The Flower given the significance 'Mind' by the Mother

For years the genus was known as Thevetia and the species, peruviana, or sometimes Thevetianeriifolia. As botanists collect more and more data from the thousands of plants named by great plant explorers throughout the world, especially in their monographs, all the data can now be organized through the most powerful computers in botanial gardens throughout the world. As a result we find that often the earliest discovery and naming of the genus or species predates that which was currently in use.

Now we learn that the plant we have long known as Thevetiaperuviana is a synonym of Cascabeiathevetia and is native to southern Mexico and Central America. It is related to the oleander, Nerium oleander and all parts of the plant are highly toxic, containing cardiac glycosides.

In many of the villages in South India and Sri Lanka it is well-known that women often commit suicide by swallowing the fruits, though quite a number of bird species eat the fruits without any deleterious effects.

We grew three varieties in the Matrimandir Nursery, the most common being the yellow form but also an orange flowered variety and a white form. Most interesting for those who study the messages of the flowers given by the Mother are the three significances She has revealed:

White flower - Purified Mind
Mother's comment: 'Mind ready to surrender to the Divine.'

Light orange flower - Supramentalised Mind
Mother's comment: 'Mind has become an instrument for transformation.'

Yellow flower - Mind
Mother's comment: 'Its true value lies in its surrender to the Divine'

Here is my observation of the yellow flowered form on the physical plane. The entire plant is indeed poisonous, leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. Yet, and it is an interesting 'yet', at the base of each ripe flower there is a drop of the most delicious nectar one could ever taste. Is this not the most salient aspect of mind, poisonous throughout yet containing within it, at the base of its flower, a drop of honey, pure rasa, signifying its possibility of transformation.

Narad
Sri Aurobindo Ashram
February 10, 2016