Padma

(“lotus”) One of the richest symbols in
Indian philosophy and iconography,
both Hindu and Buddhist, and an
invariably auspicious object. Its size and
colors make it one of the most beautiful
Indian flowers, but the lotus is also a
potent symbol for spiritual realization. It
is rooted in the mud—symbolizing the
corrupting world with which all beings
must contend—but it blooms above the
surface of the water, signifying transcendence. The lotus plant’s underwater
stems grow as long as necessary to get
the flower bud above the water’s surface—whether three, five, or ten feet—
symbolizing the human ability to
overcome obstacles to spiritual
progress. Finally, lotus leaves are covered with a waxy coating, upon which
water beads up and flows off; one religious text, the Bhagavad Gita (5.10),
uses this as a simile for the man who
renounces all attachment and is
untouched by the things of the world.
Aside from its symbolic content, the
lotus is also an important element in
Hindu iconography. It is one of the four
identifying objects carried by the god
Vishnu, along with the conch shell
(shankha), club (gada), and discus
(chakra). It is also commonly carried by
the Goddess, both in her forms as Durga
and related powerful goddesses, and in
her beneficent and benevolent form as
Lakshmi, who is usually portrayed as
standing on a lotus. The lotus even figures in one of the common Hindu creation myths, in which a lotus sprouts
from Vishnu’s navel and opens to reveal
Brahma, who proceeds to create the
earth. When the universe has run its
course and is about to be destroyed,
same process happens in reverse.