Brahamkamal

What can one say of the glory of flowers, the most ephemeral and beautiful of God’s creations? The mere sight of flowers reminds us of the sublime horizons that lie beyond the corporeal, yet exist alongside. What can one then say of the glory of a flower whose very name speaks of its exaltation as the supreme, Brahmakamal? The name Brahmakamal translates as ‘The Lotus of Lord Brahma’. One might have observed in pictorial depictions of Lord Brahma, the Creator of the Cosmos, that he holds a certain kind of lotus in his hand. This flower is said to be Brahma Kamal. Some myths even say that the Creator of the Cosmos was born of Brahma Kamal, hence the name.

In fact, the flower is attributed a lot of spiritual significance in many Hindu Puranic texts. One of the frequent attributes mentioned of Brahma Kamal in Hindu texts is that of its being ‘life giving’. Probably the legend surrounding the birth of Lord Ganesha is the origin of the same. When Lord Shiva let the head of an elephant revive his beheaded son Ganesha, Lord Brahma created this flower so that the magically rejuvenating water held in its petals can be sprinkled upon Ganesha. This restored him back to life, and the flower was praised by devas as ‘Life-giving’.

Blooming of Brahmakamal is a very rare occurrence; it is believed that the rare souls who get to witness this divine sight would have their wishes fulfilled. Brahmakamal blooms at night and stays open only for a few hours.

Some even say that Brahmakamal blooms only once every 14 years.

Religious Importance of Brahmakamal

Brahmakamal grows aplenty in the Himalayan regions like Valley of Flowers, Kedarnath, Tungnath, Satopanth Lake, Srikhand Mahadev etc. These spiritual flowers are offered at shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath. Especially during the festival of Nanda Ashtami which occurs around the months of September and October, Brahma Kamal flowers are offered profusely.