Lotus flower: the symbol of the heart in the Vedic teachings

The lotus flower is the symbol for the heart in the Vedic teachings. Lotus’ love for the Sun, which is the source of life and light upon earth and therefore is worshipped as a manifestation of the Supreme Light, is well-attested as the flower opens after sunrise and closes after sunset. Despite being in a pond of muddy water it remains above the filth and hence remains undefiled by it. A heart attached to worldly desires is often compared to a downward facing closed lotus bud, but a heart awakened to universal love and the supreme light of wisdom is compared to an upward-facing fully-blossomed lotus. Every Hindu deity is mostly depicted as seated or standing on a lotus, because one meditates on the Divine as sitting within the heart-lotus, known in Yogic scriptures as Hṛdaya-Puṇḍrīka. Sama Veda (Chandogya Upanishad 8.1.1) states, “Here in this city of Brahman, i.e. in the body, is an abode in the form of a small lotus flower, i.e. the heart. Within it is a tiny little space. What is within that should be sought, for that, indeed, is what one should desire to understand.” Shiva Upadhyaya, a great commentator of an Agama text called “Vijñāna Bhairava”, explains (see commentary on verse 49): “The upward facing petals of the heart-lotus stand for correct understanding and the downward facing petals stand for the objects of our thoughts, i.e. the mind-content. At the center of both lies Pure Consciousness, the entity which comprehends all objects.” It is this inner Pure Consciousness which every mystic aspires to experience and become united with!!! 

The Lotus flower which is used as a symbol for the heart in Vedic mysticism

Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, manifestations of God's power to create, sustain and destroy are depicted standing on a lotus flower because a pious person meditates upon them as abiding within the heart.

Devi Saraswati, Devi Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha seated on lotus flowers which symbolize the heart.

What made India the most prosperous and richest land in the ancient world?

First, to those who think that the Vedic path is only a path of renunciation, voluntary poverty and hardships in life I would like to say the following: this is only true in the case of a chosen few who, despite being very rich, like the Buddha, have concluded that true everlasting happiness is not to be found through material wealth, and therefore now desire complete emancipation from the darkness of ignorance and want to find inner peace, inner prosperity and complete stillness of mind. 

For other common people, the Vedic path is a path to cultivate righteousness through which they learn how to properly earn material wealth and then fulfil their human desires, both without inflicting any kind of harm and suffering over the wider society. For them it shows the path of the 3 Purusharthas (common goals of humanity): the cultivation of dharma (righteousness), artha (accumulation of material wealth) and kama (proper fulfilment of human desires, including the sexual ones). The Vedic Rishis dedicated a considerable amount of effort to understand the depth and subtle nuances of these Purusharthas. 

The noble sage Shankaracharya provides the following interesting reason to why a person should work hard to achieve greatness or high position in life: “With high position material wealth bows down in front of him. With material wealth comes money which he can use for noble actions (such as the worship of light and acts of social charity). With this he achieves either the path of the forefathers or the path of the radiant beings.” (see commentary on Sama Veda Chandogya Upanishad 5.2.4) The path of the forefathers (pitṛ-yāṇa) unfolds through the worship of light (yajña), study of the noble Vedic teachings (adhyayana), charity (dāna) and austerity (tapas). This is the path of the religious. The path of the radiant/enlightened beings (deva-yāna) unfolds through truthfulness (satya), forgiveness (kṣamā), self-control (dama) and renunciation of greed (alobha). This is indeed the path of the mystic to which the path of the religious is merely preparatory. (see Mahabharata 3.2.75,76,77) 

However, wealth and material prosperity are essential tools to achieve this and, therefore, there is no sense of denial for wealth on the Vedic path. On the contrary, collective wealth and prosperity, if accumulated with such noble goals in mind, is worshipped as Devi Lakshmi or Shri, the goddess of wealth and the consort of Lord Vishnu, God’s power of universal sustenance. This was the philosophy and ethics which made India the richest and the most prosperous nation in the ancient world. Pics: Devi Lakshmi, the Vedic Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity, in Her various forms.