"Flowers are the smile of the Lord."

[leyh]

One of my favourite sayings from Srila Prabhupada is not anything directly philosophical.Apparently he once said that "Flowers are the smile of the Lord."

 

Having been shown to our rooms at the temple, I took a walk and chanted my rounds in a nearby park. A number of people nodded their heads in greeting as I strolled past. One elderly lady stopped me and asked if I had any questions about the beautiful park I was strolling through. I reciprocated by chatting with her, hoping I could leave her with a small drop of Krishna consciousness. I started off casually by mentioning the frequent change of temperature we were experiencing - from hot to cold and back to hot all in the same day. She smiled and said, "We have a saying here in Texas: If you don't like the weather just wait a minute longer!"

 

When I commented on the beautiful flower gardens, she paused and said that they were the only beauty left in life for her. Trying to comfort her I replied, "Then God is with you. My spiritual master once said that flowers are the smile of the Lord. "

 

She responded by questioning the existence of God, saying she had experienced much suffering in her life. I began explaining the law of karma, and how ultimately suffering can be an impetus to take shelter of the Lord. She listened carefully, and when I finished she thanked me. Reflecting on my words she concluded by saying, "I suppose God gave weeds in the garden of life so we would better appreciate the flowers. " (Diary of a Traveling Preacher Vol. 3 Ch. 31

By Indradyumna Swami)

 

"Flowers are the smile of the Lord." There is such a poetic simplicity in this utterance.I wonder if this or any similar utterance can be found in the VedaBase?

 

Many photos of Srila Prabhupada show him garlanded by these Divine Smiles.Maybe the only thing that hippies have in common with Srila Prabhupada is "Flower Power".But the Flowers of the hippies stood for mundane sentimentalism while Srila Prabhupada used flowers to glorify Krsna,whose smile he saw in flowers.

 

[Gauracandra]

That is a nice quote. I've heard that Srila Prabhupada's favorite flower was the Gardenia. Its been years since I've smelled a Gardenia but I recall they have a heavenly aroma. Really sweet and soothing.