We see millions of  dazzling flowers in our life. We recognise them by their colour, their fragrance and their appearance. But do we know the deep meaning behind them? Do we know what exactly  the flower symbolises..?  

• Hindu Mythology

Mythologies make us   see the world from a different perspective. From a different point of view. A rather interesting one . Mythologies make us see a simple flying bird from a different frame of reference. Similarly, in the Hindu mythology many flowers and many objects which we see in our daily lives have a greater meaning to it. One of them is  the Parijata flower.

• The Story

Once upon a time, there lived a princess named Parijaat. She was exquisitely beautiful and delicate. It is believed that she saw the Sun God( Surya Dev) riding in his chariot from east to west and immediately fell in love with him. Many warned her that the relationship of a God and a materialistic person is not possible, but she was blinded and completely devoted to the Sun God. Even the Sun God was swayed by her devotion and had to descend on the earth to stay with Parijaat for a while. Soon, the summer season arrived. With time, the Sun God’ s energy intensified due to staying on earth and yearned to go back to the heaven. When he stood up in his chariot, to return to heaven, Parijaat tried to follow him. The Sun God’s energy was excessive to its most at that time, and Parijaat being a human, burned due to such a force of energy. The Sun God stood helpless and asked help from the other gods. The Gods, seeing the love of Surya and Parijaat, gave princess Parijaat another life. Hence, she embodiments as a tree of Parijata 

In her next life. The Parijata flower was of the purest shade of white,with the bright orange delicate stem like structure. The Parijata flower embellished the love of Parijaat and Surya. But even as a plant,it was affected by the Sunrays. It cannot even stand the first stroke of  the Sun and therefore sheds, symbolising the story of Princess Parijaat and Surya. The shedding releases a heavenly scent of the flowers. It has the sweetest scent, because it was believed to be kissed by the Sun God  himself. 

 By Rajatkanti Bera from Shutterstock

Parijata became one of the purest flowers.One of the five divine flowers in heaven. Later, during the time of Samudra Manthana,the gods found a Parijata flower, deep in the milk ocean. Indra declared to have it for himself in his own empire, the gods finally agreed after a lot of thinking. According to them, if Indra did not get the flower, either he would bring droughts in every land or flood every region heavily. Indra’s wife Indrani(Sachi) cherished the flower like her own child with love and affection. 

After many years, Narada once visited Krsna and offered him a Parijata flower. He wanted to see who would Krsna give the flower , amongst his wives. Krsna gave the Parijata flower to his first wife, Rukmini. Narada immediately goes to Satyabhama, the second wife of Krsna with a grieved face. Upon Satyabhama asking what the problem was, Narada said about the Parijata flower. Now, Satyabhama ,being a human became furious with jealousy. When Krsna arrived and asked the reason about her anger, she demanded Krsna to give her not the flower but the whole tree of Parijata. 

Hence, Lord Krsna set out to the empire of Indra, who was believed to be residing in Amravati. As Lord Krsna worked to root up the tree,the king of Gods, Indra arrived at the place. In some scriptures, it is said that , Indra being intoxicated, challenged Krsna for a combat and was defeated in the most humiliating way,whereas in some scriptures, Indra, understanding that it was Lord Krsna who came to take the tree, allowed him to take the the Parijata. In this way, the Parijata flower descends to the earth. Hence,it is still believed to be the flower which incarnated from heaven.

Not only this, but Parijata leaves also have many medicinal properties!  According to indiagardening.com, the Parijata leaves have the properties like,

1. The leaves having an anti aging property and is often used by people
2.  Helps in the curing of fever, with being anti- malarial.
3.  Usually considered beneficial for dry cough.
4. The leaves are meant to be good for diseases like Arthritis.
5. It is also a natural laxative

Source: Pinterest

Parijata leaves have so many more medicinal properties in the branch of Ayurveda.The flowers? Well, as the flowers taste a bit bitter, it is used for ophthalmic disease. It is also said to be very useful for constipation in children. And also for the various treatments like snakebites, antidotes, etc.

Many flowers have deep and  philosophical meaning behind them. Which is why mythologies are read.  So that we know we should not repeat what happened in the Deut Sabha in Mahabharata. And what happens in the Trojan War. 

Fact: Parijata flower is the only flower which can still be offered to the gods after falling to the ground.