Question: Why does KRSNA love flowers???

[krsna]

[Sarva gattah]

[Sarva gattah]

 

 

Guess where?

 

[Sarva gattah]

<CENTER>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 कुंद, padam पदम, kumud कुमुद, neelkamal नीलकमल. 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.

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Ashok अशोक (Saraca indica) -- Sita Ashok

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left border=0 hspace="5"><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD width=160></TD><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>`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.

Pārijāt पारिजात (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis) -- Hār-Singār

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0 hspace="5"><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> Pārijāta 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 Pārijāta 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.

 

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[Sarva gattah]

Kadamb कदम्ब (Neolamarckia cadamba) -- Kadamb

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left border=0 hspace="5"><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Kadamba trees and flowers are also a universal favourite. Krishna loved to sport in Kadamba forests.

Kamal कमल (Nelumbo nucifera) -- Lotus

The (red) lotus has pride of place in Indian literature. The national flower is another universal favourite of Krishna, 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 (Nalinī, padminī) 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!

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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 Kamalāmba or "Lotus Mother": she resides in a thousand-petalled lotus said to be located in the Sahasrāra 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".

 

Goloka Vrndavana, the ultimate paradise of Lord Krishna resembles a beautiful lotus flower

 

 

Karnikār कर्णिकार (Pterospermum acerifolium) -- Kanak Champā

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left border=0 hspace="5"><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>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 (karnayoh karnikāram).

[suchandra]

Krishna likes flowers because His queens like flowers?

 

 

"So generally woman, they are after something. So she requested the husband, “Krishna, I want this flower.” “All right.” So He gave her one flower. So He also told, “Why the flower? I shall take the tree so that you’ll get flower daily.” So when He was doing so, Indra came. Indra is the king of heavenly planet. “No, Sir, you cannot do that. You cannot take this tree to the lower planet. No, I cannot allow.”

 

And so Krishna said, “No, My wife wants it. I must.” That is Krishna. How He is complete, just like a hen-pecked husband to satisfy the wife in every respect. When He plays the part of a child before mother Yaśodā, He plays everything perfectly. When He plays the husband… He doesn’t require any wife or mother. He is Supreme. But when He plays the part of a husband, He plays it perfectly. The wife may think that “How much my husband is attached to me!” So she remains very much satisfied. Krishna is not attached to anyone, but that is Krishna’s superexcellence, that although He had to satisfy 16,800…, 108 wives, everyone was satisfied and everyone is thinking that “Krishna is very much attached to me than His others wife, other wives.” This is Krishna’s play."

 

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.9.3

by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Los Angeles, May 17, 1973

 

 

 

 

"Dwaraka: The gardens were full of pārijāta trees."

 

 

Prabhupāda: Satyabhāmā… And Krishna went to the heaven and brought the pārijāta flower to satisfy. This is husband. Wife has asked for something: “All right.”

Tamāla Krishna: He even had to fight.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. That is husband’s duty.

 

 

Talk About Varnāśrama,

S.B. 2.1.1-5

by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

June 28, 1977, Vṛndāvana

 

 

 

spirituality.indiatimes.com:http://spirituality.indiatimes.com/articleshow/-1798953681.cms

 

Indra's wife Shachi liked the tiny white flowers with red stalks that bloom in the evening, stay open during night and are showered on the ground in the morning. And the tree won a place in the garden of the heaven

 

When Lord Sri Krishna's wife Satyabhama saw the Parijat tree, she was fascinated by it. Lord Krishna had no other alternative but to get it from heaven. But this was not easy and He had to fight a fierce battle with Indra, the king of the heaven. Finally, Indra allowed Krishna to take the tree back with Him. Lord Krishna brought the tree to his capital city of Dwarka and planted it near Satyabhama's palace. However, His other queen, Rukmini, was dearer to Him. She was jealous and Krishna had to ask Narad to bring some Parijat flowers from heaven which He presented to Rukmini. But Rukmini was still angry. So Krishna had to devise a trick. Although the tree remained near Satyabhama's palace, its flowers began to fall in front of Rukmini's palace.

 

According to another legend, when Krishna killed demon Narakasura, He went to heaven to return the ear-rings of the mother of gods, Aditi, which had been stolen by Narakasura. Pleased with this, Indra gifted the Parijat tree to Satyabhama who had accompanied Krishna in the campaign and had assisted him in killing the demon. Satyabhama insisted that the tree be planted near her palace. But in the morning, she was surprised to see the flowers scattered near Rukmini's palace. She accused Krishna of being partial to Rukmini. But Rukmini was kind. She collected the flowers and returned them to Satyabhama. Satyabhama realised her mistake and agreed to share the flowers with Rukmini. Since then, Parijat flowers are offered whenever Krishna's idol is worshipped.

 

Parijata

 

Kunti Devi's favourite: Twenty-two miles from Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh is a small town called Kintur. This was established by queen mother Kunti. An underground tunnel here is believed to be Kunti's resting place. A temple near this houses the idols of god Kuntishwar and goddess Parijata. She is none other than Kunti. According to a legend, everyday, the sun god brought parijat flowers for Kunti. However, he could not make a trip to the earth one cloudy day. Kunti was worried. So her son Arjun went to heaven and brought the Parijat tree which Kunti planted there. Local people worship this tree and the newly married couple visit it for blessings. Children are given the first symbolic hair-cut here. Every Tuesday, a fair is organized near the tree. Parijat flowers are a must when goddess Mangalagauri is worshipped by newly married women. Goddess Rajashamala is worshipped with parijat flowers during the early hours of saptami night to win her grace.

[Sarva gattah]

 

 

The entire creation originates from Krishna's flower like creation

 

[Baobabtree]

Haribol Krsna!

 

The lila Suchandra mentioned seems like a fair explenation to me, however I think another reason Krishna loves flowers so much, is because of what they mean to us. Flowers are hailed amongst us, for their beautiful appearance, and the beautiful smell they produce. They have become an object which one usually gives as a gift to a loved one, and are the subject of many poems in which they are compared to other objects in order to highlight the beauty of these objects they are being compared to. So, as one can see flowers are a sign of beauty, and love. So, when we offer flowers to Lord Sri Krishna and his eternal consort Radha (or any of their inumberable manifestations) we are telling Lord Krishna we want to give him something that is pleasantly appealing to his lotus eyes, that gives him something pleasent to smell, we are telling him that he is the utlimate object of our love and affection, and we want to show him this.

[suchandra]

 

Haribol Krsna!

 

The lila Suchandra mentioned seems like a fair explenation to me, however I think another reason Krishna loves flowers so much, is because of what they mean to us. Flowers are hailed amongst us, for their beautiful appearance, and the beautiful smell they produce. They have become an object which one usually gives as a gift to a loved one, and are the subject of many poems in which they are compared to other objects in order to highlight the beauty of these objects they are being compared to. So, as one can see flowers are a sign of beauty, and love. So, when we offer flowers to Lord Sri Krishna and his eternal consort Radha (or any of their inumberable manifestations) we are telling Lord Krishna we want to give him something that is pleasantly appealing to his lotus eyes, that gives him something pleasent to smell, we are telling him that he is the utlimate object of our love and affection, and we want to show him this.

Thanks Baobabtree this is a nice thought and indeed Krishna's inventiveness just only the flowers is so unlimited - even in this material world - those who remain atheists are fools and rascals.

 

source: Passion flower, orchid

[suchandra]

 

So, as one can see flowers are a sign of beauty, and love.

Indeed, flowers are so perfectly designed that people think it is as a matter of course and don't consider that each and every flower was designed by Krishna. Not to speak of all those perfectly thought-out functions every flower has.

 

source: home and garden

[krsna]

amazing thread now

 

thank you all for all that wonderful nectar!!!