Karavīra
Karavīra, “oleander”
Grammar: masculine noun: the oleander.
Meaning: the oleander, a shrub with red or white flowers, much used in pūjā and in garlands.
In the scriptures:
- In the Kālāshṭamī vrata, in the month of Kārtika, one bathes Śiva with milk, offers karavīra flowers, śrīgandha dhūpa and a naivedya of pāyasa made with honey, and gives that naivedya to a brāhmaṇa with silver as dakshiṇā, saying, “May Bhagavān Sthāṇu bless me!” (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 17).
- Aditi adorned the pratimā of Śrīman Nārāyaṇa with red sandal and offered pūjā with a garland of karavīra, with dhūpa and dīpa; she offered śāli rice with ājya and kept a fast without water (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 50).
- Among the flowers praised as excellent for the pūjā of Acyuta are jāji, the hundred-petalled lotus, the layered mallikā, bāṇa, campaka, aśoka, karavīra and navamallikā (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 68).
Related terms: Pushpa · Pūjā · Mallikā · Campaka · Aśoka
Sources
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 17, 50, 68