Lotus the celestial flower-The Great Cosmic Lotus Dream

Infinite viability of the lotus seed

Dr. Uday Dokras

B.Sc., B.A. (managerial economics) LL.B. Nagpur University, INDIA
Graduate Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, CANADA
MBA CALSATATE USA
Graduate Diploma in Law, Stockholm University, SWEDEN
Ph.D. Stockholm University, SWEDEN
CONSULTANT Human Resource and Administration, FDCM ESSELWORLD GOREWADA
ZOO Pvt. Ltd..

Parts of a Lotus Flower 1

There are only two species of lotus in the world: the American lotus or yanquapin (Nelumbo lutea) and
the Asian sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera). Today, many hybridized lotus grace gardens with flowers
ranging in color from white and yellow to pink, rose, magenta, peach and coral and gradations in
between. All lotus flowers are day-blooming. Growing from rhizomes, these aquatic plants extend both
their rounded leaves and flowers high above the water surface in summer.
Emerging Flower

While the leaves are present in the warmth of summer, a tall stem rises from the underwater rhizome root
with a swollen flower bud. The stem that attaches to the base of the flower bud is called the peduncle. The
flower bud is covered in pale green modified leaves called sepals. The sepals slowly open to reveal the
first colorful signs of the lotus flower's petals. Usually the sepals turn color to match the petals.

Flower Core: Once the sepals fully retract and allow the petals to open wide, the sexual organs are
revealed in the center of the lotus blossom. The flat-topped, usually yellow cup-like structure in the
middle is called the carpellary receptacle. Atop the receptacle are many bumps that are stigmas, the tips of
the female pistils that each houses an ovule. Around the base of the receptacle, wedged next to the petal
bases are the male organs, the stamens. Numerous stamens with tiny stalk-like filaments are topped by the
anthers, which split open to release the pollen. Wind and insects relocate pollen grains to the receptive
stigmas on the top of the carpellary receptacle.
Seed Capsule

After pollination of the stigmas on the female pistils, the entire lotus flower begins to fall apart--stamens,
petals, sepals drop to the water surface and float away. The carpellary receptacle begins to swell as each
fertilized ovule in the base of each pistil develops into a seed. The receptacle broadens and slowly begins
to ripen and dry, eventually turning a brown color. Within each hole or depression is an embryo that
matures to a dry brown seed. The peduncle begins to dry and tilt the receptacle, now a seed capsule, so
that the ripe seeds can roll out of the pits into the water. Sometimes the entire stem flops over into the
water from winds or the sheer weight of the seeds.

Uses:

Food

All parts of the lotus flower plant are edible. The flowers are dried and used as seasoning. The stems of
the lotus are used in salads. The seeds are roasted or candied and used directly in soups and sauces.

Perfume

According to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, oils from the lotus flower are used in perfumes. The
fragrance is said to elicit feelings of euphoria and heightened awareness.
Medicinal

According to the Institute for Traditional Medicine, lotus seeds are beneficial to the spleen, kidney and
heart. They can reduce blood pressure and relieve diarrhea. The leaves are beneficial to the stomach and
can help improve circulation.

Colors Of Lotus Flowers

The American lotus (Nelumbo lutea), also called the yellow lotus, grows in the still waters of rivers or
ponds across the United States and in parts of Canada. Yellow lotus leaves are dark green, saucer-shaped
and often more than 1 foot in diameter. The Asian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is slightly larger than the
American lotus, growing 5 to 8 feet tall. The colors of the flowers may be pink or white, with pink more
common. The gold or yellow lotus flower represents the gaining of enlightenment. Lotus flowers are
beautiful things that grow from muddy waters. Plant the rhizome at the edge of a shallow, wide, closed,
weighted container filled with potting mix and 1/4-cup 10-10-10 fertilizer per gallon of soil. Cover the
soil with 2 inches of gravel to keep it from floating into the water.

Parts: Flowers are sexual organs that exist so that a plant can produce seeds and reproduce itself. Bright
colors and fragrances of flowers attract birds and insects necessary to carry pollen from one flower to
another. A complete flower has four concentric whorls or rings of organs that are modified leaves. From
the center to the outside of the flower, these parts are the pistol, stamen, petal and septal. If a flower lacks
one of these parts it is incomplete. Since complete flowers have all four whorls, they are bisexual.

Pistil: he pistil is the long stalk arising from the center of a flower and is sometimes shaped like a
bowling pin. The pistil is the female reproductive organ; it has three parts, an ovary, the style and the
stigma. The round base of the pistol is the ovary; it contains one or more ovules. When they’re fertilized,
eggs inside the ovules develop into seeds. The style is that part of the stalk that connects the ovary to the
stigma. The sticky knob at the end of the stalk is the stigma.

Stamen; is a male reproductive organ; the stamen, circles the pistil from the center of the flower. The
stamens have a stalk called the filament. The anther atop the stalk produces microscopic grains of pollen.
Each grain of pollen produces the sperm, the male sex cell. The filament holds the anther into position so
that the wind, insects, bats or birds can disperse the pollen.
Petals

The petals are the brightly-colored portion surrounding the pistol and stamens. The petals attract the
attention of birds and insects necessary for pollination. They sometimes contain perfume as well as
produce nectar. The layers of flower petals are collectively called the corolla. Plants are often identified
by their number of petals.

The embryo of a monocot produces one cotyledon or “seed leaf” and has petals in multiples of four or
five. The cotyledon receives nutrients until the seed is ready to produce true leaves.

The embryo of a dicot produces two cotyledons and has petals in multiples of three.

Sepals

Beneath the petals, the sepals, usually green and leaf-like, form a temporary protective cover over an
unopened flower. The sepals fold back to allow the petals of a flower to unfurl. The sepals are collectively
called the calyx. Monocots have sepals in multiples of four or five; dicots have sepals in multiples of
three.

To this day, the lotus stands as a symbol related not only to Hinduism, but also to numerous other
religions, historical and modern alike. The lotus appears historically in ancient Egyptian religion where it
held connections to birth, including that of the sun god, Ra, and was used as an apparent hallucinogen .
Buddhists adopted symbolic meanings of the lotus very similar to the Hindus, viewing it as a
representation of one’s personal journey through the muddy waters of samsara towards blossoming, pure
and perfect, into Nirvana. The lotus is also representative of enlightenment through the idea that those
who have attained it will rise above the world like a lotus rises above the muck and filth. Jains also view
the lotus as a sacred symbol of purity and power. Within the tradition are 14 auspicious dreams and eight
auspicious marks, the lotus claiming a place in both lists. The Jains also maintain the portrayal of their
founders (tirthankaras) as seated or standing on lotus blossoms, as seen Hinduism with respect to their
gods. As the religions of India spread across the globe, the iconic image of the lotus continued to diversify
and grow, maintaining its significance while transforming with the times. From the Rgveda to Indian
Politics, the sacred flower of Hinduism has certainly left its mark on history and continues to do so today.

This aquatic perennial Nelumbo nucifera, or sacred lotus, plays a leading role in many of our ancient
explanations for the origin of the cosmos. In one version of creation the Hindu god Vishnu slumbers in
the coils of a giant cobra, adrift in a vast ocean of nothingness. Vishnu is woken by the sacred sound of
Om and from his navel a lotus opens to reveal the god Brahma, self-existent. Brahma then prepares to
create the universe. Vishnu is often depicted seated on a giant lotus, twirling a lotus in one hand and the
universe in another complete with yogic grin. Elsewhere the threefold images of god, Brahma (creator),
Vishnu (preserver) and Shiva (destroyer), are portrayed together on a lotus of one thousand petals, with
Vishnu in full lotus pose.

Creation here is no one-off event, but occurs in an infinite cycle of creation and destruction; birth and
death followed by re-birth. ‘At the end of this day a dissolution of the universe occurs, when all the three
worlds, earth, and the regions of space, are consumed with fire,’ it is said in the Vishnu Purana (320-255
CE). When the three worlds again form one ocean and the lotus-born god Brahma has slept for a night
lasting billions of years, he rises to create anew. ‘These profound and lovely images are, I like to imagine,
a kind of premonition of modern astrological ideas,’ said Carl Sagan in his book Cosmos (1980).

For Sagan, the oscillating model of the universe represents ‘the great cosmic lotus dream.’

But why is the lotus, which grows from mud, imbued with such deep mysticism? Look out upon a vast,
moving ocean of lotus and the answer to that question becomes self-evident. ‘By means of microscopic
observation and astronomical projection the lotus flower can become the foundation for an entire theory
of the universe and an agent whereby we may perceive Truth,’ wrote novelist Yukio Mishima in The
Priest of Shiga Temple and His Love (1966). In poetry, Natsume Sōseki explained it thus: ‘Watch birth
and death: / The lotus has already / Opened its flower.’Botanically-speaking the sacred lotus is cause for
similar wonder. The first formal account of the lotus appears in Theophrastus’ An Inquiry Into Plants (c
350–287 BCE), where it is described as growing:

‘Up to four cubits long (1.8 metres) and as thick as a man’s finger, its stalk is similar to a supple reed but
without joints. Right through the interior of the stalk run tubes which are distinct from one another,
resembling honeycomb. The head sits on top of this stalk like a circular wasps’ nest. It contains as many
as thirty beans, one in each of the cells and projecting slightly from it. Twice the size of a poppy’s, the
flower is a deep shade of rose and held clear of the water, as is the fruiting head. All around the plant
grow leaves that are as large as a Thessalian hat, and on stems that are the same in appearance and
dimensions as the flower stalks. Break open one of the beans and you will find bitter material curled
within; this is the embryo.’

Molecular studies show that the lotus is closer, on an evolutionary scale, to the plane tree (Platanus spp.,
Platanaceae) and members of the protea family (Proteaceae) than to its own pond companions, the water
lilies (Nymphaea). Science has also revealed the flowers of the lotus to be thermoregulatory, generally
staying between 30-36°C despite ambient temperature drops and spikes from 10-45°C (Seymour &
Schultze-Motel, 1998).

For cold-blooded insect pollinators, the flower heads offer a warm nirvana of sorts; a heavenly lure.
What’s more, the viability of a lotus seed tends towards the infinite. There are reports of successful
germination of a sacred lotus from seed retrieved from an ancient lake bed in north-eastern China,
radiocarbon dated to some 1,288 years old (Shen-Miller, 1995). It is as though the lotus slumbered in its
own cosmic dream to a time-scale befitting Brahma before reanimating. Even the outstretched, circular
leaves of the lotus demonstrate mystery, with their self-cleaning capacity the result of a complex surface
nanostructure, which minimises adhesion. In botany it’s known as the ‘lotus effect’. ‘Water surrounds the
lotus flower, but does not wet its petals,’ observed Gautama Buddha.

Vishn’s birth was from the lotus and in turn the lotus birthed Brahma. But these two gods do not
exist without their counterpoint, destruction. The heated petals of the lotus fall; a seed pod remains; the
seed enters into dormancy at the bottom of a lake bed for one thousand years or more. Similar cycles of
destruction are evident within our world, cycles which ricochet through the cosmos.

‘We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were
silent. I remembered the line from the Bhagavad Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the the prince to do
his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, ‘Now I am become death, the
destroyer of worlds’. I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.’ Lead physicist J. Robert
Oppenheimer .

The Japanese word for the sacred lotus is ‘hasu’. In Sanskrit the word is ‘padma’. The habit of the lotus to
lodge its rhizomes in the mud, for its stem to navigate through the water and for its water-repellent leaves
and flowers to elevate themselves above water level is a symbol in itself.

‘Place the right foot on the left thigh and the left foot on the right thigh, cross the hands behind the back
and firmly take hold of the toes (the right toe with the right hand and the left toe with the left). Place the
chin on the breast and look at the tip of the nose. This is called Padmasana; it destroys the diseases of the
self-restrained.’ And so the lotus pose, padmasana, emerges in a tangle of words in the Hatha Yoga
Pradipika. Settled in lotus, all of the seven chakra centres are aligned, each represented by a lotus of
differently numbered petals. Traditional yoga practice is aimed at reaching balance in all of the chakras;
opening all seven of the mystic lotus centres, from the root to the heart to third eye chakra and all points
in between.

There is implicit mystery and wonder in the sacred lotus. It is a symbol of creation and the universe itself.
Open and bent towards the sun, risen from the mud, it strikes an unmistakable mirror for our own course
through the cosmos, during this once-only appearance on earth. ‘Who knows and who can here declare it,
whence it was born and whence comes this creation?’ This is the paradoxical hymn, confessed in the Rig
Veda (c 1500–1200 BCE). ‘He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did not form it,
whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, he knows it, or perhaps he knows not.’ The sacred lotus
knows – surely? – as it daily opens its flower head in yogic semblance to the sun.2
THE SACRED LOTUS SYMBOL

The lotus is an iconic flower and its natural trait has facilitated symbolic reference towards the flower;
rising out of the mud, untouched by the filth, resonated with ancient thinkers, philosophers, and religious
peoples. Furthermore, beyond its life cycle, the lotus holds many unique properties which benefit human
nutrition and health. Studies have found that this ancient plant, consumed throughout Asia, is highly
nutritious and retains a number of medicinal properties from gastrointestinal regulation to bad breath
remedy to insomnia reduction. The relevance to health and wellness worked well with the divine
reference in ancient Vedic scripture, where the lotus gained connections to the gods, to build the
foundations of an icon.
Even as far back as the holy sruti texts of the Rgveda, the lotus finds its home in Hinduism’s spiritual
origins. One translation of the Rgveda expresses the first mention of the lotus in the form of a metaphor
(RV 5.LXVIII.7-9). The verse seems to describe a well wish for an unproblematic delivery of a child.
One interpretation is that the metaphor of the wind ruffling the lotuses evokes auspiciousness in regard to
the delivery. The lotus also appears in connection to the birth of Agni in Rgveda hymn XVI. There Agni
is recognized as one of the two most worshipped gods of the scripture alongside Indra, God of Thunder.
This initial reference to birth and divinity can be seen as a starting point for the symbolism of the lotus in
later literature and practice. Although its presence in the sacred text elevates it to a status of divinity, its
connection with the gods does not end with Agni and the Rgveda; rather it appears again and again
throughout Hindu scripture.

Laksmi is the consort of Visnu, one of the most renowned gods in the Hindu pantheon, and she appears in
each of Visnu’s reincarnations as his wife, should he have one. She is seen by the followers of Visnu as
the “mother of the world”, and maintains a close connection with the lotus, having her abode within the
flowers themselves (Mahabharata LXVI). The Hindus Encyclopedia of Hinduism details the story of her
birth: from the great churning of the sea, Laksmi was brought forth inhabiting the lotus and was
“…covered in ornaments and bearing every auspicious sign.” She held lotus flowers in each hand and was
called the Goddess Padma, meaning Lotus. Laksmi holds many names and many titles, just as the sacred
flower does; she is the goddess of wealth, auspiciousness, fortune and luck. The auspiciousness of the
lotus may be due in part to the connection between the flower and the great goddess of luck. Indeed,
followers of Vaisnavism, one of the main sects of Hindusim, hold Laksmi in high regard, believing she is
the very power of Visnu to govern and protect the universe. As the goddess of the Lotus, this symbol
becomes specifically significant to the Vaisnavas, although its significance is by no means confined to
them.

Beyond the auspiciousness and fortune of the lotus in its connection to Laksmi, the creator god Brahma
ties in early references of the lotus to the concept of rebirth. Though there are many stories regarding the
origins or birth of Brahma, one depicts the god being born on a lotus flower from the navel of Visnu, the
great unifying principle . In fact, it is common for Hindu gods and goddesses to be depicted sitting on a
lotus throne, as a gesture of divinity, purity, and a power. Even beyond its connection to the creator god,
the lotus is one of Visnu’s four attributes, standing as a symbol of creation (Timalsina 70). Furthermore,
the sacred plant and deity, Soma, is believed, by some, to be the Sacred Lotus. Referenced in
the Rgveda, (RV 8. XLVIII.3-4,11) Soma is deified, worshipped, and even expressed as offering
immortality. There are numerous theories on the true identity of Soma and the Lotus would indeed be a
likely candidate with its medicinal properties and previously established connection to the divine.

Each of the factors mentioned have played a role in the Sacred Lotus becoming an icon of Hinduism. The
flower’s natural life cycle and biological properties make it both admirable and valuable. Its presence in
the Vedas and its connection to popular deities, including its potential identity as a deity (i.e. Soma),
make it sacred and spiritual; these aspects, and more, have elevated the wild flower of Asia to an icon of
the Hindu faith. And yet, beyond its religious connotations, the sacred symbol of the lotus has spread,
with the Hindu tradition, into the very culture of India.
In Indian art and architecture there are 8 symbols of auspiciousness. Among other key symbols like the
conch shell (sankha) and the wheel (cakra), the lotus (padma) is incorporated into Indian art, bearing
powerful symbolism in regard to divinity, purity, and auspiciousness . Throughout numerous temples and
shrines erected to worship various gods such as Siva and Surya are stone carvings, motifs, and statues
accents by the image of the lotus. Beyond the presence of lotus imagery, there is a further, subtle
connection between Hindu architecture and the lotus in the very structure of Hindu temples. Rising up in
tiered domes, or buds, the temples are said to resemble Mount Meru, a sacred cosmic center in Indian
religions.The mountain itself holds extensive symbolic reference to the cosmic lotus, standing as point of
origins of creation and divinity. The intertwining of lotus imagery and symbolism into such a vast range
of concepts as mountains to temples to health to the divine creates a picture of the depth of the symbol’s
place in Hinduism.
As the powerful symbolism of the lotus transcends the centuries, it ultimately finds its place in the
modern day as an icon for businesses, a symbol of peace or tranquility, a reference to Indian religion, and
more contemporarily so, as an image of a movement sweeping Indian politics.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a popular political party in contemporary India with a unique
platform of defining “. . . Indian culture in terms of Hindu Values. . .”. The party poses the lotus as their
logo, utilizing the religious symbol to gain the favor of Hindus (Malik and Singh 321). For the Hindu
population, standing behind a banner bearing the Sacred Lotus of India, a central icon in the ancient
tradition, may mean standing behind Hindutva, or Hindu national identity, embodied in the sacred
meaning of the lotus. This connection between the divine flower and the national identity of India reveals
just how deep the roots of the lotus symbol are. Even before the rise of the BJP party, the lotus held the
title of national flower for its sacred symbolism, according to the Government of India (Government of
India 2016). The connection between the Indian subcontinent and the lotus, beyond any single faith,
expresses the significance of the flower even beyond its place as a religion icon.
LOTUS: The lotus is arguably one of the most important flower symbols on the planet, along with the
lily and the rose. The lotus can only be grown under hothouse conditions in Western Europe, and for a
Westerner to see a lotus growing in the wild for the first time can be an astonishing experience. Both the
otherworldly appearance of the flower and its growing circumstances make it obvious that the flower is
somehow very special indeed. It’s therefore no surprise that the flower is one of the eight auspicious
symbols in both Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist iconography. This sensuous and extraordinary flower,
with its perfect petals, rises imperiously from muddy swamps, its head above the dirty water. The
symbolism applied by generations of Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese sages is obvious. First, the flower
rises in complete perfection from the murky primal waters of creation. Next, the flower comes from the
darkness into the light, woken by the Sun; third, the lotus symbolizes the triumph of spirit over matter and
is a metaphor for the journey to enlightenment. Because the lotus retreats back into the water during the
hours of darkness only to rise again above the surface of the water at dawn, the Egyptians saw it as a
symbol of death and rebirth. The tight bud of the flower is a symbol for the Universe. The flower is also
an archetypal symbol for the vulva, and so is associated with the Goddess. In all cultures the lotus carries
within it a reminder of the elements. It has its seed within the earth; it grows in water; the blossom exists
in air which also carries its fragrance; and the flower itself is awoken by the Sun, and therefore the
element of fire which it also resembles, the curious central circle surrounded by the rays of petals. The
symbol of the lotus is often partially hidden in mandalas, the petals forming a border that is both symbolic
and decorative. The Buddha sits in the center of the eight-petaled lotus, detached from the material world
with its cycle of death and rebirth. In Hindu iconography, the lotus is seen as the base of the earth from
which the holy mountains (such as Kailash and Meru) rise. The stalk of the flower is associated with the
World Axis which rises up through sacred mountains.2

The pillar of the household of mankind stands adorned with a lotus capital – a crown upon the stalk of
manifesting life. In the whole of evolution the lotus flowers forth as one of the richest symbols of life,
growth and conscious godhood.

Just as the roots of the sacred lotus Padma have proliferated in the soil of terrestrial life, so its symbolic
meanings have multiplied. Its bud is the symbol of nascent life as well as fertility and evolution. As a
mandala, its significance varies depending upon the number of petals described, the opening bloom
becoming the full-blown lotus of Buddhahood. As a posture, it is Padma Asana and is practised for the
development of concentration. At the creation of the world Brahma was born from a lotus rising from the
navel of Vishnu, and 'Lotus-born' is a title of profoundly sacred significance throughout the East. Asi, the
sword won by Brahma through great austerities, was the color of the blue lotus and was handed down to
Manu in the shape of the law. Lotus crowns were worn by kings, and numerous gods and goddesses of
India, Egypt and the Far East are shown bearing emblems of open lotus flowers or sitting upon lotus
thrones. The lotus was also the basic design for the stele capitals of the ancient Phoenicians and was
adapted in later Ionic forms. In fact, the lotus motif and its derivatives can be traced in all forms of art and
architecture. Such a proliferation of symbolic offspring prompts us to question the nature of that which
combines such a variety of ideas in its representations.

Botanically, the lotus is a member of the leguminosae family and its fruit is in the form of a fleshy pod
enclosing its seeds. The pod is actually the ovary of the flower and it enlarges as the ovules develop into
seeds containing the embryos of the plant. The stamen of the lotus produces pollen which fertilizes the
ovules, thus distinguishing the lotus as a bisexual or androgynous plant. The pod of the lotus protects the
seeds and aids in their distribution when mature. They are dispersed upon the water where they float for a
considerable time before sinking to the bottom. Seeds of the sacred lotus recovered in an ancient peat-bog
in Manchuria, and dated at one-thousand years, have germinated and produced flowering plants. This
remarkable longevity is partially due to the low moisture content within the seed, for it is the moisture of
life which causes physical manifestation, and the continence of the lotus seed suggests fertility held in
potentia. The seed contains the perfectly formed petals of the lotus flower even before it germinates. Thus
the embryo plantlet is the hidden archetype of the manifest flower and is symbolic of the spiritual plane
on which the prototype of material forms exist.

The open lotus flower, symbolizing fertility, is often depicted as a seat for divine beings, indicating their
generative force. In fact, the celestial lotus throne of the divine kings of Egypt was called the 'flower of
power,' and their royal heads were often adorned with lotus crowns. The Egyptian Book of the
Dead identifies the lotus crown as the symbol of rebirth, connecting it closely to the belief that the divine
dead were reborn from the lotus flower and thereafter belonged to the world of the gods.

If the lotus is a symbol of generation and rebirth, it also marks the commencement and dissolution of
cycles. It is said that Padmapani Avalokiteswara, who manifests from age to age, is 'the Lotus-Bearer' and
supporter of the Kalpas. The 'Age of Brahma' marks the manifestation of creative deity out of the
universal lotus. At the destruction marking the end of Kali Yuga, Brahma will be contained within a lotus
and, floating upon the waters, will absorb the winds and go to sleep. This is the 'Night of Brahma' or
Pralaya. Vishnu, the synthesis of the Hindu Trimurti during Pralaya, conceals in the folds of darkness the
embryo lotus of the world. Vishnu's heaven is Vaikuntha or Mount Meru, symbolized by the lotus and
representing the navel of the world – Vishnu's navel.
In Egypt the lotus also symbolized the sun. Hiding its flower at night and opening with the first morning
rays, the lotus naturally suggests itself as a symbol for Nefertem, the god who personified the rising sun.
Emerging from a lotus every morning and retiring into it every night, Nefertem, whose name means lotus,
was also called Atum or Ra-the-Younger. He is depicted as the man-child who rose from the lotus flower
in the Sacred Sea. From his tears sprang mankind and in his lotus aspect he was called the 'Watcher at the
Nostrils of Ra.' Thot, the Self-Begotten, like Brahma, appeared at the dawn of time on a lotus flower. He
was created by the power of utterance and called the inventor of speech, the personification of the divine
intelligence of the creative power of Ra. Horus, the ruler of the sky, and other Sun Gods were born
through the 'immaculate mother' lotus. This symbolism firmly relates the lotus to that first plane of
manifestation where there is no sex but both sexes exist potentially in primordial matter. This matter or
mother is not differentiated, fertility and productiveness both being inherent wi thin it. Therefore, its
emanations are not born from it but through it. Thus "the Great Breath thrills through space" and
perceiving this, ancient seers of wisdom recognized in the androgynous and self-fructifying nature of the
lotus a perfect symbol for the most sacred of mysteries.

All parts of the lotus are deeply symbolic, as is the process of its growth. There is no detail of its life cycle
which does not offer us a rich clue in our efforts to understand the nature of being. Egyptian goddesses
were often depicted carrying lotus stalk staves as their insignia. This is extremely significant when related
to the fact that the stalk, which grows from the roots through the water to its surface, was considered a
symbol for the umbilicus. The ancient Egyptians considered the earth, in which the lotus roots took hold,
to be the womb of Isis, the stalk to be the umbilicus growing through the water of the womb to produce a
flower from which a divine child emerged. Thus they believed Osiris, hovering above, and Isis, the waters
of life below, became the parents of Horus, the divine man. The Secret Doctrine tells us that the mud in
which the lotus roots grow represents material life, while the water through which the stalk passes
represents the astral world. When the plant reaches the surface of the water and opens its bud to the sun, it
represents spiritual being. In this poetical metaphor the water symbolizes the celestial and the terrestrial
ocean or astral plane, reminding us that what is true above is also true below.

The fully-opened lotus symbolizes the universe. In India the eight-petalled lotus is that wherein Brahma
dwells, and when open it is considered to be the visible manifestation of his activities. The thousand-
petalled lotus is a symbol of final revelation and at its center rests a triangle which inscribes the 'great
formless emptiness.' In Buddhist tradition the fully-opened lotus is believed to have a strong solar
character and its petals are likened to the rays of the sun. So closely has the Buddha been related to the
lotus that certain of his teachings have been named after it. The Buddha is believed to have preached the
'Lotus of Truth' from Grdha-buta, a place in the third world to be realized by every true Buddhist in some
life through his enlightenment derived from the truths taught in the 'Lotus.' It is believed that the
transformation of the present world into a paradise can occur through the 'Lotus' which expounds fully the
oneness of all life. So fundamental a truth is embodied in this seed teaching that it has had a widespread
and profound effect on poetry and literature throughout the Orient. In Japan even the Genji
Monogatari reflects delightful and affectionate associations of people with flowers, seasons and physical
surroundings, revealing keys to the varied characters in the epic. This fusion of man with nature in poetry
and song captures something of the truth taught in the 'Lotus.'3

The growth process of the lotus to its full flowering and the dispersion of its seeds provides a beautiful
metaphor for the incarnation of the Buddha. Like the lotus which germinates under the water and rises to
the surface to unfold, so the Buddha born in the impure world rises to enlightenment. Taking on a body,
that divine being immersed himself in the soil of the earth – the mud beneath the waters. Growing toward
the sun of spiritual awareness, he passed through the astral realms of delusion. Upon his enlightenment,
the Buddha was born again into a realm of divine knowledge out of the flower of manifest life. The
Buddha gave forth his teachings like the lotus its seeds, carefully nurturing them until they were mature
and then aiding their dispersal upon the waters of life. The teachings, like the buoyant seeds, dispersed
upon the akasic waters, floated widely and gradually descended through the astral realms to the soil of
material life below. There they took root to struggle anew towards their divine realization.

It is extremely difficult to plant a lotus but once it buries its roots deeply in the soil, it is strong and will
multiply beyond belief. Its roots must have breadth and depth in which to grow, while its growing-tip
must remain uncovered in order to turn and enter back into the soil through its own power. The lotus
growing-tip must bury itself or it will die. Only after this process is complete will the plant put forth the
stalk that will eventually reach the surface. Like the power of the manifesting universe, the roots of the
lotus grow in circles and must be planted in a circular body of water. Sharp corners or angles may kill the
tendrils as they arc out in their multiplication. As in the planting of the lotus so it is with the sowing of
spiritual ideas. There is great toil involved in giving them root but once rooted they will proliferate. In the
minds of men they need breadth and depth in which to flourish, and in each individual there must be a
unique effort to turn back within the soil of one's being and discover the self-born nourishment of the
spiritual plant.

Thus the individual gradually realizes the potentialities of being, symbolized by the flower on the surface
of the water. Since the unfolding is exercised from the center of each petal, it is impossible for external
action to be brought to bear upon the total flower. Such action is only possible on a particular petal. All
planes must be affected simultaneously from a central point in precisely the same way that man must
realize the potentialities of being by means of an activity which is always internal. The opening out of the
lotus petals is in response to the synthesis of the sun's rays by the central lotus heart. In cosmic terms, the
ray flashes into the germ. The Matripadma swells "expanding from within without like the bud of the
lotus." This process describes the workings of the dual creative powers in nature, the lotus being the
product of air and water or spirit and matter. As such, it is a symbol of the productive powers of spiritual
and physical nature and the agency through which they manifest.

The lotus combines the unknowable mystery wherein the One Infinite All becomes focalized in the
manifest Ray-Point-Germ – the mystery of the First and Second Logos. "It is from Padma Yoni, 'The
Bosom of the Lotus,' from Absolute Space, that emanates the Cosmos, conditioned and limited by time
and space." For "as soon as DARKNESS – or rather that which is 'darkness' for ignorance – has
disappeared in its own realm of eternal Light, leaving behind itself only its divine manifested Ideation, the
creative Logoi have their understanding opened, and they see in the ideal work (hitherto concealed in
divine thought) the archetypal forms of all, and proceed to copy and build or fashion upon these models
form evanescent and transcendent. " The Demiurge must perceive the plan buried in the bosom of Eternal
Ideation. The plan of the entire universe lies hidden within the seed to be realized by that which in reality
is itself.

I am the pure lotus, emerging from the Luminous One . . . I carry the message of Horus. I am the pure
lotus which comes from the Solar Fields. (Book of the Dead). The seed-germ and the fully-opened lotus
are together represented by the sacred Avalokiteswara Padmapani, 'the on-looking Lord.' Avaloki means
'on-looker' and represents the Higher Self or Atman, while Padmapani represents the Higher Ego or
Manas, the sentient reincarnating Principle in man. In esoteric interpretation Avalokiteswara is the Logos
both celestial and human, and the Yogacharya School teaches that Avalokiteswara as Padmapani is the
Dhyani Bodhisattva, the spiritual reflection of Amitabha Buddha in the world of forms. Thus the lotus
Padmapani is the divine bridge between heaven and earth, and it is only by following the Padmapani
bridge within that man can realize the 'Lotus of Truth.' Just as the lotus stalk is the pivotal point in
universal evolution, so man is the pivotal being struggling to manifest the flower that will reflect the
Spiritual Sun of the Onlooking Lord. By assuming the Padma Asana posture within the mind and heart,
the disciple can approach the Lord Buddha, conqueror and master of the world of thought and philosophy.
In infinite calm the Lord sits upon a lotus in full bloom, symbol of the cosmos encompassed by his
4
comprehension.

REFERENCE
1. Jacob J. Wright, 2017, Fotolia.com
2 B. Histological and Cytological Characterization of Anther and Appendage Development in Asian
Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.),by Dasheng Zhang et al, Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(5),
1015; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20051015
2019
3.https://theplanthunter.com.au/culture/the-great-cosmic-lotus-dream/
4.The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols The Ultimate A-Z Guide from Alchemy to the
Zodiac Adele Nozedar