Om puskaraksaya namaha, Salutations to the Sun who has eyes like the blue lotus.
etymology searches
aks San. m. to reach, pervade, penetrate, increase
aksa, -am, -as San. m. soul, religious knowledge, person born blind.
aksa San. sense organ
aksara San. m., n. imperishible, indestructible, un-alterable, not decaying, supreme soul, individual soul.
pushkar Hin. m. pushkara San. n. the blue lotus flower; water
pushkaraksha (pushkara+aksha) San. adj. lotus-eyed M. epithet of Vishnu. (V.556)
Many of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses are said to be “lotus-eyed” which indicates several aspects of divinity. Divinity is all-seeing, all-knowing, all-present in all times and all places – everywhere in the past, present and future. Common words to describe these attributes of divinity are omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (all-present) and omnipotent (all-powerful). There is another term, omnifelicity, which means all-loving. The Divine is All-Loving without distinction for caste, status, gunas, behaviour and action.
There is another aspect to eyes and divinity. The eyes of the Divine, the drishti of the deva contain atma satta, the outgoing penetrating vision which sees itself in its drishti, iti drishti iti is the strophe. The other strophe is netra is shashtra, what the eyes see is sacred scripture. Wherever the Divine looks, all it sees is itself, for there is no duality, only the atma.
The lotus has long been regarded as sacred by many of the world’s religions, especially in India and Egypt, where it is held to be a symbol of the Universe itself. Rooted in the mud, the lotus rises to blossom clean and bright, symbolizing purity and resurrection. The leaves and flowers are borne high above the water. It is often compared to the enlightened being who emerges undefiled from the chaos and confusion of the world.
In India, the Hindus hold the lotus seed to be especially sacred because the seed contains perfectly formed leaves, providing a complete template for the adult plant. This is believed to be Divine form passing from the abstract into tangible reality. The eight-petaled lotus used in Buddhist mandalas speaks to cosmic harmony.
The thousand-petaled lotus represents spiritual illumination.
The Blue Lotus in Buddhism is the symbol of the victory of the spirit over the senses, of intelligence and wisdom, of knowledge. It is generally represented as a partially opened bud, whose center is unseen, the embodiment of the “perfection of wisdom”. The Blue Lotus of the Nile was the most sacred of plants, prized above all others. The plant was associated with the sun god Ra as the bringer of light.
When Lord Krishna goes as the messenger of the Pandavas to the court of Duryodhana, He stays in the house of Vidura. Duryodhana is inimically disposed towards the Pandavas, on whose behalf Krishna has come, and yet even he addresses Krishna as ‘Pundareekaksha,’ meaning lotus-eyed One.
The Lord is One whose beauty is immense. Dasaratha addresses Rama as ‘Rajivalochana,’ which again means the One with lotus-like eyes. Valmiki describes Rama as being more beautiful than the Moon. The Lord’s glances of mercy confer innumerable blessings on the one so blessed to be seen by Him.
Those who listen to His greatness being described become jnanis. When Prahlada was in his mother’s womb, Narada spoke to her about the greatness of Narayana, and as a result of this, Prahlada had unshakeable faith in the Lord even when he was a child. The Lord’s eyes are like the Sun, in its blazing intensity and scorching heat, when it comes to looking at the enemies of His devotees. But when it comes to looking at His devotees, His eyes are like the Moon, with their cool and pleasing glances.
Maha Vishnu aloft on the celestial Garuda; Maha Vishnu is referred to as the Lotus Eyed One.
Download 108 Names of Surya, the Sun
