Significance of Kṛṣṇa Kamala

Krishna Kamala (Passion Flower)

This is the flower seen at the end of every episode of Mahabharata Matters.  

It was the first bloom of the plant at our home.  Incidentally, it had bloomed just before the recordings for Mahabharata Matters started!   

Its delicate fragrance is delightful and incomparable!  This variety stays open for 24 hrs and starts closing up after that.  Some others keep their blooms for a few days and become Passion Fruits as well. 

Amazing Mother Nature! 🙏

Significance: 

This flower is said to represent many different aspects of the Mahābhārata.

• The 100 purple filaments - Kauravas (Apparently, the filaments are precisely 100 in number!)
• The 5 inner yellow petals - Pāṇḍavas
• The single ovary - Draupadī
• The 3 green stamens - the Trimurtis (Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara)
• The pattern in the center - Kṛṣṇa's Sudarśna Chakra
• The 10 outer petals of alternating color, encompassing everything - 5 karmendriyas and 5  jñānendriyas 

These are the characters from the largest epic called the Mahābhārata.  It comprises 100,000 verses. Though ancient, the values learned are VERY relevant even in this day and era!  

This flower is a beautiful reminder that the Mahābhārata is not something outside, but that all the characters are encompassed within the sheaths of our very own 10 sense organs - look so beautiful, yet transient!! 🙏

Blooming Video:

Check out this video of Krishna Kamala Blooming on a very auspicious occasion! 

This Krishna Kamala bud was ready to bloom on the very first day (Dec 11, 2023) of the Sampoorna Geetā Yajna Chanting @ Chinmaya Vrindavan Ashram. 

Not wanting to miss seeing it bloom, I'd taken the plant in the pot to our ashram. 

Swamiji said, "You brought the whole plant like Hanumān!" 😃

It began opening at the beginning of Geetā dhyānam and bloomed fully when we ended with Chapter 6! 

Shrī Krishṇārpaṇamastu 🪷🙏😊

A few more blooms: