MEERA S. SASHITAL tells us about Tulsi Vivah (falling on November 4) and the importance of the plant Tulsi, which takes precedence in every religious ceremonies.
[alert type=”e.g. warning, danger, success, info” title=””]Though this occasion looks simple, it is perhaps the most sentimental but not the least important festival of the holy month of Kartik .[/alert]
There is not one Hindu home where you will not find a Tulsi plant (Ocimum sanctum). The Tulsi plant or the holy Basil is perhaps the most venerated plant in India. No plant in the world commands so much respect and worship from people as does Tulsi.
Tulsi is a plant believed to be sacred to Lord Vishnu and also His wife Lakshmi and hence revered by every Hindu and worshipped. Tulsi is supposed to be Vrinda who was transformed into a plant by Vishnu thus, due to the close bond, Tulsi is married to Vishnu every year in the Kartik month.
Tulsi is called as ‘Haripriya’ a Sanskrit term which means dear to Lord Vishnu. It is also called ‘Bhutaghni’ – the killer of demons. There are two varieties of this Tulsi plant viz. Ram Tulsi and Krishna Tulsi, the former being white and the latter black. Tulsi is venerated so much that it is grown and worshipped in the courtyard of almost every Hindu home.
Every Hindu house has always a lamp or Diya lit near the Tulsi plant in front of their main door especially in the evenings on Fridays. It is said “Deepam Lakshmikaram” meaning lamp brings wealth as Goddess Lakshmi stands for wealth. Furthermore, there is a strong belief among the country folks that evil spirits can never dare come to the place where Tulsi is planted.
Tulsi takes precedence in every religious ceremonies. In Mahalakshmi Puja the grains of rice are offered to the Tulsi plant. In the episode of Pithori the proud mother of eight sons too was worshipping the sacred Tulsi plant.
Tulsi Vivah or marriage takes place on the 11th day of the bright half of the holy month of Kartik. Actually, it is a mock marriage between the Tulsi plant and the Saligram stone which represents Lord Krishna. All devout women worship the Tulsi plant with flowers, garlands and milk assuming Lord Krishna to be present on it on this auspicious day.
A small idol of Krishna is also kept near the Tulsi plant. Some make ‘mantaps’ over the Tulsi plant and decorate them. Rangolis are drawn too. Turmeric and vermillion are applied to the Tulsi plant and sweets offered concluding the ceremony with showering of flowers and rice grains and waving of Aarti.
This ceremony is related to the story from Padma Puran revolving round Tulsi the plant (Ocimum Sanctum) which in her former birth was it seems Vrinda. Vrinda was the daughter of a giant named Nemi, and the faithful wife of demon Jalandhar. Being born in water Jalandhar claims sovereignty over the ocean and demands the 14 treasures churned out of the ocean in Vishnu’s second incarnation.
He declares war and becomes a cause of danger to the gods. He was more of a threat because he had been granted the boon of freedom from death by Lord Brahma as long as his wife knew him only.
All the gods try to despoil Vrinda’s chastity by taking Jalandhar’s form but fail. At last Vishnu himself appears before her and beguiles her with the result Jalandhar gets killed. Vrinda curses Vishnu for the horrible deed he had committed saying he would become a black stone or a Shaligram, the ammonite found chiefly in the river Gandaki.
Vishnu also retaliates but in admiration of her impeachable chastity and piety, he transforms her into the sacred Tulsi plant and promises to marry her annually on this day of Kartik.
But they have come to love each other so tenderly that they are married every year on the 11th day of the month of Kartik (October-November). This ceremony marks the auspicious opening of the annual marriage season among Hindus. It is said that he who performs this marriage ceremony assuming that Tulsi is his daughter, gets all the credit due of performing a kanyadaan, the meritorious act.
The greatness of Tulsi is boundless. Once it seems Satyabhama, Lord Krishna’s wife, wanted to know how to have Lord Krishna as her husband in all the births. Narad the celestial minstrel to curb her pride tells her to give away in charity the thing she loved most.
Satyabhama thinking she was the only one who loved Krishna the most gives away Krishna in charity. But not for long for she immediately regrets and now is willing to do anything to have Krishna back. Narad now tells her that since it was a sin to take back whatever once given, the only remedy was to buy Krishna. The price was Krishna’s own weight in gold and jewelry.
Proud Satyabhama thought she was the richest woman in the world and it was very easy. But when the weighing of Krishna was done no amount of Satyabhama’s ornaments could lift Krishna’s scale up. Finally Rukmini was asked to lend her treasure. Rukmini, however, prays to the Tulsi plant and brings one Tulsi leaf.
She then most reverently placed the Tulsi leaf in the pan against Krishna’s scale. And lo! Krishna was high up in the air and the other pan came down with a thud. This proved that the sacred leaf of the Tulsi was thousand times more valuable than the riches of all put together.
Tulsi is regarded as the mother and hence called ‘Tulsi Mata’. Its leaves possess medicinal values and are used to cure cough and illness and restore health by killing germs. Tulsi Vivah or Marriage beginning on the 11th day of the bright half of Kartik lasts till Kartik Purnima passing through Vaikunth Chaturdashi and Tripurari Purnima. Though this occasion looks simple, it is perhaps the most sentimental but not the least important festival of our holy month of Kartik.
