One of the items for worshipping Lord Krishna is flowers. By offering flowers at the time of puja (pooja) the Lord becomes pleased with the devotee, and the devotee becomes happy at seeing the Lord’s form decorated. Although at this time of year in England flowers can be thin on the ground, and although it is true that I am no gardener, still there seems to be just enough to offer some kind of flowers each day.
Looking back through the entire year I can only be satisfied at the plentiful gifts that nature has provided. From Spring right through Summer to late Autumn there’s a variety of flowers in England in a wide range of colours and shapes.
For my own personal puja I use flowers for four different purposes. The first is petals for offering to the divine feet (esha pushpanjali); second is flat or trumpet-shaped flowers for sitting places (idam asanam); third is smaller flowers for decoration (idam alankaram); and fourth is flowers for offering as part of the arati ceremony (idam pushpam).
When I was in India I would buy pink lotus and small, white jasmine flowers: beatiful form and stunning fragrance. Here in England the flowers are of different forms and fragrances but beautiful nonetheless. Lord Krishna accepts them with delight as long as we offer them with love (Bhagavad gita 9.26) Here are just some of my English puja flowers:
Potentilla. Very abundant and long-flowering. Good alankara or decoration.
Buddleia, named after Reverend Buddle. Short flowering but very fragrant
The all-charitable, ever-abundant Marigold
Petunia, very good for asanas or sitting places
Fuschias or ‘Lady’s Ear Drops.’
Orange Ball Buddleia. Extremely short flowering period but great while it lasts!
Valerian. She reminds me of my childhood in Cornwall. Please don’t call her a weed.
Cherry Blossom. Along with the crocus and daffodil, the first flower to come after the cold weather.
Busy Lizzy. Colourful and abundant, easy to grow.
Winter Hebe growing right now. A splash of colour in the cold months
Snap Dragons. No English garden should be without them
Lobelia: Vey small, delicate flowers for decorating Krishna
Srila Prabhupada’s favourite, and so very fragrant. English, too!
In the depths of winter, these Snowberries can still be offered to Krishna.
5 Comments
November 14, 2009 at 11:06 am
Thank you so much for this overview on offerable flowers. I am very happy to have a large garden, and feel now inspired by your article to add some flowers you mentioned to please Lord Jagannatha residing in my house. Also I feel very fortunate having roses in bloom throughout the year, even in winter. Krishna is so merciful.
November 16, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Beautiful flowers and beautiful pix.Thanks for showing us English flowers.
Pranams
November 19, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Don’t forget Lavender! I believe it was also one of Srila Prabhupada’s favourites. Only Krishna could have dreamt up such a fascinating scent!
November 19, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Hare Krishna.
I suppose it is inevitable that i respond to this subject as i spent 10 years at Chaitanya College and then Bhaktivedanta Manor producing flowers for all aspects of Deity worship and more.
By the time i was at the Manor we were producing flowers all year round and there are an abundant species of flowers not mentioned.
Those devotees who may remember the 1980s at the Manor may remember the overwhelming opulence of flowers.We planted well over 1000 rose bushes ,which have all disappeared,including lovely small roses for the small Deities.Each year i would be involved in a meeting with the Head Pujari and arrange flowers of the right colour and time for specific festivals and colours.
We also produced an abundance of flowers for festivals,Ratha Yatras and visiting devotees needs.Each year on Janmashtami we would pick huge amounts of garland flowers and have a steady stream of devotees turn up at my house and make garlands all day and night for Srila Prabhupadas Vyasa-Puja.I made one of the most amazing garlands from cornflowers in three clours that had been plaited together and was over 2metres long.And i put it around Srila Prabhupadas neck for His Vyasa Puja.Also we started a tradition of offering over 1000 flowers every Sunday.
The stories i remember just concerning flowers are amazing and i relish them all.The Manors garden looked stunning in those years and we had well over 50 hanging baskets,5@14×60ft Tunnels,2@14×120ft and 2@18×120ft Tunnels full of just flowers.
Just the rose garden alone was magnificent and i personally chose every single bush,clour co-ordinated the planting into formal gardens,and replaced poor plants until one year in 1987 we had a poor spring until early june when the weather became glorious and the rose garden was un believable,nearly embarassingly abundant and heady with aroma.Those were the days my friend.
In Winter we planted Hyacinths and Bulbs in September ready for Christmas flowering through til the Spring.In one field that we called Vrindavana field we had ,Dahlias,Gladiolii and Chrysanths ,it was just a festival of colour and fragrance all year round,i loved those days at the Manor.
We planted 1000s of bulbs,tubers,corms and loads of trees,acers especially and some figs,apples and greengagers, mostly all disappeared .
The Vegetables is another story.
But i would support anyone wanting to grow produce for their Deities and families,it is the most satisfying service to do.There is an unlimited amount to learn and you never know it all.Hope thats not to long Kripamoya.
your servant dusyanta dasa.
PS always available for tips.
November 21, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Hyacinths are my fave English flower, together with English roses…mmm!