Offering blessings with the lotus flower

Expressions researched:
""offering blessings with the lotus flower" |"lotus flower is meant for giving benediction and blessings""

Notes from the compiler: Vedabase query : "blessing*" "lotus flower"

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

By bugling with the conchshell and offering blessings with the lotus flower, the Lord always assures the devotees that no one can vanquish them, even in the greatest calamity.

Krsna Book 72: When Lord Kṛṣṇa thus encouraged King Yudhiṣṭhira, the King’s face brightened like a blossoming flower because of transcendental happiness, and thus he ordered his younger brothers to conquer all the worldly kings in all directions. Lord Kṛṣṇa empowered the Pāṇḍavas to execute His great mission of chastising the infidel miscreants of the world and giving protection to His faithful devotees. In His Viṣṇu form, the Lord carries four weapons in His four hands—a lotus flower and a conchshell in two hands, and in the other two hands a club and a disc. The club and disc are meant for the infidel miscreants and demons, and the lotus flower and conchshell are for the devotees. But because the Lord is the Supreme Absolute, the result of all His weapons is one and the same. With the club and the disc He chastises the miscreants so that they may come to their senses and know that they are not all in all, for above them there is the Supreme Lord. And by bugling with the conchshell and offering blessings with the lotus flower, He always assures the devotees that no one can vanquish them, even in the greatest calamity. King Yudhiṣṭhira, being thus assured by the indication of Lord Kṛṣṇa, ordered his youngest brother, Sahadeva, accompanied by soldiers of the Sṛñjaya tribe, to conquer the southern countries. Similarly, he ordered Nakula, accompanied by the soldiers of Matsyadeśa, to conquer the kings of the western side. He sent Arjuna, accompanied by the soldiers of Kekayadeśa, to conquer the kings of the northern side, and he ordered Bhīmasena, accompanied by the soldiers of Madradeśa (Madras), to conquer the kings on the eastern side.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

The lotus flower is the symbol of blessing.

Lecture on SB 1.8.34 -- Los Angeles, April 26, 1973: So Kṛṣṇa came. And you have seen our Kṛṣṇa Book, how much He's engaged in killing the demons. In killing the demons. So Kṛṣṇa says that: "I come down, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya [Bg. 4.8], to kill the demons." So killing business is there. Kṛṣṇa. Although His killing and protecting the same thing. Because He's absolute. But the killing business is there. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has, the Nārāyaṇa has got two hands, club and disc. That is for killing the demons. And two hands, conchshell and lotus flower. That is for the devotees. The devotees are protected. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati [Bg. 9.31]. Kṛṣṇa is bugling with His conchshell that: "My devotees will not be vanquished." And the lotus flower is the symbol of blessing. It is in the hands of Lakṣmījī also sometimes, blessing.

General Lectures

The conchshell and the lotus flower is meant for giving benediction and blessings to the devotees.

Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972: "I appear in every millennium." According to Vedic scripture, Kṛṣṇa appears on this planet in one day of Brahmā. And Brahmā's duration of life is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. It is a very, very long period. His one day, daytime, twelve hours, from morning to evening, is described sahasra-yuga-paryantam arhad yad brahmaṇo viduḥ [Bg. 8.17]. Sahasra-yuga. Yuga, this age. Just like this is, according to Vedic culture, this yuga is called Kali-yuga. So there are four yugas: Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, and Kali-yuga. So the aggregate of all these yugas is about forty three hundred thousands of years. And if you multiply by one thousand, then that becomes Brahmā's one day only, twelve hours. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam arhad yad brahmaṇo viduḥ. So similarly, he has got one night also, and similarly, one day and night, then one month, then one year. In this way he lives for one hundred years. So during this period of daytime, Kṛṣṇa appears once. That we learn from the Vedic literature. So Kṛṣṇa said that what is His mission to come here? Kṛṣṇa is God. He does not require to come here, but He comes to serve some purpose. If God wants to come, nobody can check. Sometimes people question that "Why God should come?" So our answer is, "Why God should not come?" If He is all-powerful, who can check Him to come here? If we say that God cannot come, that means God becomes under our rules and regulation. So according to Vedic scripture, God comes, and He says personally why He comes: yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati [Bg. 4.7]. Whenever there is discrepancy in the prosecution of religious principles, He comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, abhyutthānam adharmasya. And whenever there is discrepancies in religious procedure, irreligious activities increases. That is natural. Whenever there is lenient government, the rogues and thieves will increase. It is natural. And if the government is very strict, then rogues and thieves cannot become very prominent. So when Kṛṣṇa comes, He has got two business: paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām [Bg. 4.8]—for giving protection to the devotees, to the faithful, and for killing the demons. So Kṛṣṇa, when He was present, He exhibited these two things. Perhaps you have seen our picture of Nārāyaṇa, or Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu has got four hands. In two hands He has got lotus flower and conchshell, and in the other two hands He has got a club and a disc. The disc and club is meant for vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, for killing the demons and the miscreants. And the conchshell and the lotus flower is meant for giving benediction and blessings to the devotees.

1974 Correspondence

Laksmi holds in her two hands lotus flower and offers blessings with the other hand.

Letter to: Radhavallabha: — Mayapur 29 September, 1974: Laksmi holds in her two hands lotus flower and offers blessings with the other hand like you see with the murtis of Radha Krsna with palm open and facing forward. I have never seen Laksmi with four hands, so I do not know what she is holding.