Lotus - Beauty, Purity, Divinity

Recently I have seen a tiny lotus pond at a temple.  There were two colors of lotuses.  Few bloomed fully some partially and still some were closed.  The pond with the flowers and leaves was beautiful.  Lotus is the only flower I know which has many names in Telugu and Sanskrit due to its location and nature of blooming.  As I know that the flower has a special position in Hinduism I got interested to know more about the flower.  On searching the net I found so many interesting facts which I wanted to share with you all.

 Lotus grows in temperate and semi temperate climates.  This is native to Asia and other Eastern countries.  The plant has its roots in the mud, the stems in the water, but unlike other water plants the leaves are above the surface of water and flowers rise eight to twelve inches above leaves.  The strong stem supports this rise to above surface of water and lotus is untouched by the mud from which it arises.  It is the only plant which blossoms and fruits at the same time.  The other special feature of this plant is that its seeds are known to possess maximum period of viability among all plants. The lotus flower, fruit and seeds are edible.  The various parts of flower and the plant are used to cook some dietary delicacies in India and other eastern countries.  The plant also has medicinal value.

The unique features of this flower are recognised long ago and the beautiful flower is considered to represent purity and divinity.  The earliest reference to this flower is found in Rigveda.  This flower is symbolic of spiritual excellence and receives religious reverence in Hinduism and Buddhism.  There is also mention of these flowers in Egypt and Greek mythology.

Hinduism  

The earliest mention of this flower is in Rigveda.  Commonly we see pink and white lotuses in India.  The other colors of lotuses in other Asian countries are red, blue and purple.

Padma indicates a pink lotus which is the seat of goddess Sri Mahalaxmi. 

Kamala is the red color lotus; Pundarika and Utpala are white and blue lotuses.   

 As the lotus arises from water it is also called as ‘jalaja’, ‘neeraja’, ‘saroja’, ‘ambuja’ and as it arises from the muddy waters it is called ‘pankaja’. 

Though the flower’s roots are in the muddy water the stem raises from it and the leaves form a green carpet above the surface of water.  The flower is above the level of the leaves.  The leaves and flowers are detached from water.  The flower opens petal after petal and finally blossoms fully exhibiting the central pod and the stamens.  The flower blooms in the day and shines bright in the sun, closes and dips down into the water in the nights.  Then in the morning when it arises, flower is clear of  single drop of water, clean pure and beautiful. The water drops that fall on leaves also do not spread on it or stick to it, simply drop off. When the flower withers its pod enters the water and seeds are released.. A human being is supposed to live life like a lotus.

Human beings, the highest in order of living beings have to attain salvation by living a life like lotus.  Whatever circumstances they are in, they should rise above those circumstances and live a fruitful life without being attached to the material world.  The mud/water is considered the physical realm of the world, the flower – soul is covered inside the being as the pod in the lotus bud.  As lotus blooms with the touch of sun rays, so the people with attaining knowledge will be able to realise self and live in bliss.  Any being that is born should rise above materialistic world and strive for enlightenment.  Every being is microcosm, part of macrocosm and all beings ultimately should realise this fact.  Everyone is born for some purpose, should fulfill their duties and reach the ever blissful abode of Almighty.

In the course of salvation a person has to meditate and pass through different phases.  The stages pass through opening of seven chakras in the body each associated with lotus of different color and number of petals. 

-Mulaadhaara Chakra lies at the lowest part of the trunk - red color lotus with 4 petals

-Swadhishtana Chakra – in the lower abdomen – yellow color lotus with 6 petals

-Manipura Chakra – at the navel – blue lotus with 10 petals

-Hruthpadma Chakra – at the heart – golden yellow lotus with 12 petals

-Vishuddha Chakra – situated in the throat – white lotus with 16 petals

-Agnyaja Chakra – at the midpoint between the eyebrows – white lotus with 2 petals

-Sahsraraka Chakra – at the vertex – golden lotus with 1000 petals. 

 The opening of each chakra is visualized as opening of the associated lotus.  As each charka opens in ascending order the person will be rising above the wants of physical and material world and finally when enlightenment is achieved the beautiful golden lotus of thousand petals will open and such person will ever be in communion with Almighty and enjoys bliss for ever.

Goddess Sri Mahalaxmi is associated with pink lotus.  It is the seat of the Goddess.  Goddess Sri Mahalaxmi is addressed as

Padmodbhavam (arising from lotus)

Padmamukheem (lotus face)

Padmaaksheem (lotus eyed)

Padmahastaam (holding lotus in the hand)

Padmapriyaam (loves lotus)

Padmamalaadharam (wearing lotus garland)

Padmasundareem (beautiful as lotus)

Padmineem (Sri Mahalaxmi, the divine lotus)

Padmagandhineem (fragrance of lotus)

Padmanaabha priyaam (loved by God Sri Mahavishnu – from whose navel a lotus the seat of Brahma - the creator arises)

Padmaalayaam (dwells in lotus).

Goddess Saraswathi is associated with white lotus. She is praised as

Padmapatra vishaalaakshi (wide eyes appearing as lotus petals

Padmakesara varnini (golden complexion as the stamens of lotus)

Shweta padmaasana (seated in the white lotus)

Nityam padmaalayaam (ever dwells in the lotus).

Beauty of other gods also described in terms of lotus, particularly the eyes as lotus petals. The feet of gods and all esteemed Gurus are revered as lotus feet (paada padmamulu).

The supreme god Shri Mahavishnu is called Padmanabha as a lotus arises from his navel on which the creator Brahma sits.  Sun god is called as ‘Kamalanath’ (master of lotus).  He is the only god who holds lotuses in two hands. 

In Bhagavadgeeta Lord Krishna says that a person should do his ‘karma’ with detachment like lotus which stays in murky water but remains clean and pure.

Buddhism

 In Buddhism the lotus represents purity of body, speech and mind.  The flower rising above the murky water is symbolic of detachment from physical realm. The eight petals of lotus represent the eight principles of Buddhism

-Right belief

-Right aim

-Right speech

-Right Actions

-Right means of livelihood

-Right endeavour

-Right mindfulness

-Right meditation

In Buddhism different colors of lotuses presents different virtues.

Red lotus:  This is related to heart and is associated with love and compassion.

Blue lotus: Victory of spirit over that of wisdom, intelligence and knowledge.  This lotus is shown as only partially opened and centre of the flower is not seen.

White lotus: This represents mental purity and spiritual perfection, symbolic of ‘Bodhi’, being awakened.

Purple lotus: This is associated with esoteric sects.  This lotus is seen as open flower with eight petals indicating eight paths of Buddhism.

Pink lotus: This is considered supreme true lotus and is associated with Buddha.

The heart of the beings is like an unopened lotus.  Developing virtues of Buddha is unfolding and blossoming of lotus.  Enlightened being – Buddha sits on lotus.

Lotus is the first flower bloomed in the beginning of this cosmic world as per Buddhist Cosmology. 

According to Mahayana tradition lotus indicates regeneration, perfection, youthful bloom and immortality.  Chan tradition believes the fruit, flower and stalk are symbolic of past, present and future.

Jainism

Jainism also regards lotus as most auspicious flower.  Jain Tirthankars who realise Omniscience are depicted as sitting on Golden lotus.  Tirthankars sit on lotus when giving sermons.  This is to depict how to love and live unattached in the world.

Chinese mythology and culture

Chinese have immense reverence to lotus.  The lotus was mentioned in their poetry 3000 years ago. A beautiful woman’s face is described as lotus face. The flower is considered queenliest of all flowers, fairy of flowers and gentleman of flowers. They have many folk paints with different lotuses symbolic of love, harmony and prosperity.  Chinese word for lotus is pronounced as ‘HE’ the same word meaning harmony.  The word for light blue lotus is pronounced like the word rectitude. This lotus represents honesty.  Lotus is considered to represent the bond of love as the stalk cannot be broken into two.  When the stem is bent, it is still bound by its strong fibres. Chinese scholar Zhou Dunyi wrote, “I love lotus because while growing from mud, it is unstained”. 

In china there is a legend saying that June 14^th in Chinese lunar calendar is the lotus’s birthday. So even now every year Chinese celebrate Lotus festival by visiting lotus pond, enjoying beauty of the flowers and the environment along the banks of the pond.

A unique fibre is produced from the fibres of lotus plant at Inle Lake Union of Myanmar.  These fibres are used to weave special robes – lotus robes (kya thingaln) for Buddha images

Egyptian Mythology

As per Egyptian mythology lotus is symbol of creation and rebirth.  Lotus blooms during day and closes and sinks into water at night to rise again along with the sun to bloom.  This is the reason their mythology presents that a giant lotus that blossomed first from the primordial waters of ‘Nun’ has created sun and thus the creation started.

Greek mythology

Greek mythology also mentions a story about lotus.  During his return from Troy Odysseus has to drag his men who were stuck at a place eating lotus fruits and flowers given by local inhabitants and became blissful.  Herodotus, 5^th century BC historian located lotus eaters on the Libyan coast.

Lotus, a beautiful flower, Indian national flower, symbolic of spirituality in many religions and nations, certainly has unique features and inspires man to rise above mundane things and attain self realization.

Image sources: Other than red and white lotus all images are taken from Google images.

Welcome 2015

The year 2014 had passed off.  As we all know time and tide never stops for anybody.  Time is simply eternal.  It is our way of to count seconds, minutes and so on.  Days are calculated based on number of hours, sometimes from one sunrise to the other.  Months can be of Gregorian calendar or of Arabic or Hindu calendar. Whatever may be the calculations time ticks off.  A day is essential for anyone just to ponder over what has happened in the past what will happen in the future.  It is essential to learn lessons from past experiences and apply the knowledge to future progress.  Everyday helps us to grow not only chronologically but also mentally and spiritually. 

Religion has come into existence to keep people disciplined and live a harmonious life.  Apart from natural calamities this year we had the most pathetic kidnap of about two hundred young school girls whose whereabouts are not yet known to the world and also brutal attack on young school boys.  Every religion teaches us to love, live and let live.  Humanity is to live peacefully according to natural laws maintaining ecological balance.  But, in the name of development nature is being destroyed and powerful is eliminating the weak by different means. 

I hope 2015 will bring sanity in human thinking and every being lives in harmony with nature.    

Religious Harmony

Prophets or God’s messengers always fought against social malpractices ruining lives of ordinary people.  Their lives were threatened; they were ostracized or sometimes even killed.  In due course of time religions have come into existence following their school of thought.  Religion that has come into existence to teach people to love one another is becoming cause of conflict and wars.

As every religion teaches us to love, live, and let live is followed religiously by all and practiced as fundamental principle of life this earth will become heaven.

On 'Durgaashtami’ 2^nd of October, I visited Bhadrakali temple in Warangal.  Being auspicious day, many temple rituals were going on. Usually there will be temple musicians who play ‘dolu’ (drums) and ‘sannai’ (shahnai).  They will be playing instruments during the rituals.  The striking difference on Durgaashtami was a lady was playing shahnai.  First time in my life I have seen a woman playing shahnai.  I was surprised and happy to see a woman playing Shahnai. 

I took a short video of her performance.  On interacting with her I came to know that she learnt it from her father.  She gave me another jolt of pleasant surprise when I asked her name.

“May I know your name?” I asked

“Saira bee”

“What?  Saira Bee?”  I could not hold my expression of surprise with eyes wide and eyebrows raised.

“Yes”, she said with a smile looking into my face.

“You are a Muslim?” I wanted to confirm.  She having a regular ‘bottu’ and ‘vibhuthi’ (ash) lightly smeared on the forehead looked more like a Hindu woman.

She smiled, “Yes”.

“How come you are here?”  It was unbelievable.    

“I stay in Hyderabad.  My son brought me here for the occasion”.

“So nice to see you here.  Do you have any objection if I put your video on YouTube?”

“No”

“Thank you so much”.  I wanted to know more details but it was not possible.

It is generally thought that playing wind instruments like shahnai and bansuri (flute) requires good lung capacity and breath control and woman cannot do it.  It is exclusively male bastion.  Now this woman Mrs. Saira Bee has proved it wrong and is able to show her prowess in playing the instrument.  May be she may need more training and more exposure to the world.  Anyway this is one step forward in showing women strength.

On searching the net I found that there is another woman – the first woman shahnai player, Bageshwari Qamar.  She is crowned as “Shahnai Queen” at Chandigarh in 1983.  She also participated in some international concerts and played jugalbandi with other artists.  Bageshwari Qamar is the daughter of Jagdish Prasad Qamar who was a student of Ustad Bismallah Khan.  Jagdish Prasad Qamar had seen his daughter practicing shahnai at her grandmother’s place, recognised her passion for music, and got her trained under Ustad Bismallah Khan. 

Shahnai is played in India on auspicious occasions in temples and Hindu marriages.  Saira Bee playing shahnai at Bhadrakali temple is a perfect example of Hindu – Muslim harmony.

Abstract Art

The branches are unique to every tree.  Each branch is having its own course of growth

Trees are most important part of nature.  Without water there is no life on earth.  Without trees man will not have survival.  Trees provide us oxygen that is essential for a human being to be alive.  Trees also provide us with food, shelter, clothing and health.  The beauty of flowers and the cool breeze from trees make many persons great poets.  Trees themselves are artistic in their growth and appearance.  No single tree though of same species will have branches exactly same as another tree of the same species.  Like we human beings are unique by finger prints and iris each tree is distinct.

Recently I visited Cubbon Park in Bengaluru.  The 300 acre park in midst of metropolis is probably the main reason to sustain life of people in highly polluted city.  The park is more like a forest in the centre of the city.  It is amazing to see the number of huge trees and bamboo grooves here.  The rustling of bamboo shoots produces the music that resembles the sound of rain.  Every tree presented me its beautiful abstract art.  These are few pictures of those artistic trees. 

It looks more like the trunks have grown close together, branches spreading as to cover the sky 

The base of this trunk is shaped into some person lying on the ground  looking to a side

Just imagine which animals are here and what they are doing!

Here I find one elephant trunk

Name this animal

Is there any deer that is looking back?

The reptile seems to carry a tiny human being below its belly

A reptile entering or coming out of its burrow

I don't understand this.  Truly modern art!

Just a Face?

Anaconda?!!

A Pastor giving sermon to the visitors!

Mushroom in trunk standing out majestically

The love birds sitting in privacy of tree hanging the helmet beside on broken branch

Royal Meal

“What is in a name?”  Famous quotation from Shakespeare’s Romeo – Juliet.  A rose whatever name it is called its fragrance doesn’t change.  But roses are of many colors and hues and there may be variance in fragrance.  But the moment anybody calls a flower rose immediately the different colors of roses come to our mind.  But somebody wants to call a rose by name jasmine because it also has fragrance, it is difficult to imagine and correlate the flower and fragrance. 

Human beings are highly evolved animals.  The ability to communicate by means of language is the most important step in evolution.  Different parts of the world have different languages.  Every language has its own script and expresses words that will be understood by people speaking that language.  People speaking other language will have to learn the language specific to the region to communicate to the people of the region and live in that region. 

We give names not only to the articles of daily use but also different places depending on the activity carried out there. One cannot call a post office a hospital or hospital a railway station as they like.  Establishments in different location are given specific name to be more precise.  So it is very important to have a name and the name cannot be changed according to the fancy of a person.  So a rose should be called a rose and not chrysanthemum. 

The name given to an establishment does not only specify the type of establishment but also conveys the variety of services provided or motto of establishment. Apt name given to a business establishment will definitely boost the business.

This is a photograph taken near Borra caves, Vizag.  This is a thatched house with a big hall and kitchen and a room behind the hall.  There were few tables and plastic chairs for the customers to sit and have meal.  In the front, to the right corner, there is a counter to collect bills.  This hotel is named as Shri Chaitanya Rajula Bhojana Hotel.  Rajula Bhojana Hotel means it is King’s meals hotel.  But below it is also given that it will supply Bengali meals.  I found it amusing to see the name given to the roadside motel given the name suggesting to supply royal meals.  The customer is considered the ‘King’ and the meal provided is “king’s meals’.  After a tedious journey and as the acids in the stomach make havoc hot rice with simple dal will definitely taste delicious and the customer will bless the hotelier.

Sweet Threat

Narayana is worried.  To overcome it he has increased his dose of liquor intake for the past three days.  But that has increased his problems and made him more gloomy and irritable.  The word sugar and sweet is making him feel jittery.  Three days ago in the night he had argument with Bhagyamma, his wife.  Since then his like for sweets has disappeared and now the word sweet itself is raising his blood pressure.

Narayana and Bhagyamma are happily married couple.  They have two grown up children, a daughter and a son.  Daughter is married and son is in college.  The couple works as construction workers, Narayana picking up some contracts of house constructions and Bhagyamma also working in the projects of Narayana.  They have a team of workers under them.  As in construction works male and female labourers work, Bhagyamma supervises women workers and Narayana deals with entire deal of forming a contract and executing it with his team.  Narayana is a high school drop out and Bhagyamma just literate.  Since their marriage twenty five years ago in their teens both lived happily with their earnings and also constructed own house, a portion of which is rented.  They did have their set of problems and differences, but patience of Bhagyamma made their home a sweet home. 

                                                       *****************

For the past two years, after the marriage of their daughter Narayana had taken up to regular alcohol intake.  Previously drinking alcohol was occasional.  After daughters marriage on the pretext of hosting parties to daughter’s in-laws frequently he got habituated to liquor.  Now he is almost addicted to it.  Bhagyamma’s request to stop the habit has fallen on deaf ears.  He tried to convince her that small quantity of alcohol is good for health and he knows his limits.  Often he forgets his limits and there will be strong wordy duels in the nights.  Three days ago there was strong protest from Bhagyamma and she gave her ultimatum to him. 

That night he could not sleep.  In the morning when he woke up and remembered the night’s incident, he became restless.  He did not even drink tea in the morning and went to his work.  Bhagyamma was cool and carried her regular work.  He was silent that day.  Next day morning when Bhagyamma wanted to make tea she could not find sugar tin.  She went on searching for the tin in the kitchen shelves, and asked her son if ever he had kept it somewhere.  Her son replied in negative.  Narayana, still lying in the bed heard this.  He slowly got up from the bed and opened a trunk in his bed room and took out the sugar tin and handed over to Bhagyamma.  After she added sugar to tea decoction he again took away the tin from her hands and safely put it back in the trunk and locked and the key was in his key chain that has his two wheeler key and is always in his pant pocket. 

“Heyy!  What is this?  If you lock the sugar in the trunk how Raju will make tea in the evenings?” Bhagyamma questioned.

“I’ll give money to Raju.  He can drink tea outside.  I want to be careful” retorted Narayana.

“This is really funny.  Keep the tin out side” Bhagyamma shouted.

“Now don’t tell me anything.  I know how to control you.  After this sugar gets over, I will never buy any sugar”, Narayana said firmly.

“What nonsense.  Can there be any house without salt and sugar” quizzed Bhagyamma.

“When there is need we shall just buy in small quantities of 50-100gms.  That’s all”, then he turned towards his son who was picking his tea cup and said, “sonny, from now onwards we all shall stop drinking tea.  So we need not have sugar in the house”.

“Nanna, this is simply meaningless.  If some friends or relatives come to our house, we should have to at least give them tea.  How can we run for sugar in front of them”?

“OK.  Then I shall keep only five spoons of sugar in the kitchen everyday”, Narayana said as a compromise.

“Sonny, you go.  I’ll deal with your father”, Bhagyamma said to her son and turned to her husband, “look, if you are locking it inside I’ll buy another tin and a kilogram of sugar and keep it in a secret place out of your reach.  After all, kitchen is my domain”

Bhagyamma warned seriously. 

“You, stubborn lady!  Why, why do you want to trouble me?”

“I am not troubling you.  Just stop that bloody habit of drinking everyday”

“You never allow me to live in peace”, Narayana walked out from kitchen. 

Bhagyamma continued her chores in the kitchen. 

                                                          ******************

The next day in the afternoon from their construction place Narayana took Bhagyamma to diagnostic laboratory and got her blood and urine examination done.  That day was her scheduled visit to the doctor with blood reports.  Bhagyamma was diagnosed to have diabetes mellitus a year ago.  Since then she is regularly using medicines and visits the doctor at regular intervals of two to three months.  If Bhagyamma forgets, Narayana reminds her and gets investigations done and visits the doctor.  Whenever they visit the doctor, it is Narayana who always does the talking and questioning the doctor about medicines.  He also takes care to remind her to take medicines regularly.  When the reports of blood sugar are given he compares them with previous reports and if there is any elevation of sugar level by 4-5 milligrams, he will pester the doctor for reasons for elevation in spite of regular treatment.  Bhagyamma simply sits by his side and listens to what doctor says.  If she has any complaints she tells them in a word or two and her husband will elaborate and questions the doctor for such complaints and their relation to her diabetes and the precautions to be taken.

That evening after returning from work, both bathed and wore clean pressed clothes, and together went to clinic.  On the way he collected the reports.  They went to their doctor, Dr. Rajkumar.  They entered the doctor’s chamber on their turn.

Dr. Rajkumar looked at them and smiled, “Oh, Narayana!  How are you Bhagyamma?”

Narayana sat on a chair in front of the doctor and Bhagyamma sat on the stool beside the right of doctor.  Dr. Rajkumar remembers the couple very well as they are his regular clients for the past two years.  He particularly remembers Narayana as a dominating husband who always does the entire talking for his problems or his wife’s.  He will have many doubts and makes him repeat everything twice about medicines and their usage. Bhagyamma talks very little rather her husband interjects when she wants to say something.  Since Bhagyamma is diagnosed to have diabetes, it is Narayana who even before handing over of the reports would tell the blood sugar level in the report and comment on it.  But today in contrast to that he simply handed the cover with reports to the doctor and put the pack of previous prescriptions of Bhagyamma in front of doctor. 

Dr. Rajkumar, as he was taking out the reports from the cover was bit surprised with the behaviour of Narayana sitting quietly with a gloomy face.  “May be the sugar levels have come high”, he thought to himself.  But when he saw the reports they were completely normal. 

“OK, Bhagyamma.  Your reports are normal.  Good. Let me check your BP”, doctor proceeded with his regular physical examination and BP. 

“OK Bhagyamma.  You are doing well. You can continue with the same medicines”, and proceeded with writing the prescription.  As he was writing the prescription Narayana said in low tone, “Saar”

“What Narayana?” doctor felt relieved as Narayana started speaking

“Saar, she is threatening me that she will eat sugar and commit suicide”, sadness in his tone was obvious. 

“What?” doctor looked into his face.

“Yes saar, she is threatening me that she will eat sugar and commit suicide.  I am hiding the sugar tin. I am really scared”, Narayana said in low tone, fear has drained his energy.

Doctor burst out into laughter.  He couldn’t control, he laughed and laughed.  It was unimaginable for him to think that somebody can threaten this way, particularly Bhagyamma who appears to be a submissive docile wife. Two persons sitting in the waiting room peeped into consultation room to know the cause of laughter.  Bhagyamma was also laughing.  The persons moved back to their seats.  Narayana stirred in his seat with discomfort.

“What to do Saar.  He is troubling me every night.  Doesn’t give up alcohol.  I have a grown up son in the house”, Bhagyamma explained.

“Well, Bhagyamma, sometimes there will be problems in marital life.  You two together sit and discuss and solve your problem.  You seem to be a patient woman.  Anyway now that who have threatened him with your sweet threat, I think he will try to change”, doctor said with a smile. 

Dr. Rajkumar was really surprised at the intelligence of the lady who picked up his word that for diabetics using excess sugar is like poison and used the weapon on her husband to make him tow her line. 

“You are such great couple; you should talk and come to an understanding.  As alcohol is not good for health, try to give it up Narayana. Her diabetes is under control.  Don’t worry.  Use these medicines regularly, Bhagyamma.  Be happy”.

As he was talking he finished writing his prescription.

“Fine, Saar.  I rarely drink in excess.  Give her some medicines to be active and healthy.”

“I already wrote.  If you don’t drink, and listen to her she will oblige you”, doctor handed the prescription to Bhagyamma. 

 Bhagyamma walked out with a smile and Narayana followed her.  

Woman