03/04/2023
Sri Lalita's Flowers in Amritapuri
In the Lalita's 1000 Names, we have ample references to many members of the fauna. Not only the exact flowers but also items such as rudraksha, honey, sandalwood, creeper, beetle, stem, buds, fruits, etc in plenty.
This is a characteristic feature of Sanskrit literature. One can see how the topography, the language, and the indigenous faith system are all integrated in a civilization.
It is indeed hearty to know that many of the flowers mentioned in Lalita Sahasra Nama have bloomed in Amritapuri. Eight of them are here:
* The 13th Name has reference to four flowers: champaka, asoka, punnaga, and saugandhika. (all three except Punnaga are around in ashram.)
19th Name mentions champaka, comparing Her nose to the tender champaka flower.
Asoka is the same tree under which sad Sita sat when she was captive in Ravana's kingdom.
Saugandhika, the fragrant flower, is the same one that caused a beautiful episode between Hanuman and Bhima, sons of wind god. Once Draupadi whiffed the fragrance, liked it and wanted to have it; Bhima set out in the woods to find it for her. Of course flowers today don't have strong fragrance for reasons known to us: we have spoilt the earth, the water and the air.
* 21st Name says, She is wearing the tiny ball-like kadamba flowers as ear jewels. We can see this dangling jewel in Devi Bhava pics.
60th Name says Devi lives in the Kadamba woods.
Kadamba is the tree Little Krishna bounced from into the Yamuna river to fight the ferocious serpent Kalia. By the mere touch of his feet the hitherto dry Kadamba soon sprouted and bloomed, it is said in the Bhagavatam.
* Names in 323, 435, 773, 776 : each of them clearly say Devi likes kadamba, champeya, patali and mandara flowers respectively, as Kadamba kusuma priya; or as mandara kusuma priya. (kusuma is a flower in general)
So also about four to five kinds of champeya have been seen over years.
Amritapuri has many varieties of roses or patali. There are two distinct kinds of mandara: pink ones on the several trees; and white ones on big plants, blooming all along their arm-like slender branches.
* In 560th Name, Devi is said to have the radiance of a pomegranate flower, Dadimi kusuma.
However, towards the culmination, that is, in 919, Devi is seen as one who loves not only external flowers, but also the transcendental one, the flower of Consciousness, Caitanya kusuma priya.
Amma explains this in Her inimitable simple but hearty manner, in Manasapuja. Ishawara likes our heart flower, Hridayapushpa, more than anything else.
Once a devotee offered a flower to Amma; Amma very lovingly accepted the offering. Years later the same person offered another flower to Amma. Amma admonished him for plucking a flower which a plant had bloomed as its offering to Ishwara. Amma then said it is best to offer flowers symbolically, without harming Mother Nature. Devi is pleased with this.
Amritapuri has at different times had many of these Lalita's favorite flowers blooming here. Most of the pictures here are however taken during the Covid era, when fauna was declaring in a sweet way, Nature is undefeatable.