Padma, lotus flower

"Be like the lotus - say the sages of India - which has its roots in the mud, but whose flower emerges above the pond water and it is not contaminated." 

Vishnu on lotus flower

The lotus, padma in Sanskrit, is a very important flower in India. 

From Vishnu's navel grew a lotus on which was seated Brahma who created the universe. That is one of the names of Vishnu Padmanabha, i.e. with the navel lotus. 

Also according to another tradition, the universe was born from a golden lotus, it tells the Padmapurana, the Purana lotus. 

On padmapitha, i.e. on the lotus pedestal, the gods are always resting in their representations. 

In the sacred buildings, the capitals of the columns are in the shape of lotus and lotus petals are the ones which surround the mandala and yantra. 

The god Krishna is Padmapada, the god of the lotus feet, but above all Padma is one of the names of Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and luck, wife of Vishnu. 

It's called padma asana, which is the lotus position, one of the main positions of yoga, one sitting with legs crossed and back straight. It’s the position best suited for meditation and one of the most popular positions of the Kamasutra. 

Padma is called the wide delta of the sacred river Ganges, in fact the river flows into the sea, extending its branches like the petals of a lotus flower. 

And finally, the Padma Shri is the fourth highest honor of the Indian Republic.