Udumbara (Buddhism)

For the Thai king, see Uthumphon.
Ficus racemosa fruit

In Buddhism, udumbara (Pali, Sanskrit; lit. 'auspicious flower from heaven') refers to the tree, flower and fruit of the Ficus racemosa (syn. Ficus glomerata).[1][2][3] In Buddhist literature, this tree or its fruit may carry the connotation of rarity and parasitism. It is also mentioned in Vedic texts as the source of wood for rituals and amulets.

The uḍumbara is also used to refer to the flower of the blue lotus (Nymphaea caerulea Sav.).

  1. ^ McCullough, Helen Craig; Murasaki Shikibu (1994). Genji and Heike: Selections from The Tale of Genji and The Tale of the Heike. Stanford University Press. pp. 94. ISBN 0-8047-2258-7.
  2. ^ Rhys Davids, Thomas & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5), The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary (Chipstead: Pali Text Society), p. 135, 19 Nov 2008 from "U. Chicago" at Uḍumbara
  3. ^ Monier-Williams, Monier (1899, 1964). A Sanskrit-English Dictionary (London: Oxford University Press), pp. 175, 186. Retrieved 19 Nov 2008 from "Cologne University" at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/MWScanpdf/mw0175-ujjha.pdf and http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/MWScanpdf/mw0186-udaya.pdf.