Tulasi mahAthmyam : Part 1

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Rajam Ravikumar :

 

It is my pleasure to respond to your request for

information on Tulasi in our sampradhAyam .

 

Let us start with some background information on

the sacred Basil plant , TuLasi . It is a shrub , whose

pathrams (leaves) are used with reverence for

worshipping Sriman NaarAyaNan by His BhakthAs

from time immemorial .Yathis (SanyAsis )in

our sampradhAyam wear a petal of TuLasi used

in Bhagavadh AarAdhanam inside their outter ears

for purifying the amangala sabdhams (inauspicious

sounds )that they may come across during the day .

The medicinal qualities are well recorded in

AaayurvEdham text books .

 

Vaayu , Padma , BhavishyOtthara PurANams describe

the glory of Thulasi Devi. According to these PurANAs,

ThuLasi originated from amrutha mathanam ( churning of

the milky ocean to produce nectar by the Lord )during

His avathAram as the giant Koormam(tortoise).

 

ThuLasi devi 's marriage to the Lord is celebrated

on the twelfth day of the first part (Sukla Paksham )of

the month of Kaarthikai. This is known as TuLasI vivAham ,

where an image of Bala KrishNan is married to

TuLasi dEvi in a traditional manner .This year ,

the TuLasi vivAham day falls on the 20th of November,

which is also the Kaisika Dwadasi day .As many

of you know , Kaisika PurANam is read before

Sri RanganAthA on that day and there is also

a special Arayar Sevai at Thirukkurunkudi called

Kaisiki Natanam .I will write about that festival

and the rare dance (Arayar Sevai) performed only

at ThirukkuRunguDi in a few days time in the context

of another Kaimkaryam under plan .

 

Coming Back to ThuLasi MahAthmyam ,We show our

reverence to ThuLasi by having it in our houses

in India .We create a home for it in a special

cement platform known as ThuLasi BhrundhAvanam

or ThuLasi matam .Now we can understand the context

of ThuLasi Devi's marriage to Baala KrishNan

on Kaiski dhwAdasi day in the context of

the roamings of our Lord Baala KrishNA in

BrundhAvanam wearing Kaatu-Mallikai and Kaatu-Thulasi

in His VyjayanthI garland (Vana Maalai) :

 

VandhE BhrundhAvanacharam VallavI-Jana Vallabham

Jayanthi Sambhavam dhAma vyjayanthI VibhUshaNam

__ Sri GopAla Vimsathi: SlOkam 1 of Swami Desikan

 

 

We pick the tender leaves of the TuLasi plant

with appropriate manthrAs for our usage in

the daily AarAdhanam for the Lord .We will

describe these manthrAs in the next posting.

 

Saint ThyagarAjA had composed 5 beautiful krithis

to offer his homage to ThuLasi dEvi and called

her affectionately as ThuLasammA .These songs and

their Raagams are:

 

(1) Devi ! Sri ThuLasammA ---MaayAmALa GouLai

(2)ThuLasi Bilva MallikAdhi-----KedAra GouLai

(3)Sri ThuLasammA ! MaayinDa nelakOnavamma--Deva GhAndhAri

(4)Amma ! Raavamma, ThuLasamma nanu Paalimpu--KalyANi

(5)ThuLasi Jagajjanani! dhurithApahAriNI !--sAvEri

 

In the first krithi , Saint ThyagarAjA says that

he has been cheerfully worshipping the holy feet of

the Lord , the DharmAthmA , with TuLasi leaves.

 

In the second krithi , the Saint refers to his

archanaa of the Lord's various limbs with sweet-

smelling TuLasi in a nishkAmya ( not expecting

any fruits for the worship ) manner with a mind

overwhelmed with bhakthi.

 

In the third krithi , He addresses TuLasi dEvi as ,

"Sri ThuLasammA " and invtes Her to take Her abode

in his house . He says : " Who is Your equal in

this world ? Please come to my house bedecked

with a lace saree , gold jewels, pearl necklaces and

in the company of Your Lord looking at You adoringly,

while You are praised by sages and rulers of the kingdoms ".

 

In the fourth Krithi set in Raagam KalyANi ,the Saint

requests ThuLasi Mother to come to his protection and

states that he reposed his faith in Her blessed feet

always. He points out that Sriman NaarAyaNan does not

part with ThuLasi Devi even in His dreams .He states that

the special reason for the Lord's love for Her is Her

soft body , Parimalam (fragrance ) and glory ( mahathvam),

which in turn leads to the Lord wearing Her on His crown

with great affection .

 

In the fifth krithi , Saint ThyagarAjA addresses

ThuLasi Devi as the Mother of the Universe and destroyer of

all sins . He says: " No Gods can equal You in steadfastness

in devotion to Your Lord . Your holy feet are veritable paradise

for the rivers (puNya Theerthams).Your body is the abode of all

devAs! Over Your head shines all Nigamams (Vedhams)".

 

We get an appreciation ofthe greatnes of TuLasi MaathA

from saint ThyagarAjA's sthuthis .

 

Our AzhwArs have praised Sriman NaarAyanan as

ThirutthuzhAi Marbhan , ThirutthuzhAi Mudiyan

and longed for the prasAdham of that ThirutthuzhAi,

which has had His dEha sambhandham to remove their

sufferings caused by separation from Him( AndaaL,

Swami NammAzhwAr and Kaliyan ).ThiruppANAzhwAr in

his AmalanAdhipirAn Paasuram salutes that Thirumudi of

Sri RanganAthan adorned with Thulasi Devi as

garland as " thuLabha virayAr Kamazh neeL mudi

yem IyaanAr " .His divya KirItam indicates His

supermacy as Ubhaya VibhUthi Naathan. What do we

see on that KirItam ? A Thulasi garland wrapped around .

That makes ThuLasi according to Swami Desikan

"SarvAdhika soochakam " ( indicative of its

supreme nature by all measures ).Such is

the glory of our ThuLasi Devi.

 

At ThiruviNNagar , MaarkaNdEya Maharishi

performed penance in a ThuLasi Vanam ( Forest

of ThuLasi bushes ) and Bhumi Devi incarnated as

a small baby there.The sage was delighted to see

this divine baby with dhivya thEjas and raised Her

as His own daughter . Lord Sriman NaarAyaNaa

appeared before the Sage as a old man and sought

the hand of the child , BhUmi Devi and won her hand

as described in the sthala purANam . The Thulasi

Vanam was ideal for Sri BhUMi Devi's avathAram

at ThiruviNNagar .

 

Etymologically , the word TuLasi is derived as ,

"thulAm Saadhrusyam syAth ".One of the meanings of" ThulA"

is to lift up . It also means a balance for measurements

of weights. It lifts us all up to the Lord's side

to receive His blessings because of Her(TuLasi Devi's)

dearness to Him . The word Thula Saadhrusyam means

resembling that of the balance (in equipoise).

When the thriguNAs are under control due to

Bhagavadh AarAdhanam and Yogam , the mind is

like a steady balance and that is the connection to

the power of ThuLasI.The word ThuLasi is also connectable to

the sanskrit word Thulyam meaning samAnam or equal to.

Who are the people-- worshipping the Lord with the sacred ThuLasi

with a heart filled with devotion-- are qual to ? They are

"thulyam " to MukthAs or liberated Jeevans .

 

Such is the glory of ThuLasi Devi !

 

(To be continued ),

 

Sri Bhumi Devi samEtha Sri Oppiliappan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan