Jasmine flower ... बेली के फूल (Mogra)

Jasmine flower and Buds
बेली के फूल 

                 Jasmine is one of the fragrant flowers that is used in Hindu worship. Strong and lovely fragrance along with milky white color makes it a suitable flower to offer to Gods as well as for personal use. It may be offered to all kinds of Gods but Shiva, Vishnu, Saraswati and Surya are specially worshiped with this flower. 

              It is also used to decorate the temples on auspicious occasions and "Mandapas" in marriages. Its garland is worn by women at braids (चोटी) and in hands, it is called "Gajaraa" in Hindi. Its fragrance is said to act as an aphrodisiac. So it is also used on or near the beds of newlywed couples. 

Jasmine flower - बेली फूल 

                      The flowers were used by rich and nobles to make the bathing waters scented just like rose petals. At some places, Hindus too give a jasmine water bath to idols of God. At the famous temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri, Orissa, a festival named "Chandan Yatra" is organized each year on 'Baishakh shukla tritiya' to 'jyeshtha krishna ashtami' (according to Hindu calender) in which idols of Madanmohan, Ram-Krishna, Laxmi-Saraswati and Panchmahadev are taken to 'Chandan Talab' for giving them a bath and boating. This bath is performed with water flavored by sandalwood paste (Chandan) and jasmine flowers. South Indian temples use jasmine flowers on a large scale. Thick garlands are made with it which weighs many kilograms. It is used to decorate Venkata idols like at "Meenakshi Sundareshwar" temple at Madurai. Madurai is famous for cultivation and production of jasmine flowers.

                Besides domestic use, jasmine has also industrial uses where it is mostly used to produce perfumes and scents (Itra). Incense sticks of jasmine fragrance is produced and sold as ''Mogra Agarbatti" in the market which is liked by devotees to use in the worship. 

Jasmine plant in flower pot
गमले में बेली  का पौधा 

                   Jasmine is called as "Baily" flower in Hindi. This name may be due to the similar strong fragrance of 'Bael' flowers (Bael tree is a holy tree for Hindus, its fruit in English is known as Stone apple/ wood apple. May read the blog - Importance of 'Bilva Patra' in "Shiv-Pujan" and Bilvastak). Many people do not notice the flowers on 'Bael' tree because they come only for four to five days in the month of May and all the flowers bloom nearly together. Its strong fragrance and nectar-filled flowers attract honey bees in a large number. These honey bees quietly do their work on the 'Bael' tree. These flowers can be offered to Shiva. The "Baily" name of jasmine may have come from the similarity of "Bael" flowers but the plants are quite different. While "Bael" is a tree the jasmine plant is a herb. It is a perennial plant and can be found in almost all Indian gardens. It begins to flower as soon as the Winter season in India ends and Spring starts. Jasmine flowers make the Summer evenings fragrant. Two types of jasmine are found - the first one has round petals while the other has long petals. The round petal variety is a double flower with many white petals. The long petal variety is single layered and named as Indian Jasmine or Downy Jasmine in English but in Sanskrit, it is called "Kund" (कुंद). Except this, there is no other noticeable difference in the plant or fragrance.  The "Kund" (कुंद) flower is known for its whiteness in Sanskrit just like snow in English. If anything is very white, it is compared to snow as white as snow. In Hindi or Sanskrit, it is compared to Kund flowers. For example, recall the "Doha" in Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas in which he compares the color of the body of God Shiva to Kund a flower. It is like this,

Kund Indu Sam Deh Uma Raman karuna Ayan,

Jahi Deen par Neh Karahu Kripa Mardan Mayan.

{The God whose body is like Kund flower and the Moon (White and brilliant), loves Goddess Parvati, has affection on poor, that Shiva who did repression of Kamdeva be pleased on me}
                  Some people like to plant it as a hedge in the garden and some plant it separately. Its propagation is done by cutting. It can be planted even in flower pots to be put on the balcony in flats of apartments.     

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कमल का फूल (The Lotus Flower)

Acceptable to all gods

The lotus flowers for worship
in the flower basket

          The lotus flower popularly known in Hindi by "Kamal ka phool" is one of those flowers that are acceptable to all the gods for worship. It is known in India from the very ancient times. Very ancient literature and "Puranas" have it mentioned in them. In Sanskrit it is mostly known by "Padma" (पद्म). It has many synonyms in Hindi and Sanskrit like -"Pankaj", "Saroj," "Jalaj", "Nalin", "Arvind", "Utpal" etc.

          In Hindu mythology, God Brahma created the world on direction from Vishnu. The lotus has got mentioned before Brahma created the world as it came out from the naval of Vishnu on which Brahma was seated. Due to this Vishnu is also called "Padma-nabh" (One who has a lotus in his naval). Even in one of the four hands of Vishnu there is always a "Padma" (Lotus). 

               Not only Brahma and Vishnu, even God Shiva likes lotus. Shiva likes a lotus with eight petals (अष्टदल कमल). Eight petaled lotus has significance in "Tantra Sadhana". I saw such a lotus sculpted in stone at the top of the ceiling of "Mukteshwar Mahadev" Temple at Bhuaneswar, Orisa. There is a popular prayer of Shivalinga in Sanskrit called "Lingashtak" (Eight Shloka prayer of Linga). In one of its shloka is said

अष्टदलोपरिवेष्टित लिंगं    सर्वसमुद्भव कारण लिंगम् 

अष्टदरिद्रविनाशित लिंगं तत्प्रणमामि सदाशिव लिंगम्।

("Asht-dalo-pariveshtit-lingam, sarva-samudbhava karan lingam

Ashta-daridra-vinashit lingam tat pranamami sada-shiva lingam") 

(I say pranam to that shiva-linga which is surrounded by eight-petaled-lotuses and that is the reason behind the destruction of eight folded poorness and makes all round development of the devotee). 

               Along with the Trideva (Three Gods - Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) different forms of goddesses like the lotus flower. Most of the goddesses are described as seated on a lotus flower and many of them hold a lotus flower in one of their hands. Pink coloured lotus flower is offered to goddesses like Durga, Gauri and Lakshmi. On the festival of Deepawali the lotus flowers are on top in demand list of flowers. It is believed that by offering this flower to Goddess Lakshmi she will be pleased and give the devotee wealth and happiness. One of the well known "Shri-Suktam" -the Sanskrit prayer of Lakshmi - says thus,

Lotus flower on sale for Laxmi Puja

पद्मानने  पद्मऊरु         पद्माक्षी  पद्मसम्भवे ।

त्वां मां भजस्व पद्माक्षी येन सौख्यं लभाम्यहम् ॥

(Means: whose face is like lotus,whose thighs are like lotus, whose eyes are like lotus and who is born out of lotus - I pray to such goddess by whom I will obtain happiness.)    

Such auspicious is the lotus flower! Even the "Jap" of Lakshmi is done over a chain which beads are of lotus seeds.      

              The goddess of learning "Saraswati" is described as seated on a white lotus flower as the very first stanza of the famous "Saraswati-Vandana" says -   

या कुन्देंदु  तुषारहारधवला   या शुभ्रवस्त्रावृता 

या वीणावरदण्डमंडितकरा  या श्वेतपद्मासना 

या ब्रह्माच्युतशंकर प्रभृतिभिर्देव सदा वन्दिता

 सा मां पातु सरस्वती भगवती निःशेषजाड्यापहा। 

            As the bold words say "Ya shwetpadmasana", it means "who is seated on a white lotus flower". 

               So some gods prefer white, pink or blue lotus or some may prefer eight petaled or thousand petaled lotus but there is no difference of opinion that these lotus flowers found in the ponds are auspicious and highly desirable flower of gods.  

                 God "Rama" is sometime also called - "Rajiv-lochan"- one whose eyes are like lotus flowers. There is a story in Ramayana that says - once Rama decided to worship God Shiva with a thousand lotus flowers. On the sea-shore he made a "Shivalinga" and started offering the lotus flowers that he had brought for this purpose. God Shiva wanted to test him so he hid one of the lotus flowers. When Rama offered the last flower the counting was one less, so he thought -since my eyes are like lotus flowers I will offer one of my eyes to Shiva to fulfill my promise (संकल्प). As he proceeded to do such, a pleased Shiva appeared and told the fact. He also gave Rama what he wanted. 

               In addition to religious importance it is a thing of beauty that has got many references in literature - specially the beautiful eyes are compared to it. In Hindi "Kamalnayan-कमलनयन" means the eyes like lotus flower.

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Dhruva Flower - ध्रुव के फूल

हिंदी में पढ़ने के लिए यहाँ क्लिक करें 

Dhruva Flower is equivalent to Gangajal (गंगाजल)

Dhruva plant growing amid boulder pitching

            Lord Shiva or Mahadev is worshiped with such offerings which are easily available everywhere. Even poor people have access to such things. Madar flower (Crown flower), Dhatura flower, Kaner flower, Bilwa patra, doob grass, bhang and bhasma are few things which are used in Shiva Pooja. So He is common man's God, that is why we call him Devadhidev Mahadev.

Dhruva plant growing with other herbs

           Dhruva (Dhrub, Dhruwa) flower is one such flower which is very much liked by Bhagwan Shiva. The offering of this flower to Shiva is equivalent to offering Holy Ganga water (Gangajal) to Him. One may not have Gangajal available everywhere but he can easily find this flower in backyards or on roadsides.

            Dhruva flower is less known though it is a herb which is self-growing and found amid grasses. I have found it widespread in Jharkhand. It is a very small flower which comes up on a bulb like structure on the stem of the plant. The color is white. In the month of Sawan, the yield of flowers is maximum.

        For those who do not know about it, I am adding a few pictures of the flowering Dhruva plant.

Dhruva flowers in the Holy month of Savan

        This flower is associated with my childhood memory. Then in my village, my grandmother would ask me to bring Dhruva flower from the backyard when she was ready to offer puja. Now Every time I see this flower while taking a morning walk I remember her and thank her for introducing me to this flower. May she rest in peace.

So find these flowers in your locality, offer to Mahadev in this auspicious month of Shrawan and have his blessings.

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