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!!!
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| The Lotus flower which is used as a symbol for the heart in Vedic mysticism |
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| 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. |
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| Devi Saraswati, Devi Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha seated on lotus flowers which symbolize the heart. |
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