Puṣpa — Flowers Offered as Kaiṅkaryam
Puṣpa means a flower. Fresh, clean and permitted flowers are offered to Bhagavān in arcana, woven into garlands, used in alaṅkāra, and placed at His divine feet. The offering is not made because Bhagavān lacks beauty or fragrance, but because the jīva delights in using Bhagavān's own creation for His pleasure.
The Āgamas and inherited temple practice regulate which flowers may be offered, how they are gathered, and how garlands are prepared. The appropriate blossoms vary with availability, season, deity, temple and ritual context. Flowers gathered for Bhagavān are handled as kainkaryam, with cleanliness and without treating them as objects of personal enjoyment before the offering.
Tulasī's Distinct Place
Tulasī is a sacred leaf, not a flower, yet it is pre-eminent in Viṣṇu worship and is frequently offered together with flowers. The Āzhvārs celebrate Bhagavān adorned with fragrant tulasī garlands, and Śrī Vaiṣṇava tiruvārādhanam gives tulasī a distinctive place according to the applicable procedure. Its greatness is expressed through the tradition's praise of its intimate connection with Bhagavān, without reducing that teaching to an unsupported automatic result from a single mechanical offering.
Inner Offering
The physical flower also suggests the inner flower of loving remembrance. For the prapanna, puṣpa-kainkaryam is not an independent means to mokṣa but an expression of śeṣatva and gratitude to the Divya Dampati.