Every morning, my mother’s balcony is covered with these delicate flowers – tiny, whorled white petals, a bright orange stalk, and an intoxicating fragrance that is nothing short of divine. The Parijat – blooming ethereal at night, and with sunrise, carpeting its surroundings with its beautiful flowers. A handful of the fragrant flowers hold the power to transcend time – and take me back to holidays spent with my grandparents in Sangli. The magnificent tree in their garden, laden with blooms by dinner, and in the early morning, gathering the flowers from the dew-soaked ground. The cool mornings, the fragrance in the air, and fingers tinged yellow from the stalks – a perfect way to start the day!

The Parijat tree has an important place in Hindu mythology – again, that common thread with childhood memories – my Ajji weaving these fascinating tales, part bedtime story, part passing a cultural baton. I was too young to understand the significance then, all my attention focused on the stories – but as an adult, I can fully appreciate this treasure trove of mythology and history that my Ajji opened to me. Coming back to the Parijat, there are two stories that stand out in my memory.

Starting in the style of Manasi’s favorite fairy tale – in a faraway land, long, long ago, lived a princess called Prajakta. She fell madly in love with Surya Dev (Sun God), and even though her parents and friends tried to dissuade her, she persisted in her devotion. Surya Dev was charmed by this princess’ persistent love, and agreed to descend to the Earth and live as her consort. But as is the way of Gods, Surya Dev was soon longing to return to Heaven – besides as the summer months drew near, Surya Dev’s intensity became unbearable to the people of Earth. So the inevitable – Surya Dev departs, and Prajakta follows him – only to be incinerated by his fiery presence. Pleased with her devotion, the Gods rewarded Prajakta with a second birth – and she was reborn from her ashes as the Parijat (a.k.a Prajakta). Parijat – bearing white flowers to signify her purity, with bright orange hearts to signify Surya Dev in her heart for all eternity. Even in this form, Prajakta cannot bear Surya Dev’s intensity, and the tree blooms only at night, its fragrant blossoms falling to the ground with the first rays of the sun. Sigh!! What an amazing love story!

The second story begins with the Samudramanthan – the iconic churning of the ocean – and the heavenly Parijat tree was one of the gems that were brought up. It is also considered to be a Kalpavriksha – a wish granting tree. Indra, King of the Gods, planted this tree in his garden.  Many years later, Sage Narada brought a handful of the fragrant flowers to Krishna’s first wife, Rukmini. Satyabhama, Krishna’s second wife, was consumed with jealousy and petulantly demanded that Krishna bring her the whole tree. Krishna could never refuse Satyabhama anything, and he set off to Indra’s city to bring the Parijat to Earth. After a fierce battle with Indra and the rest of the Gods, Krishna succeeded in bringing back a branch of the Parijat to plant in Satyabhama’s garden. The irony – the flowers all fell in Rukmini’s garden. There’s a lesson to be learnt in everything that Krishna does – Satyabhama demanded the tree, and that’s all she got. Rukmini trusted Krishna implicitly, and was showered with the flowers. The second lesson is that the Parijat is a divine gift and it cannot be owned – neither by Indra, nor by Satyabhama. Its bounty is for everyone to share in!! The Parijat teaches us humility and selfless giving – and for this reason, it is the only flower picked up from the ground that can be offered to God.

My Ajji‘s memories remain as fragrant as the Parijat – this is my small offering to her, an acknowledgment of her strength and giving spirit. May the fragrance of the Parijat live on for an eternity and more!