Offering Tulasi Kanthi Malas twice?

June 30, 2003

I would really appreciate any comments on the subject below. Thank you very much.

Dear Brajanath Das,

Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances.

I am thanking you very humbly for this answer to my question. Is this answer coming directly from Sripad Madhava Maharaj? Please forgive me, I am very ignorant and do not know this spiritual master. Please tell me about his glories.

The tulasi kanthi mala I am wearing was offered to the Lotus Feet of Lord Narasimhadeva in Mayapur. The devotee who brought the mala told me it is normal to offer things to be worn on the body to Lord Narasimhadeva, such as Tulasi Kanthi malas. A senior devotee here told me the mala could be offered again to Lord Nityananda, when he heard I had originally asked for a mala to be offered to Lord Nityananda, since I am very attracted to Lord Nityananda. The explanation was given as below with the addition that although Lord Nityananda is beyond Vishnu Tattva, He would accept this offering as he is coming as a devotee. So the pujari here offered the mala to Lord Nityananda, it was hung on the Lotus Chest of The Lord.

If I have been mislead with this and thereby offences have been committed, what can be done to atone for this, I did not want to offend anyone, I only wanted blessings to develop my spiritual life and was acting under guidance from a senior devotee. What should I do with the two malas I have which has been offered like that, one I wam wearing now, should I stop wearing it alltogether and what should I do with both of them? Please help me, I am very confused about this now.

Thank you,

Ys, Ole

Brajanath Das

Monday, June 30, 2003 1:04 PM

'alstrup@'

RE: Offering Tulasi Kanthi Mala

Brajanath Das

Monday, June 30, 2003 1:02 PM

'Kishore Krishna Dasa'

RE: Offering Tulasi Kanthi Mala

Dear Ole,

Please accept my dandavats pranams and receive heartly blessings from Srila Gurudeva. All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga and all glories to Sri Sri Radha Vinode Bihariji.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is non different from Krishna, He is avatari, the source of all Visnu Tattva. Because of this we cannot offer any remnants of Narasimha Deva or any Visnu Avatara to Him. It is not proper etiquette to offer the prasadam of those who are less advanced to any senior devotee. Similarly it is against etiquette to offer the prasadam remnants of Narayana or Narasimha Deva to He Who is Their source.

aspiring for the service of Sri Guru and Vaisnavas

Brajanath das

-

Ole Alstrup

Monday, June 23, 2003 3:01 AM

Offering Tulasi Kanthi Mala

Dear Devotees,

I need your help for the following question:

Can a Tulasi Kanthi Mala which has been offered to a Vishnu Tattva deity such as Lord Narasimhadeva be offered subsequently again also to the deity of Lord Nityananda or Lord Caitanya?

I was told by some senior devotees, that lived for years in Vrindavana, that one can do this, applying the same principle where Maha Prasadam offered to the deities of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna, Sri Sri Krishna-Balaram or a Vishnu Tattva deity can be offered again subsequently to the deities of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, and that They will readily accept this offering. Other devotees told me they never heard of this. I searched long and hard in the whole Folio/VedaBase and could find no references to this topic. I did not have the opportunity yet to enquire directly from a Gaudiya Vaishnava spiritual master or learned Gaudiya Vaishnava Pujari about this.

Also I was searching about rules and regulations for wearing Tulasi Neck Beads. I am not an initiated devotee, just a friend of the devotees. If I dont follow strictly regulative principles, should I stop wearing Tulasi neck beads because I am committing offences?

Hoping for your answer,

Thank you,

Ole Alstrup

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