Hindu households across the country have certain common features, one of them being the Tulsi plant. Revered as a deity, the Tulsi plant has held the status of a symbol of devotion and purity for ages.
She is believed to be the physical manifestation of Goddess Lakshmi Devi, the consort of Lord Vishnu who is worshiped as the preserver of the universe in Hinduism. That is why Tulasi Devi is considered to be very dear to Lord Vishnu. She is known by names like Vrinda, Vaishnavi, Hari Priya, and Vrindavan among many others.
Every part of the plant is considered auspicious. Even the soil in which it grows is considered to be pious. It is believed that all the deities reside at the top of the Tulsi plant while the middle houses the vedas and the roots house the important pilgrimage sites.
There are two kinds of Tulsi plants - Rama Tulsi with light green colored leaves and Shyama Tulsi with purplish colored leaves that resemble the complexion of Lord Krishna.
Tulsi is a Sanskrit word that means ‘the one who has no comparison’. It is a symbol of purity and is worshiped in Hindu religion and households.
There are many stories about the origin of Tulasi devi and the Tulsi plant. As per one of them, there was once a demon named Shankhachuda who was very powerful and managed to defeat the demigods and gain supremacy over them. He was so powerful because his wife, Vrinda, was completely devoted and loyal to him and he drew strength from her chastity.
When the demigods approached Lord Shiva for help, he decided to fight Shankhachuda. However, he was unable to kill him because of Vrinda’s devotion. At that moment, Lord Vishnu decided to help by taking the form of Shankhachuda and appearing before his wife Vrinda while she was preparing for a ritual to marry her husband again to give him more power. Mistaking Lord Vishnu (in Shankhachuda’s form) for her husband she married him and that broke her devotion towards her husband. However, when she realized that it was Lord Vishnu and not Shankhachuda, she cursed him to turn into stone.
Lord Vishnu accepted this curse and took the form of Shaligram Shila near the Gandaki River. He blessed Vrinda with a boon that she would be incarnated as the Tulsi plant and be worshiped by everyone.
He also blessed her by stating that no worship of Lord Vishnu would be complete without Tulsi leaves, and she would be married to the Shaligram Shila in her plant form.
That is why Tulsi Vivah is celebrated with a lot of devotion every year in the Kartik month on Ekadashi.
The Tulsi plant is dressed like a Hindu bride and is married to the Shaligram stone which is considered to be a form of Lord Vishnu. It marks the start of the wedding season in India.
According to some beliefs, Vrinda was the wife of Jalandhar, an asura born from the fire emitted into the ocean from Lord Shiva’s third eye.
Another story states that the Tulsi plant or Tulasi devi emerged when the tears of Lord Dhanvantri, the divine medic, fell on the Amrit that the devas and the asuras churned out of Ksheer Sagar.
Many sacred things are revered in Hinduism, and among them is the pious Tulsi plant which is the physical manifestation of the Hindu Goddess, Tulasi Devi. She is also worshiped as an avatar of Lakshmi Devi. The Tulsi plant has a lot of significance in the Hindu religion and it is considered very sacred. She is very dear to Lord Vishnu as well and that is the reason why people offer holy Tulsi leaves to Lord Vishnu or his avatar Lord Krishna while worshiping them.
It is highly regarded by the Ayurvedic community because of its many medicinal benefits and its ability to cure many diseases like cough, cold, malaria, etc. These qualities make it all the more important and that is why it is not just a holy plant.
Positivity, peace, and happiness grace a house where a Tulsi plant is placed. It blesses a person with a lot of prosperity. But in order to make this happen one must treat it with respect and worship it regularly. It is believed that a person who takes care of the Tulsi plant and shows respect for it gains salvation and is also blessed by Lord Vishnu. The women of the house must water the plant daily. The area around it must be cleaned on a regular basis, and circumambulating the Tulsi plant while performing the puja is also necessary as per Hindu tradition.
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