Nārikela
Nārikela, “the coconut”
Grammar: masculine and neuter noun.
Meaning: the coconut.
In the scriptures: the Madhyama Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa says that sprinkling the āmra tree with coconut water and honey-water makes it grow (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Madhyama Parva, Bhāga 1, Chapters 10–11), and names nārikela among the homa materials (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Madhyama Parva, Bhāga 1, Chapters 17–18). In the Kumāra Shashṭhī vrata of the Uttara Parva it is the first of the fruits to eat in the twelve months (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 42). In the Vijayā Saptamī vrata, coconuts are carried at the first of the seven pradakshiṇās of Bhagavān Sūrya (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 43).
Related terms: Homa · Āmra · Vrata
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Madhyama Parva, Bhāga 1, Chapters 10–11, 17–18; Uttara Parva, Chapters 42–43