Nargis, Narcissus from the Daffodil family blooming in January on my rooftop garden in Lucknow,India

Nargis or Narcissus, from the Daffodil family in my rooftop garden in India

This is the best thing that happened to me at the very onset of the new year :-)

As a school kid, I learnt the poem, ‘Daffodils’ by William Wordsworth, and longed to see ‘A host of golden daffodils…’ After a couple of decades, I see them, the fragrant Nargis flowers! It took practically no effort to grow them. Bought the imported bulbs from a nursery and lined the pot with cowdung manure, sand, light soil and plenty of Agnihotra ash. In a few weeks, the flowers are here.

What is Agnihotra?

Agnihotra is a Vedic fire ceremony where two offerings are made to fire lit in an upside down pyramid shaped copper container, the Hawan kund. The ceremony is observed twice a day, at sunrise and sunset, to the accompaniment of ancient Vedic mantras for the welfare of the universe. It is a prayer for growth and life-supporting.

Nargis

The flowers’ fragrance reminds of jasmine. It is a delight to see them blooming, four to six flowers on a single stalk. The temperature is 4 degree Celsius, and it even rained for almost two days continuously. It is cold, wet and grey outside, but the Nargis is totally nonchalant to the weather outside. It exudes its own sweet, warm presence and makes me smile along with it.

Anisha
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Ep # 7 of 394 सुखसागर श्रीमद भागवत महापुराण, प्रथम स्कन्ध, 1 अध्याय, सुनें श्रीमद्भागवत कथा पारायण