The Significance of Offering Pooja Flowers to Deities in Hinduism

India is a land of many things, and spirituality tops the list. Aligning themselves with the ethos of a god, Indians believe they can attain mukti or salvation. One of the paths to salvation, as said by the ancient scriptures, is by offering your sincere prayers to your favorite deity.

So how do you pray to the almighty? 

Do you make it a point to spend time, pray, and offer fresh flowers to god daily? 

Once you offer the flowers, do you not feel like your wishes were conveyed to god, and they will be fulfilled sooner? That is the power of flowers in puja. 

Read on to know more about why you feel more satisfied with your pooja after offering the flowers to god. If you are not among those who use flowers for pooja, allow us to transport you into the fragrant and colorful world of using flowers for pujas.

Importance of Flowers in Puja

Learned people often say puja is an acronym derived from two words – “pu”shpam and “ja”pa, meaning flower and meditation. The two words form the essence of praying god wholeheartedly while highlighting the importance of flowers.

Flowers have become part and parcel of pooja activities since time immemorial. Their significance is cross-dimensional.

Spiritual Significance

ahimsaa prathama pushpam pushpamindriya nigraha |

dayakshmagyanapushpam panchapushpam tatahapara ||

Meaning: Ahimsa, control over your five senses, kindness, forgiveness, and knowledge are the five flowers that must be offered to god daily while offering prayers. Since the five flowers mentioned above are not materialistic, we present real flowers during the prayers as a symbolic representation and a custom passed through the generations.

While lord Agni is assigned to transport the sacrifices offered in the havans to the gods, the flowers carry your mind’s voice and wish to the gods. Here is how the flowers do their given job.

The learned also say that gods send their blessings to us through the stalk of the flower. The blessings are amplified and then spread out like a blooming Lotus from its petals, thus showering the blessings to the entire family or the crowd praying during the pooja.

While we pray to god, the petals act as receptors and receive our messages. These messages are then condensed to convey a single-minded wish to god through the stalk. Hence it is not inappropriate if we say that flowers are a naturally occurring two-way communication channel.

Hence Pooja is considered incomplete without the flowers.

Scientific Significance

Flowers are natural sources of fragrances with each having a distinct aroma. When we offer flowers to god, it is said that the stalk should face god and the petals towards us. This ensures the fragrance of the flowers envelops us, exposing us to natural aromatherapy. 

Aromatherapy as known can calm our senses and make us more receptive to the positive energy and vibrations developed during praying. This in turn can improve our cognitive abilities, and a calm mind is a definite plus for social skills. 

Different colors of flowers can act as stimulators to help us achieve our goals in life. Red is a go-getter while green helps us chart the road map effectively. 

The ancient seers were wise to assign each day of the week with a different God, different flowers, and different ways of praying. The process activates distinct energy centers in our body, thereby helping us create a balanced life.

Socio-Economic Importance

In an agrarian-based economy like India, horticulture is part of its multi-dimensional economy. Flowers find their place in beautifying celebrations like weddings. If we set these celebrations aside, the spiritual industry uses most flowers daily. Using flowers for daily pooja at home or at temples boosts the morale of farmers besides their income.

Flowers associated with Deities

Understanding the essence of offering different flowers to deities plays a vital role in helping us lead a balanced life. Without any more delays, let’s dive into the details.

1. If you are looking to welcome good fortune and abundance in your life, then worshipping goddess Lakshmi with a lotus flower on Friday is your best bet.
2. To please lord Ganesha and get his blessings to improve your knowledge, pray to him with a red hibiscus flower.
3. The favorite color of Mata Saraswati, goddess of art and knowledge is yellow. Hence worship her with Champa or yellow palash. Sunflowers and yellow roses are other alternatives that are offered to Mata Saraswati.
4. Goddess Durga Devi is also worshipped with a red hibiscus flower. Dark red roses and crimson Glory are the other red flowers used to worship this glorious form of Aadishakti.
5. Devotees usually worship lord Shiva using Patra or the bel leaves. One can also find people offering datura, Kush, and kanir flowers to one of the three prominent almighty of the Hindu religion.
6. Chameli, Rui, and Madaar are offered to lord Bajrangbali on Saturdays to seek his blessings.
7. Lord Vishnu, the universe’s protector, accepts almost any flowers or leaves his devotees with utmost devotion. But puranas mention he loves lotus, champa, chameli, ashoka, kadam, and vyjayanti flowers along with Tulsi leaves. So be sure to take these flowers along when visiting lord Vishnu.
8. Lord Krishna, the eighth Avatar of lord Vishnu, loves being worshipped with parijatha and tulsi leaves. Then again, he says his favorite flower is the one that is offered to him but with utmost devotion.
9. Marigold flowers are usually used to worship the goddess Gayatri and lord Hayagreeva. 
10. Worshipping lord Ram with the jasmine and red hibiscus on Sundays is believed to please him, and in turn, he will help you tread the righteous path.

We hope this attempt to unravel the mysteries of using flowers to worship god was a successful one. Let us know your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below. 

Pooja and Pujari specialize in providing fresh flowers to worship your deities. Go to our home page to avail of our services and see more details on the same.