Since Vice President Kamala Harris first appeared on the federal stage, her name, which is a popular one for women in India, has attracted a lot of interest, particularly because of how it was pronounced.
The three-syllable word should be pronounced” Come-a-laa” ( Kamalā ), with the final long” a” signaling a feminine noun in Sanskrit. It is frequently pronounced with stresses on the first or second phrase in the United States.
However, the language of” Kamala” is the least exciting thing about this lovely title, which is only one of many thoughts in Sanskrit for the glowing, fragrant, large-petaled pink flowers, or Nelumbo nucifera, that is prevalent in the Indian continent. As a professor of South Indian religions, I’d like to describe the deep imagery and the many interpretations of the krishna, or flower, which are shared by different belief traditions in the continent.
The’ samantha’ in American literature
In some American like poems, the broad, shapely eyes of gorgeous women are compared to the flower, while in religious literature it is the God’s eyes that invite the comparison.
The analogy is not confined just to the eyes but can be used to compliment the beauty, warmth and brightness of a partner’s or the divine’s experience, feet or hands. The ninth-century Tamil writer, Nammalvar, in his large album, the” Tiruvaymoli”, uses the parallel to illustrate the beauty of the lord Vishnu:
You are perfect illumination
You are unsullied intellect
that neither flower nor wilts.
You are all. You rule it all.
If the lovely angels ‘ lord is the king.
worships you, wo n’t it dim
the brightness of your flower feet?
In some cases, passion, whether spiritual or individual, is described as a flower that blooms in the day, responding to the heat and radiance of the sunlight. At evening, the flower closes its petals, little as one might retreat in the presence of the beloved. Similarly, the flowers can be expressive of need and intimacy, drawing a bee to sip from its nectar.
The lotus, as whole flower or even a single curved petal, is a pervasive motif in Indian art. A famous 18th-century Indian miniature painting depicts the divine couple, Radha and Krishna, facing each other, clothed entirely in lotuses.
The lotus’s divine symbolism
Most significantly, the kamala, or lotus, is closely associated with Sri-Lakshmi: the goddess of sovereignty, auspiciousness, fecundity, wealth and good fortune, who is worshiped by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains.
In fact, Kamala is simply another name for Sri-Lakshmi. This goddess either holds her hands in her hands or sits on a fully blooming lotus while holding them in her hands.
She will frequently be adorned in a garland of lotuses in Southern Indian Hindu temples because of how closely connected she is to this flower.
Lakshmi’s divine husband, Vishnu, is also closely connected to this flower. Brahma, the god, is born a lotus from his navel, who in turn gives birth to the entire universe.
Although Sri-Lakshmi is most clearly associated with the lotus, Jainism and Buddhism integrate the bloom in other ways. The lotus may be held in one’s hand by Hindu, Jain, and Tara, a male Buddhist deity, and other figures. The sixth great teacher of the Jain tradition, Padmaprabhu, is named after a lotus, with “padma” being another name for the flower. In the Jain, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions, the lotus occasionally serves as a pedestal for the divine being.
In all cases, the lotus is rarely a bud. Almost always it is a lush, open bloom. This speaks to its profound significance as a sign of wisdom and the awakening of one’s knowledge from ignorance’s torpor. The symbolism of the kamala is derived from the fact that the lotus blooms in swampy waters but is left unharmed by the dirt around it. Similarly, enlightenment and wisdom arise and blossom from the murk of desire and attachment. But when one attains wisdom, like the lotus, one remains above and untouched by the dirt of deluding ignorance.
That is why the kamala is always pictured and described not as a bud, suggesting only potential for wisdom, but as a large, open, unfurled flower.
Kamala Harris ‘ name serves as a reminder of its significance in these religious customs. A lotus by another name may be referred to as still a lotus, but as these traditions demonstrate, it is much more.
At the University of California, Davis, Archana Venkatesan is a professor of comparative literature and religious studies.
This article was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.