Pomegranates Symbols of Abundance

Pomegranates are a self contained lesson on world religions that fits in the palm of your hand. According to Hindus, it's a symbol for fertility and prosperity, and was often thought of as very appealing to the gods. Buddha received a gift of a small pomegranate from a poor old woman, and then adopted it as one of the three blessed fruits (others are the citrus and the peach). In Judaism, the first book of the Torah argues that the forbidden fruit was not an apple, but a pomegranate. In other texts, pomegranates were one of the signals that the Hebrews had, indeed, reached the promised land. But best of all is the tradition in Islam. "According to the Quran, the gardens of paradise include pomegranates. It is important, tradition says, to eat every seed of a pomegranate because one can't be sure which aril came from paradise." And pomegranates protect the eater from envy and hatred.