Utpala

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For other uses, see Utpala (disambiguation).
Flower of Nymphaea caerulea
White Tara holding an utpala flower.

Utpala in Sanskrit is a neuter noun with two meanings, both given by Amarakoṣa (a lexicon of circa. 400 AD). The first meaning is Nymphaea caerulea, the "blue lotus", also known as kuvalaya in Sanskrit.[1][2] The second meaning of utpala is a variety of medicinal plant known as 'kooṭh' in Hindi and 'kusṭham, vyādhi, paribhavyam or pāribhavyam, vāpyam, pākalam' according to Amarkośa.[3][4]

In Buddhist art the utpala flower is an attribute of the goddess Tara, who very often holds one in her hand,[5] as other Buddhist and Hindu figures may also do. Later, the utpala becomes specific to the Green Tara form, while the White Tara holds a white lotus flower (probably nymphaea lotus).[6] In Tibet, where none of the tender aquatic plants that may be known as lotus can grow, utpala became a general term for all of them.[7]

Monier-Williams gives the following meanings of utpala: (1) the blossom of the blue lotus nymphaea caerulea (-Mahābhārata, Rāmāyana, Suśruta, Raghuvamsa, Meghdoota, etc.),(2) a seed of Nymphaea caerulea (-Suśruta), (3) the plant Costus speciosus (-Bhagavata Purāna), (4) any water-lily, any flower, (-lexicons) (5) a particular hell (-Buddhist literature), (6) name of a Nāga, (7) names of several persons, including an astronomer, (8) its feminine form utpalā meant a river (-Harivamśa), (9) its feminine form utpalā also meant a kind of cake made of unwinnowed corn (-lexicons);

An unrelated homonym, compounded from ud "apart" + pala "flesh" means 'fleshless, emaciated' (-lexicons) and is the name of a particular hell (-lexicons).


Notes[]

  1. ^ Amarakoṣa 1.10.37
  2. ^ For electronic edition of Amarakoṣa definition see: [1].
  3. ^ Amarakoṣa 2.4.126
  4. ^ For electronic edition of Amarakoṣa definition see: [2].
  5. ^ Donaldson, Thomas Eugene, Iconography of the Buddhist Sculpture of Odisha, p. 356, 2001, Abhinav Publications, ISBN 81-7017-375-2, google books
  6. ^ Getty, Alice, The Gods of Northern Buddhism: Their History and Iconography, p. 120, 1988 (reprint), Dover Pictorial Archive Series, Courier Corporation, ISBN 0486255751, 9780486255750, google books
  7. ^ Beer, Robert, The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols, p. 170, Serindia Publications, Inc., ISBN 1932476032, 9781932476033, google books

References[]

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