Tulsi (the Holy Basil), the sacred plant of the Hindus symbolizes purity and is famous for its medicinal properties and can be found in almost every Hindu house. “Tulsi Vivah” festival is a traditional wedding (vivah) ceremony of the Tulsi plant to Lord Vishnu. It is celebrated on the day of “Dev Uthani Ekadashi, also known as Prabodhini Ekadashi” of Hindu month Kartik. It is believed that Tulsi is an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, consort of Lord Vishnu. She is often referred to as “Vishnu Priya” literally meaning “the beloved of Vishnu”.

The Legend

The story of the “Tulsi Vivah” is found in the Padma Purana. There was a woman named Brinda. She was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. She was a very pious woman and was devoted to her husband Jalandhar (the demon king). Jalandhar was very powerful and he wanted to fight and defeat all the gods including the Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. There was no way to kill Jalandhar as long as his wife Brinda remained faithful to him (Pativrata). At the request of gods, Lord Vishnu decided to take the form of Jalandhar and went to meet Brinda. Brinda was not able to recognize the disguise and spent a night with Lord Vishnu in her husband’s disguise.

The devotion and the chastity (Pativrata dharma) of Brinda was thus destroyed by this act of Lord Vishnu. Brinda got extremely upset and angry to know what the Lord had done to her. She cursed him that he would become black stone known as “Shaligram” since he had the heart of stone in destroying her chastity. Even today we find that the “Shaligram” stone found only on the bed of river Gandak near Muktinath, Nepal, is used by devout Hindus (mainly the Vaishnavas) to worship Lord Vishnu, Jalandhar lost the battle with the gods and was eventually killed as his wife could no longer protect him. Brinda jumped into the funeral pyre of her husband.

Transformation to Tulsi Plant and Tulsi Vivah

Lord Vishnu wanted to compensate for what he had done to Brinda. This is why he transformed her soul to the Tulsi plant. Lord Vishnu also said that he would marry Brinda in her next birth to make up for the wrongful act that he did to Brinda. Vishnu in the form of the “Shaligram” stone got married to the Tulsi plant on the day of Prabodhini Ekadashi of Hindu month Kartik. This is the day celebrated in the form of the Tulsi Vivah Festival by the Hindus.

Spiritual significance of the marriage of Tulsi with Vishnu

Holy basil (Tulsi) is the symbol of spiritual purity (sattvika). The marriage (Vivah) of Tulsi with Lord Vishnu means that God likes purity as a quality. The meaning of the word marriage is the merging and oneness of the embodied soul (Jiva) and God .

Tulsi: The Holy Basil

The ‘tulsi’ plant or Indian basil is an important symbol in the Hindu religious tradition. The name ‘tulsi’ connotes “the incomparable one”. Tulsi is a venerated plant and Hindus worship it in the morning and evening. Tulsi grows wild in the tropics and warm regions. Dark or Shyama tulsi and light or Rama tulsi are the two main varieties of basil, the former possessing greater medicinal value. Of the many varieties, the Krishna or Shyama tulsi is commonly used for worship.

Tulsi As A Deity

The presence of tulsi plant symbolizes the religious bent of a Hindu family. A Hindu household is considered incomplete if it doesn’t have a tulsi plant in the courtyard. Many families have the tulsi planted in a specially built structure, which has images of deities installed on all four sides, and an alcove for a small earthen oil lamp. Some households can even have up to a dozen tulsi plants on the verandah or in the garden forming a “tulsi-van” or “tulsivrindavan” – a miniature basil forest.

The Holy Herb

Places that tend to inspire concentration and places ideal for worship, according to the ‘Gandharv Tantra,’ include “grounds overgrown with tulsi plants”. The Tulsi Manas Mandir at Varanasi is one such famous temple, where tulsi is worshiped along with other Hindu gods and goddesses. Vaishnavites or believers of Lord Vishnu worship the tulsi leaf because it’s the one that pleases Lord Vishnu the most. They also wear beaded necklaces made of tulsi stems. The manufacture of these tulsi necklaces is a cottage industry in pilgrimages and temple towns.

Tulsi As An Elixir

Apart from its religious significance it is of great medicinal significance, and is a prime herb in Ayurvedic treatment. Marked by its strong aroma and a stringent taste, tusli is a kind of “the elixir of life” as it promotes longevity. The plant’s extracts can be used to prevent and cure many illnesses and common ailments like common cold, headaches, stomach disorders, inflammation, heart disease, various forms of poisoning and malaria. Essential oil extracted from karpoora tulsi is mostly used for medicinal purposes though of late it is used in the manufacture of herbal toiletry.

A Herbal Remedy

According to Jeevan Kulkarni, author of ‘Historical Truths & Untruths Exposed,’ when Hindu women worship tulsi, they in effect pray for “less and less carbonic acid and more and more oxygen – a perfect object lesson in sanitation, art and religion”. The tulsi plant is even known to purify or de-pollute the atmosphere and also works as a repellent to mosquitoes, flies and other harmful insects. Tulsi used to be a universal remedy in cases of malarial fever.

Tulsi in History

Prof Shrinivas Tilak, who teaches Religion at Concordia University, Montreal, has made this historical citation: In a letter written to ‘The Times,’ London, dated May 2, 1903 Dr George Birdwood, Professor of Anatomy, Grant Medical College, Mumbai said, “When the Victoria Gardens were established in Bombay, the men employed on those works were pestered by mosquitoes. At the recommendation of the Hindu managers, the whole boundary of the gardens was planted with holy basil, on which the plague of mosquitoes was at once abated, and fever altogether disappeared from among the resident gardeners.”

Tulsi In Legends

Quite a few myths and legends found in the Puranas or ancient scriptures point to the origin of importance of tulsi in religious rituals. Although tulsi is regarded as feminine, in no folklore is she described as the consort the Lord. Yet a garland solely made of tulsi leaves is the first offering to the Lord as part of the daily ritual. The plant is accorded the sixth place among the eight objects of worship in the ritual of the consecration of the Kalasha, the container of holy water.

According to one legend, Tulsi was the incarnation of a princess who fell in love with Lord Krishna, and so had a curse laid on her by his consort Radha. Tulsi is also mentioned in the stories of Meera and of Radha immortalised in Jayadev’s Gita Govinda. The story of Lord Krishna has it that when Krishna was weighed in gold, not even all the ornaments of Satyabhama could outweigh him. But a single tulsi leaf placed by Rukmani on the pan tilted the scale.

In the Hindu mythology, tulsi is very dear to Lord Vishnu. Tulsi is ceremonially married to Lord Vishnu annually on the 11th bright day of the month of Karttika in the lunar calendar. This festival continues for five days and concludes on the full moon day, which falls in mid October. This ritual, called the ‘Tulsi Vivaha’ inaugurates the annual marriage season in India.

                Source: Speakingtree