Tulasi

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Sanjay Balaram:

 

The manthrams for picking TuLasI for BhagavadhAradhanam

are four in number.Typically two are used.

First one has to wash one's feet and hands,

perform aachamanam and collect the leaves

(TaLam) in a clean vessel or plantain leaf.

 

These two manthrams are:

 

(1) Initial manthram and anjali to TuLasi plant :

 

" yann mUlE sarva theerthAni , yann madhyE SarvadEvathA:

yadhagrE sarva vEdAsccha , thvAm namAmyaham "

 

(2) The gruhaNa (picking ) manthram at the time of collecting

the TuLasi taLam ( TuLasI taLam : 4 leaves and the stem) are:

 

" Tulasyamrutha janmAsi sadhA thvam kEsava priyE

KEsavArtham lunAmi thvaam VaradhA bhava sObhanE "

 

There are two other manthrams that are used in different

sampradhAyams. One can stay with the above two.

 

There are times/days to collect TuLasi from the TuLasi

plant . SvarNa Pushpa AarAdhanai is the only highest

upakaraNam for worship of the Lord compared to TuLasi

in AaarAdhanam .

 

PaancharAthra Rakshai and the VaishNava dharamam section

of AasvamEdhika parvam of MahA BhAratham deal with the

role of TuLasi in BhagavadhArAdhanam.

 

Hope this helps,

V.Sadagopan

 

At 09:15 AM 5/19/00 GMT, you wrote:

>Can some member give me the releveant information on what mantras &

>procedures that need to be followed for growing Tulasi and for collecting

>Tulasi for the worship of the supreme Lord.

>

>Regards

>Sanjay

>

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[Guest guest]

As Sri Sadagopan has pointed out, there are several slokas

that one may recite while picking the tuLasi leaves (leaf

is "daLa" or "patram" in Sanskrit). Sri Manavaala Maamunigal

recommends we pick fresh, young, tuLasi leaves ("tiruttuzhAy

kozhundaigaL") in sets of four ("caturdaLam"). Furthermore, the

leaves should be plucked without the use of fingernails or any

undue force.

 

The Slokas in vogue in most sampradAyas are three and are as

follows. They are given as found in the Ahnika of Sri Gopala

Desika, with my loose translation:

 

tuLasy amRta-janmAsi sadA tvam kESava-priyE |

kESavArtham lunAmi tvAm, varadA bhava shobhanE ||

 

O Tulasi! You are the born(?) of immortality and are

the eternal beloved of Kesava. I am plucking you for

the His sake; be gracious, O Resplendent Devi!

 

mOkshaikahEtOr dharaNi-prasUtE

vishNOH samastasya gurOH priyE tE |

ArAdhanArtham kESavasya

lunAmi patram tuLasi! kshamasva! ||

 

O Daughter of the Earth! You are the beloved

of Vishnu, the sole giver of moksha and the

guru of all. Forgive me, O Tulasi! I pluck

you only for the worship of Kesava.

 

prasIda mama dEvEshi, prasIda harivallabhE |

kshIrodamathanOdbhUte, tuLasi tvam prasIda mE ||

 

Be gracious to me, O Divine Queen!

Be gracious, beloved of Hari!

Be gracious, O Tulasi, you who arose

from the churning of the milk ocean!

 

TuLasi leaves should only be plucked on certain days,

and on those days, only before afternoon (before the

"ijyA-kAla" or "sacrifice/worship" period).

Almost everyone knows not to pick tuLasi on Fridays,

but the orthodox have also observed the following

restrictions. TuLasi should not be plucked on

Sunday, Tuesday, or Friday, on dvAdaSI, paurNamI,

or amAvAsyA, or on a day on which one is observing

a SRAddham. From a practical standpoint, this gives

the tuLasi plant a degree of rest between pluckings

as well.

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

Mani