Lotus, lotusflower.
The lotusleaf is seen as a metaphor for unattachment: it floats in the water, without being whet by the water; thus the spiritual seeker should live in the world, without being disturbed by the world.
Oft saints and deities are portrayed sitting on a lotusflower. Like the lotus grows through the filthy lucre and the unawareness, and rises untainted above the watersurface, thus the true self of humanity (
atman) is always pure.
On images the lotus, and especially the lotusflower, appears as a symbol of holiness and beauty. The eyes and feet of saints are therefore often described as "lotuseyes" and "lotusfeet".
Other sanskrit words for lotus are:
kajja,
kamala and
sarorua.