The lotus (Sanskrit:पद्म,romanized: Padmā),Nelumbo nucifera, is anaquatic plant that plays a central role in the art ofIndian religions such asHinduism,Buddhism andJainism.
In Asian art, alotus throne is a stylized lotus flower used as the seat or base for a figure. It is the normal pedestal for divine figures inBuddhist art andHindu art and is often seen inJain art. Originating inIndian art, it followed Indian religions toEast Asia in particular.
TheHindu divinities Vishnu andLakshmi are often portrayed on a pink lotus in iconography; historically, many deities, namely Brahma, Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Kubera, usually sit on a stylizedlotus throne. In the representation of Vishnu asPadmanabha (Lotus navel), a lotus issues from his navel withBrahma on it. The goddess Saraswati is portrayed on a white lotus. The lotus is the symbol of what is divine or immortal in humanity, and also symbolizes divine perfection. The lotus is the attribute of sun and fire gods. It symbolizes the realization of inner potential, and in Tantric and Yogic traditions, it symbolizes the potential of an individual to harness the flow of energy moving through the chakras (often depicted as wheel-like lotuses) flowering as the thousand-petaled lotus of enlightenment at the top of the skull.[1]
Vishnu is often described as the "Lotus-Eyed One" (Pundarikaksha).[2] The lotus's unfolding petals suggest the expansion of the soul. The growth of its pure beauty from the mud of its origin holds a benign spiritual promise. InHindu iconography, other deities, likeGanga andGanesha, are often depicted with lotus flowers as their seats.
The lotus plant is cited extensively withinPuranic andVedic literature, for example:
One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus is untouched by water.
— Bhagavad Gita 5.10:
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In theAṅguttara Nikāya, theBuddha compares himself to a lotus (padma inSanskrit, inPali,paduma),[3] saying that the lotus flower rises from the muddy water unstained, as he rises from this world, free from the defilements taught in the specific sutta.[4][5]
InBuddhist symbolism, the lotus represents purity of thebody, speech and mind, as if floating above the murky waters of material attachment and physical desire. According to the traditional biographies,Gautama Buddha's first seven steps made lotus flowers appear.[6]Lotus thrones are the normalpedestal for most important figures inBuddhist art, and often that of other Indian religions.
In Tibet,Padmasambhava, the Lotus-Born, is considered the Second Buddha, having brought Buddhism to that country by conquering or converting local deities; he is normally depicted sitting on a lotus flower and holding a vajra and a skullcup.[7] One account of his birth is that he appeared inside a lotus flower.
InChinese culture,Confucian scholarZhou Dunyi (1017–1073) wrote (borrowing fromGautama Buddha's famous metaphor):
I love the lotus because while growing from mud, it is unstained.
The lotus is the emblem ofMacau and appears onits flag.[9]
The founders (tirthankaras) ofJainism are portrayed seated or standing onlotus thrones.[10] As his name suggests, the Jain tirthankaraPadmaprabha is also represented by the symbol of a lotus. Padmaprabha means 'bright as a red lotus' in Sanskrit. It is said in Śvetāmbara sources that his mother had a fancy for a couch of red lotuses – padma – while he was in her womb.[11]
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Chinese Manichaeism borrowed the iconography ofChinese Buddhism, frequently depicting religious figures revered inManichaeism seated uponlotus thrones in its religious art.
Since the introduction ofChristianity to India, the iconography of theSaint Thomas Christians has depicted theSaint Thomas Christian cross, also called the Persian cross, resting on a lotus throne, a stylised lotus flower. Likewise, following the introduction of Christianity to China by theChurch of the East, theNestorian cross was frequently depicted on a lotus flower in Chinese Christian iconography.
The internationalBaháʼí Faith community adopted the symbolism of the lotus in the design of theLotus Temple inNew Delhi, India.[12]
In the classical written and oral literature of many Asian cultures the lotus is present in figurative form, representing elegance, beauty, perfection, purity and grace, being often used in poems and songs as anallegory for ideal feminine attributes. InSanskrit the word lotus (पद्मpadma) has manysynonyms: since the lotus thrives on water,ja (denoting birth) is added to words for water to derive synonyms for lotus, likerajiva,ambuja (ambu (water) +ja (born of)),neeraja (neera (water) +ja (born of)),pankaja (panka (mud) +ja(born of)),kamala,kunala,aravinda,nalini andsaroja and names derived from the lotus, likepadmavati (possessing lotuses) orpadmini (full of lotuses). These names and derived versions are often used to name girls, and to a lesser extent boys, throughout South and Southeast Asia.[13][14]
The lotus flower is the state flower of several Indian states, includingKarnataka,Haryana, andAndhra Pradesh.[15] The lotus flower is theelection symbol of theBharatiya Janata Party, one of the major political parties in India.[16]
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It has been considered a symbol of beauty, absolute purity, honesty, rebirth, self-regeneration, enlightenment. Another plant known as a lotus (Nymphaea spp.) was considered a supreme plant by Egyptians for its fragrant transformative scent while living its alternating existence below and above the water surface. It was also used by the Egyptians as a means of inducing altered states of consciousness and making contact with other realms of existence. The blue lotus,N. caerulea, was considered as a symbol of the sun rising out of night.[17]
In Hindu philosophy, the lotus is regarded to be the first born of creation and a magic womb for the universe and gods. It has also been associated with longevity, fertility, wealth, and knowledge.
It is considered a symbol of freedom from desire and material attachment while invoking purity at a level of mind, speech and action by Buddhist tradition. Also connected:
Media related toPadma (attribute) at Wikimedia Commons
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