Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v2.c4.143

v2.c4.143

Puṣkara is the name in the Rigveda¹ and later² of the blue lotus flower. The Atharvaveda³ mentions its sweet perfume. The lotus grew in lakes, which were thence called puṣkariṇī, ‘lotus-bearing.’⁴ That the flower was early used for personal adornment is shown by an epithet of the Aśvins, ‘lotus-crowned’ (*puṣkara-sraj*).⁵