The navel lotus
At the start of a cycle, a lotus grows from the navel of the sleeping Vishnu and Brahma is born on it to create the world.


Padma, the lotus, is one of the four emblems of Vishnu, usually held in a lower hand. It stands for purity, beauty and the unfolding of creation: in the Puranas a lotus rises from Vishnu's navel and Brahma is born upon it. It also signals the presence of Lakshmi, the lotus goddess.
The texts tell different stories.
At the start of a cycle, a lotus grows from the navel of the sleeping Vishnu and Brahma is born on it to create the world.
The Gita compares the person who acts without attachment to a lotus leaf, unwetted by the water it rests on.