Flowers in Ancient Literature

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 14 Nov 2007, 00:00

I came across this website about sacred flowers.
http://www.flowersofindia.net/mythology.html

knandago2001 · Post by **knandago2001** » 14 Nov 2007, 06:46

That was very enjoyable - missed seeing blossoms of the vata vruksha.

musicquest · Post by **musicquest** » 15 Nov 2007, 03:46

Vgvindan,

I presume you know quite a few songs in which these flowers have been mentioned.

I am able to recollect one of them.

Tulasidala by Shri Thyagaraja

In the Charanam of the song he mentions a few of these flowers.

sarasIruha punnAga campaka pATala kuruvaka karavIra mallikA sugandha rAja sumamula

If anyone can recollect any other krithis. Please share.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 15 Nov 2007, 08:37

Nice website. I was rather disappointed to see only two of the panca flowers (bANa) of manmatha - the five are: aravinda/aSOka/cUta/navamallikA/nIlOtpala, and each of them is supposed to evoke a distinct aspect that characterizes the love-lorn.

kmrasika · Post by **kmrasika** » 15 Nov 2007, 08:56

rshankar wrote:...panca flowers (bANa) of manmatha - the five are: aravinda/aSOka/cUta/navamallikA/nIlOtpala, and each of them is supposed to evoke a distinct aspect that characterizes the love-lorn.

Isn't cUta the flower of the mango tree? And of course, nIlOtpala is the (light)purple waterlily. What is navamallikA?

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 15 Nov 2007, 09:06

Kmrasika: No clue about the cUta...but nava mallikA is jasmine as far as I can tell...

kmrasika · Post by **kmrasika** » 15 Nov 2007, 09:09

OK thanks.. I think I've seen incense sticks with those names mentioned...

sudarshan · Post by **sudarshan** » 15 Nov 2007, 12:17

Chuta pushpa is indeed the flower of the mango tree.

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 15 Nov 2007, 20:29

Have picked up thousands of pavizhamalli flowers from my house compound for my grandma's puja in my childhood without realizing that this is the famed pArijAtam.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 15 Nov 2007, 22:56

And I did not know about the romantic story woven around the pArijAta tree..

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 15 Nov 2007, 23:39

Talking of flowers, the following verse from SivAnanda Lahari by Adi Sankaracharya comes to my mind â€“

gabhIrE kAsArE viSati vijanE ghOravipinE
viSAlE SailE ca bhramati kusumArthaM jaDamati: |
samarpyaikaM cEtassarasija-mumAnAtha bhavatE
sukhEnAvasthAtu jana iha na jAnAti kimahO || 9 ||

â€œDull-witted man, wandering about for flowers (for Thy worship), goes to deep lotus lakes, to uninhabited dense forests and to high mountains. Lo! he does not know how to be happy in life by offering unto Thee, the Lord of Uma, the unique lotus of his own heart.â€

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 15 Nov 2007, 23:47

As per Devi Bhagavatam, Book 12, Chapter 10, Parijata tree is situated in the centre of Mani Dveepa â€“ visit - http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk12ch10.htm for extensive details about trees and other flowers also.

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 15 Nov 2007, 23:50

To know more about Sacred plants, animals, mountains, groves etc with photos, please visit - http://ecoheritage.cpreec.org/

vainika · Post by **vainika** » 16 Nov 2007, 11:20

musicquest wrote:Vgvindan,
I presume you know quite a few songs in which these flowers have been mentioned.
..
If anyone can recollect any other krithis. Please share.

The second charaNa of the beautiful nIlAmbarI kRti Ennaga manasukurAni from Tyagaraja's opera prahlAda bhakti vijayam goes:

sarasija mallE tuLasI viruvAji pArijAtapu
virulacE pUjiJcani karamulElE
karamulElE I kApuramulElE (ennaga)

See http://thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.co ... -raga.html

I believe the context of the kRti is prahlAda praising nRsimha after the latter has come to his rescue.

sudarshan · Post by **sudarshan** » 16 Nov 2007, 11:58

In the krithi Sri Tulasamma - Sri Thyagaraja Swamigal worships Sri Tulasi Devi with the following flowers - maruvaka, parijata, saroja, kuruvaka, vakula, and the sugandharaja. I'm able to relate with most flowers here except the kuruvaka and vakula. Request clarifiations on these.

kalgada78 · Post by **kalgada78** » 16 Nov 2007, 18:31

Tulasi Bilva mallikaadi Jalaja Suma Poojala gaikonave (Kedaragowla - Adi -T)

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 16 Nov 2007, 18:55

sudarshan,
vakuLa â€“ magulam - magizhambU
sugandha rAja - tube rose â€“ rajani gandhA â€“ sampaGgi
jAji - jAdi malli
viruvAji - double jasmine - aDukku malli
punnAga - punnai
malli - mallika - molla - malli
kunda - mullai
pATala - pADali (trumpet flower)
karavIra - araLi
campaka - senbagam
mandAra - jilleDu - Erukku
IruvAtci
vana mAla - wild flower garland

kAza - kAsAmbU - (not for pooja - for comparison of Lord's body colour)

Leafy -
maruvamu - maruvu
davanam - damanam - marukkozhundu
tuLasi
bilva
dUrva

Leaf-cum-flower
kuruvaka - henna flower â€“ marudANi

Root -
kuru vEru - Andropogon muricatus - veTTivEr â€“ used in fans and desert coolers.

According to the discourse of Kanchi Paramacharya - these are the five flower arrows of cupid -
Kamala
Raktakairava - kumuda
Kalhara - nIlOtpala
Indivara -
Sahakara - mango blossom
http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/shak ... anchi.html

According to Swami Sivananda, these are the five flower arrows -
Lotus
Jonesia azOka
mango blossom
Arabian jasmine
blue lotus.
http://www.dlshq.org/download/brahmacha ... c441556941

kmrasika · Post by **kmrasika** » 19 Nov 2007, 10:34

pArijAta flower & hanumAn:

pArijAta taru mUla vAsinam bhAvayAmi pavamAna nandanam

The nandiyAvaTTai flower(Which is th ecorrect scientific name?):
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thsc ... 22/&prd=mp& vs. http://ecoheritage.cpreec.org/04_01_Sac ... asmine.htm

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 19 Nov 2007, 17:26

kmr,
I think it is 'Tabernaemontana' http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/i ... b&fr=b2ie7

kmrasika · Post by **kmrasika** » 21 Nov 2007, 12:17

Ok. "nandivardhana" is the sanskrit name.