Tale of the golden lotus

Brahma Kamala, named after Brahma, the God of Creation, blooms only for one night in the entire year, somewhere between July and September. It is a rare plant that flowers around midnight and survives only for a few hours. It is also commonly known as Nishagandhi in India or ‘Queen of the Night’. The Japanese call it Gekka Bijin, meaning ‘Beautiful Woman Under the Moon’.

The Lotus of Life:
The story of the birth of Ganesha is a popular tale. On Parvati's request Brahma created Brahma Kamal, with whose help Shiva placed the head of an elephant on to the body of Ganesha. When Shiva attached the head of an elephant on Ganesha' s body, he was bathed with water that was sprinkled from a Brahma Kamal. That is why this lotus is given the status of a life-restoring flower of the gods. To evaluate it in terms of modern science, this flower has many medicinal properties.

The Golden Lotus:
When the Pandavas were in exile, Draupadi accompanied them. She was tormented by painful memories of her insult in the Kaurava court. The hardships of a forest life also took a toll on her. One evening she saw a beautiful lotus float away in the stream. After she saw this lotus bloom, she felt a strange happiness that was almost spiritual. But the lotus withered as quickly as it had bloomed. Draupadi sent her most devoted husband Bhima to look for it and on his quest for the flower he met Hanuman (Bhima's elder brother). As a lotus is usually pink, 'golden' may mean a shimmering 'white'. This story too is a reference to this mysterious flower. Wish Fulfilling: It is long held belief that anybody who sees this rare flower blooming will have all his or her wishes fulfilled. It is not easy to watch it bloom because it blooms in the late evening and stays only for a couple of hours.

I was elated to find such a beauty blooming in my garden a few days back. The gods have blessed me with luck. Now its time for you to bless me with upvotes. Namaste.