The Worship Of Tulasi

[Guest guest]

FROM SRI GARGA SAMHITA

 

Sri Garga Samhita, Vrindaban Khanda Canto Two, Chapter Sixteen

 

Tulasi-pujana - The Worship of Tulasi

 

Sri Narada said: Hearing Radha's words, and reflecting on them in her heart for a moment, Candranana, the best of all friends, replied.

 

Sri Candranana said: O Radha, service to Tulasi gives the greatest piety, the greatest good fortune, and the greatest benediction. It gives Lord Krishna's association.

 

You should always gaze on Tulasi, touch her, remember her, glorify her, bow down before her, offer prayers to her, plant her, and worship her. Then she will grant Your desire.

 

They who day after day serve Tulasi in these nine ways attain the result of pious deeds performed in many thousands of millions of yugas.

 

A person who who plants Tulasi liberates his family. As many branches, sub-branches, seeds, flowers, and leaves as are on the Tulasi he has planted, so many ancestors and descendents in his family for thousands of kalpa-yugas will go to Lord Kana's transcendental abode.

 

O Radha, by offering Lord Krishna a single Tulasi leaf one attains the result of offering Him every flower and leaf that exists.

 

A person who with offerings of Tulasi-leaves worships Lord Krishna is not touched by sin as a lotus-leaf is not touched by water.

 

By protecting a Tulasi forest one attains the result of giving in pious charity a hundred bharas of gold or four hundred bharas of silver.

 

A home in the midst of a Tulasi forest is a sacred pilgrimage place. Yamaraja's servants will never enter that home.

 

They who plant a sacred Tulasi forest, which fulfills desires and removes all sins, are the best of people. They will never see Yamaraja.

 

For persons who plant, protect, water, see, or touch her, Tulasi burns the sins committed with the body, mind, and words.

 

On a single Tulasi leaf the holy places beginning with Puskara, the sacred rivers beginning with the Ganga, and the Deities headed by Lord Vasudeva reside.

 

Even though stained with a hundred sins, a person who touches a Tulasi-manjari as he leaves this life does not see Yamaraja.

 

Sin does not touch the the body of a sinner anointed with Tulasi-paste.

 

Wherever is the beautiful shade of a Tulasi forest, there sraddha should be offered. There aksaya should be offered to the pitas.

 

O friend, as four-faced Brahma cannot describe all the glories of Lord Krishna, who holds the sarnga bow, so he cannot descibe all the glories of Tulasi.

 

A man or woman who offers sandal-paste and Tulasi to Sri Krishnacandra's feet attains the results I have told to You.

 

O gopi, serve Tulasi every day. Then Sri Krishna will always be Your submissive servant.

 

Sri Narada said: O king, after hearing Candranana's words, Sri Radha, the queen of the rasa dance, in order to please Lord Krishna, began to serve Sri Tulasi.

 

Taking Tulasi, beautiful with many green leaves, to the middle of a ketaki forest, and placing her in a Tulasi-temple that was round, tall, a hundred hastas in size, beautiful with walls of gold and rubies, splendid with an outer wall of emeralds, diamonds, and pearls, decorated with cintamani gems, arched gateways, gold flags, and gold awnings everywhere, and glorious like Indra's palace, at the time of the star abhijit, saintly Radha, following Garga Muni's instructions, served Sri Tulasi.

 

Beginning with the full moon of the month of Asvina (September-October), and ending with the full moon of the month of Caitra (March-April), to please Sri Krishna, saintly Radha followed a vow with great devotion.

 

Month after month She sprinkled Tulasi with milk, sugar-cane juice, grape-juice, mango-juice, pancamrita, and many kinds of sweet and cool juice. On the first day of Vaisakha (April-May), She ended the vow.

 

O king, following Garga Muni's instructions, King Vrisabhanu's daughter Radha then pleased two hundred thousand brahmanas with a great feast of fifty-six courses.

 

O king of Videha, then Radha gave them daksina of a hundred-thousand splendid large pearls and many costly garments and ornaments.

 

Radha gave ten million bhras of gold to Garga Muni. With great devotion She gave a hundred bharas of gold and pearls to each brahmana.

 

The demigods' drums sounded and the apsaras danced. The demigods showered flowers on the Tulasi-temple.

 

Then, seated on a glorious throne on a gold pedestal, her eyes lotus petals, and her gold crown and earrings glittering, beautiful four-armed Tulasi, who is dear to Lord Krishna, appeared.

 

Descending from the sky, Tulasi, beautiful as a flowering vine, with her four arms embraced and then kissed Radha, who wore a new vaijayanti garland, and whose snake-braids were covered with a yellow cloth.

 

Sri Tulasi said: O daughter of Kalavati, I am pleased with You. I am eternally conquered by Your loving devotion. O beautiful one, as if You were an ordinary human being, You very carefully followed this vow.

 

The desire that fills Your heart, mind, intelligence, and senses, will be attained. Lord Krishna will be kind to You. You are very fortunate.

 

Sri Narada said: To Tulasi, who has spoken these words and who was dear to Lord Krishna, Radha, the daughter of King Vrisabhanu, bowed down and said: May I have unalloyed devotion for Lord Krishna's lotus feet.

 

Saying, "So be it", Krishna's beloved Tulasi disappeared. O ruler of Mithila, O best of kings, then Radha, King Vrisabhanu's daughter, went home happy at heart.

 

O king, a devotee who hears this wonderful story of Sri Radha attains first the three goals of material life and then the supreme spiritual goal of life.

 

Thus end the Second Canto Vrindaban Khanda, Sixteen Chapter, of the Sri Garga Samhita, entitled "The Worship of Tulasi."