum/pubescens) -- Star jasmine

In Indian mythology, Kund is known for its whiteness. So, instead
of the common western phrase 'white as snow', what often
appears in Hindu
mythological stories is
'white as kunda'. Also,
beautiful white teeth are
often compared to Kunda
buds. It is held to be
especially sacred to
Vishnu.
In Manipur, Kundo
flowers are used in
worship, and are an
essential part of a marriage ceremony. The bride garlands the
groom with two Kundo flower garlands. The groom then takes
one of the two and garlands the bride.

http://www.flowersofindia.net/mythology.html

Gunj (Abrus precatorius) -- Gunj

Gunja seeds are a
favourite for native
jewellery. the bright
red-and-black bead-like
seeds are attractive to
children right from the
days of mythology. These
beads have special
significance to the
Gaudiya sect: followers
of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
in Krishna worship. The child Krishna is inseperable from his
favourite gunjaa maala, and it was said to represent Radha.
Followers of Chaitanya worship Krishna in a small stone
representing Mount Govardhan, with a gunja mala around it
representing Radharani. Children in the South still play variants
of lotto with it. Gunja seeds are bitter to taste and poisonous, but
possess medicinal properties.Gunja seed extract is used to kill
lice as an ingredient of hair oil.

Atasi (Linum usitatissimum) -- Flax

This pretty blue flower is
popular in Sanskrit
literature for comparing
with the complexion of
Krishna. A famous sloka
in Krishna's praise goes
&
"atasii
pushpa sankaasam haara
noopura shobhitam". This
flower, along with the blue butterfly-pea flower, Aparaajita, is
also popular in worship of Goddess Durga (who is also
sometimes considered an "amsha" () of Krishna).

Bandhook (Pentapetes phoenicea) -- Midday Flower

Bandhook is a beautiful orange-red flower which blooms at noon.
In Sanskrit literature, it is often used to symbolize glowing red
color. For example, the
following lines are from
Surya Ashtakam (Octet to
Sun God):
#&
*% |
. /
0 ||
(My salutations to the Sun God, Who is as red as the bandhook
flower, Who wears ornaments of garlands and ear rings, And who
is the god with one great Wheel.) Another example is from the
various forms of Lord Ganesha, which denote different aspects of
life. Kshipra Ganesh ( 10 ) is described as glowing

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brilliantly like bandhook flower and holding a pot of jewels and

other usual articles.
Under construction

Text by Radhika Vathsan

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