Devotees of Lord Shiva who wish to receive his blessings offer various things to him. These items include Bilva Patra, milk, ghee, water, and others. However, there are also things that one should not offer the deity, as they may displease him. One such item is the Ketaki flower. According to mythology, Shiva had cursed the Ketaki flower. There is an interesting story behind it.
The tree that bears the Ketaki flower is also called the "umbrella tree." Though the flower has many benefits, people don’t offer it to Shiva. Many flowers are used on auspicious occasions like worship, wedding ceremonies, and social and cultural gatherings. So, it is surprising that the Ketaki flower incurred the curse of Shiva.
Shiva cursed the flower because it bore false witness on one occasion. It uttered a lie on behalf of Lord Brahma so that he could win a contest against Lord Vishnu and incurred Shiva’s wrath.
Ketaki Flower and Shiva’s Curse
As per the Shiva Purana, there was a fight between Brahma and Vishnu regarding supremacy. To resolve it, Shiva appeared before them as a massive Jyotirlinga. Shiva declared that the one who could find the beginning or end of the Jyotirlinga would be deemed the Supreme god.
Vishnu turned into a boar and dived into the earth, while Brahma turned into a swan and flew up to locate the Jyotirlinga's beginning. As Brahmaji was ascending, he saw a Ketaki flower falling down. He convinced the Ketaki flower to lie on his behalf and say that he had located the beginning of the Jyotirlinga. Brahma then told Shiva that he had found the source of the Jyotirlinga. The Ketaki flower corroborated what he said.
Meanwhile, Vishnu informed Mahadev that he could not find the end of the Jyotirlinga. As Shiva knew the truth, he was angry that Brahma and the Ketaki flower had lied to him. He cursed the flower, saying that people would never use it in his worship again. As for Brahma, he declared that people would not worship him and there would be no temples for him.
Shiva also declared that he was the beginning and the end, the universe's creator, cause, and master. Vishnu and Brahma came from him. The Jyotirlinga was a manifestation of Shiva himself. Brahma realized his mistake. Both he and Vishnu then worshiped the Jyotirlinga. However, since that day, the Ketaki flower has not been used in Shiva worship.
More about the Ketaki Flower
‘Ketaki’ in Sanskrit means "dhuli pushpika." "Kewda" is its Hindi name. Its scientific name is "Pandanus odoratissimus." It is also called an umbrella tree or screw pine in English. Ketaki is a shrub that has many branches. One can find it along the coastlines of India and the Andaman Islands.
The tree is a good soil consolidator. The leaves are pointed, ensiform, and are glacier green in color. Spines cover the midriffs and margins of the leaves. On certain plants, both the male and female ketaki flowers are present. Male plants were called "ketaki-viphala" or "dhuli pushpika" by the ancient Hindus. "Sawarana ketaki" was the term for the female plants. When male and female plants occur together, they are called "ketaki dvayan" (a pair of ketaki).
The spadices of male flowers are 25 to 50 cm long and covered in several spikes. The male flowers are white-colored and fragrant. Female flowers have just one 5-cm-diameter spadix. The fruit has many prism-like structures and can be around 20 cm long. The fruit resembles a pineapple. As the fruit matures, its color changes from green to yellow to bright orange or red.
The fragrance released by the spikes that envelop the flowers renders male fluorescence valuable. One can extract attar from them. The flowers are also used to adorn the hair. The plant is mostly used for commercial purposes in the Ganjam district of Orissa, especially Kollapali, Meghra, and Agrraran. The flowers yield "Kweda attar, kewra water," and "kewda oil."
"Kewda attar" is a very popular fragrance. It leaves a good fragrance on clothes, in bouquets, lotions, soaps, cosmetics, hair, tobacco, oils, and agarbati. It also mixes well with most high-end perfumes. Kewda water is often used to flavor soft drinks, sweet syrups, and other foods. In North India, people use Ketaki water during festivals, marriages, and other social gatherings.
Ketaki leaves are quite tender. One can eat them cooked or raw. Some have them with sauces. In the Philippines, people cook the leaves with rice to infuse it with the leaves' fresh scent. Ice cream is also flavored with its leaves. Dried leaves are used to cover the huts. People also use them to make baskets, hats, and matting. The leaves of Ketaki make a good raw material for making paper. Some use the trimmed and pounded leaves to make paintbrushes and whitewashing brushes.
Benefits of Ketaki Flower
Despite the curse of Shiva, people use the Ketaki flower in daily life as it has many benefits.
∙ Ketaki can restore health, vigor, and well-being. Hence, people who live in tropical climates use it to boost well-being.
∙ Ayurveda uses the essential oil of the flower as a liniment for rheumatism and to cure headaches and earaches.
∙ Kewda extracts help treat colic, leprosy, syphilis, hepatitis, smallpox, ulcers, boils, scabies, wounds, leucoderma, scabies, and spasms. People use them as a preservative in rice-based products.
∙ Kewda has anti-allergic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet, and anti-cancer properties.
∙ Ketaki helps in conditions like psychological disorders, fever, joint pain, earaches, diabetes, and abortion symptoms. It is one of the most widely used medicinal plants.
∙ The juice of the flower is good for rheumatoid arthritis. Kewda oil alleviates symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and is an antispasmodic and stimulant.
∙ The root juice is good for wounds, ulcers, fever, diabetes, sterility, and spontaneous abortions.
∙ Kewda leaves are good for scabies, leprosy, and heart and brain disorders.
Kewda fruit is full of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, proteins, and amino acids. The outer layer of the fruit has water and carbohydrates. The fruit paste has calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin C, thiamin, beta-carotene, and protein. The fruit is rich in vitamins B and C. Almost every part of the tree is useful.
Conclusion
The myth behind the Ketaki flower underscores the importance of being honest. Though Shiva cursed it, the flower has many benefits and hence is widely used by people.
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