Flowers from Azwar Pasuram(s)

Lotus is a common flower in the poems (pasuram) of all the Azwar saints of India,
comparing Lord's eyes, his fore-hand etc with its petals or its color !ut our !ig Azwar or
"ri #ishnu $hitha, who had a great interest in flower-gardening, has enumerated a list of
flowers and fragrant lea%es &ut of de%otion he had sung a group of '( poems in%iting
)a)y *rishna to wear these flowers in his hair, which are collecti%ely called as
Poochoodal Pasurams in +hamizh ,ach of these flowers - lea%es mentioned here ha%e
uni.ue (from mild to strong) fragrance(s) and medicinal properties /ow let's see what
flowers ha%e )een listed in his songs0
1. Senpakam - Champaka - Michelia champaca
Large tree with seeds

2. Mallikai - Mallika - Jasminum sambac
Perennial creeoer and can be grown from cuttings.
3. Damanaham - Davana - Artemisia Pallens
Annual shrub, which can be grown from seeds.

4. Paadhiri - Patala - Stereospermum tetragonum
!ig tree with seeds
5. Punnai - Punnaga - Calophyllum inophyllum
Tree and can be grown from seeds.
6. Kurukkathi - Madhavi - iptage benghalensis
1oody clim)er with seeds
!. Sega"huneer # $e% &ater 'ily #(ymphaea nouchali
Perennial water plant with seeds

). Karumuhai - Mano $an*itham # Artabotrys uncinatus
+. Woody climber, and is a perennial. Can be grown from seeds.

1,. Irvachi - A specialized variety of asmine
As the name suggests it rules the night with it's fragrance
(irul 2 dar3ness, atchi 2 ruling in +hamizh) $reeper li3e 4asmine and can )e propagated
%egetati%ely


11. Maruhu - Marvaka - -riganum ma*orana
12. +his called as "weet mar4oram in ,nglish #ery easy to grow from seeds -
cuttings

13. !Kadir" Pachai - Patchpan - Pogostemon patchouli .optional/
,5tremely uni.ue fragrant shru) with seeds

#ote$ 6 flowers and two lea%es ma3e complete sense I had added Pachai to this list
assuming that Azwar wanted to include Pachai with 7a%ana 8aruhu, 7a%ana and the 6
flowers ma3e a total of '( e.uating the num)er of flowers-lea%es to the num)er of
poems in this group of pasurams
7a%ana or +hanamaham gets mentioned twice here )y Azwar /eedless to say the
)eautiful aroma of this plant had moti%ated Azwar to tal3 a)out this plant twice in his '(
%erses First he com)ines this 7a%ana with 8aruhu and ma3es a garland (Maru0um
1hanahamum SeerMalai manam 2ama"2inra) and descri)es "ri *rishna as the one,
who has his hair smelling with the sweet aroma of that garland "ince Azwar himself
lo%es gardening he is %ery creati%e in selecting the )est com)ination of fragrant flowers
for his "weet Lord
/e5t time 7a%ana is mentioned along with Pachai (Pogostemon patchouli), which is
called as *adir Pachai in +hamizh, which I ha%e heard to ha%e a %ery distinct fragrance
and Padiri flowers (Patali pushpam) Azwar )eautifully mentions (Pachai
1hamnahatho%u Pathiri Poo Choo%a 3arai) and he com)ines another her) with a
uni.ue fragrance (*adir Pachai) with 7a%ana and padiri flowers
#ote$ Pachai could also )e interpreted as the color green, which would ma3e it sound
that Azwar is descri)ing it as - 9reen 7a%ana !ut 7a%ana is ash-colored and I made the
assumption that Pachai really meant *adir Pachai and not the green 7a%ana As
mentioned earlier this may )e optional in this group of '( %erses )ut considering the
great fragrance of this plant it is worth gi%ing it the status of )eing included in this list
*arumuhai flowers mentioned in Azwar's pasuram is currently 3nown in +hamizh )y its
"ans3rit name - 8anoran4itham "engazhuneer is mentioned as water flower )y Azwar,
which means it is the red water lily (which )looms in the day) :e mentions it
as 41helliya (eeril 5"hun%a Senga"huneer Soo%a 3aarai; - which means he in%ites
his "weet Lord to wear the <ed Lily flowers, which had )lossomed and had, arose from
clear water As there is another flower, with the same name, which is called as !hu
$hampa3a in "ans3rit Azwar's description of this flower as water flower really helps us
to a%oid any confusions
In addition to inculcating the di%ine de%otion, Azwar had done a mar%elous 4o) of
preser%ing the tradition of those flowers used in garlands for the Lord Although most of
them are still used and a%aila)le not all of them ha%e )een commercialized For e5ample
we can ne%er find *uru33athi poo in the mar3et 8anoran4itham is usually grown at
homes (although in some mar3ets they sell these flowers) 4asmine, lotus etc are readily
a%aila)le in the mar3ets
"o, de%otion is %ery closely associated with gardening too, where we grow those plants,
which would )ear fragrant flowers with great care and offer their flowers to "weet Lord
+he pleasure one attains )y do that is end-less