Using Tulsi Devi in pharmaceuticals and toiletries

[Guest guest]

I have just moved to India from the States and have been shopping for various ayurvedic medicines and toiletries such as soap, toothpaste etc. I have noticed the use of Tulsi Devi in some of these products and have been reluctant to purchase them feeling that her use in these products is offensive.

 

I would like to hear other devotees' opinions on this matter.

[Guest guest]

Haribol.

You are doing the right thing by not using these products which have Tulsi maharani.

We engage Tulsi in Krsna's service and not ours, specially as in a soap etc.

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

I think it is best to avoid such products. How can we worship tulasi in the morning, and then brush our teeth with her or wash ourselves with tulasi soap? One can crack peanuts with shalagrams, but that isn't the proper use of a shalagram.

 

[stonehearted]

Such products are increasingly common in the US, too. My advice has always been to avoid them as you would the plague. Our business is to serve Tulasi, not exploit her, as she is Krishna's tadiya. When we purchase these things, we encourage--even reward--such exploitation.

[Guest guest]

it is a great offense for Srimati Tulasi Devi.. we do not use such products

[Guest guest]

 

 

"We engage Tulsi in Krsna's service and not ours, specially as in a soap etc."

 

This is also incorrect, we are in no position to engage Srimati Tulasi Maharani, rather we are in the position of servant of the servant of our master who may be engaged in the service of Srimati Tulasi either directly or indirectly. If we are fortunate they may engage us in her service to her Lord and misstress. Such is the World of service to Krsna.

[Guest guest]

Tulsi is worshipped also for the reasons that its a medicinal plant. So I dont find any harm in tulsi products.

 

[Guest guest]

We use Tulasi beads which is clearly counting our daily rounds, using tulasi as our personal counter. We worship Bhumi, the cow as Krishna's, Govinda's most dear animals, but still we depend on milk for being healthy. Cowdung is being used for several purpose. Similiarly, the special medical value of tulasi leaves is widespread. Of course Tulasi has to be treated respectfully when used for medical treatment. And that's what Prabhupada always said, how materialists exploit the cow and at the end they even kill her.

[stonehearted]

Srila Prabhupada heard in 1973 that devotees in Hawaii were making Tulasi tea and using her in other ways as medicine. He unequivocally told them to stop. I was on the Mainland at the time, but Govinda dasi was here. I'll ask her for particulars.

 

His own example was that he would put offered manjaris in a bottle of water and drink that water. Otherwise, he never used, or authorized us to use, Tulasi for anything other than worship of Vishnu-tattva Deities. He was very clear about that. Tulasi comes to give us the opportunity for service. She is not a cow, but Krishna's tadiya.

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

 

We use Tulasi beads which is clearly counting our daily rounds, using tulasi as our personal counter.

 

 

A japa mala is not a personal counter, but an object of worship no different than a deity. That is why Hari-bhakti-vilasa instructs one to offer puja to one's mala. Mala's are not just instruments to be used, they are the medium through which we offer our prayers to God, much like our spiritual master.

We worship Bhumi, the cow as Krishna's, Govinda's most dear animals, but still we depend on milk for being healthy.

 

 

I don't see any comparison between a cow (a conditioned bound jiva) and tulasi (an eternally liberated devotee of Vishnu). Even with the cow, we do not simply utilize them for our own gains, but offer their products directly to Krishna and then accept prasadam. If one wants to receive the medicinal blessings of tulasi, one can eat the tulasi leaves that have been offered at the feet of Vishnu.

 

Using tulasi in soap is sinful for the following reasons:

 

1) The tulasi plants are killed and harvested for a commercial product. Even when offering tulasi leaves directly to Vishnu there is a scriptural procedure we must follow to collect the tulasi leaves; they cannot simply be picked like fruits.

 

2) The sacred tulasi is processed as a common tree, being smashed to pulp, boiled, filtered, etc.

 

3) The soap is used to remove filth from our bodies, for example washing our hands after passing stool. It is very sinful for us to utilize the Lord's eternal servants for washing stool from our hands. The same is the case with toothpaste. We utilize toothpaste to remove filth from our mouths (the mouth is considered the most contaminated part of the body). Lord Krishna provides us with a natural way to benefit from the medicinal powers of tulasi in the form of his prasadam. We can eat his prasadam (i.e. leaves of tulasi offered at his feet in archana) and thereby spiritually benefit while also receiving the medicinal results from tulasi.

 

Bhaktisiddhanta tells the story of the pujari who used shalagram stones to break peanut shells. Shalagrams are very hard and materially may be suitable for breaking peanut shells, but one who does such a thing goes to hell. Simply because something possess a particular material quality does not mean it should be utilized for a material purpose.

 

And as far as saying we worship tulasi because of her medicinal qualities, that is absurd. I dont see anyone worshipping their advil or anacin bottles every morning. Gaudiya Vaishnavas worship tulasi because she is the intimate associate of the Lord. There is no other mundane reason involved.

 

[stonehearted]

to what Jahanava Nitai says. Thank you, prabhu. Here we are in perfect accord (so you must be right on this one /images/graemlins/wink.gif ).

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

This reminds me of the Muruga deity in Palani (an ancient pilgrimage city). The deity was made out of navapashanam (nine poisons) by a siddha saint. These nine poisons had the effect that if the panchamrita is poured over his body for abhisheka, the prasadam had medicinal properties simply by touching his body.

 

But some politicians thought that if the panchamrita was so powerful, how powerful must the deities substance must be. So they got the priests to slowly scrape away the deity little by little. Over the years holes started becoming visible in the deity, which they passed off as being due to the antiquity of the deity. Then the holes became too big to hide, so they closed the temple and announced they were going to perform kumbhabhishekam to the temple. During that time they switched the ancient deity with a newly made deity and "amazingly" the holes in the deity were gone when the temple reopened.

 

So people will not stop with tulasi, they will go all the way up to destroying the deity in the temple if there is some mundane benefit they can get.

 

[Airicky]

True. People will stop at nothing if they believe some material gain will be made whether it be health, beauty or riches.

 

I heard that when Tulsi devi's branches are broken Lord Krsna feels Her pain.

 

Imagine the pain She must feel when being crushed and boiled for soap and medicines.

 

Imagine the pain those who perpetrate such acts will suffer in many lifetimes to come.

[Guest guest]

Its the Ocimum sanctum species of Tulsi that is the Krishna Tulsi, and not all the tulsi. There are many varieties of the same plant belonging to the family Lamiacea are generally used in pharma industries and not jjust the Ocimum sanctum alone.

If we start looking for sentiments in every little thing, then one should not drink milk, sit in a leather seated car even in taxis, restaurants etc, no butter, no cheese etc as they are made out of milk from cows treated with hormones and not by ancient means or in villages in India.

First of all, Silk by itself should not be worn and not offered to God forthat matter and how many people follow that.

These are the curses of kalli yuga where you cant escape. So no harm in using tulsi toileteries.

 

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

I think I will stick with following our guru, Srila Prabhupada, the scriptures and the sadhus I have consulted with over the years on this matter.

[Airicky]

I second that.

 

Hare Krishna

[Guest guest]

If they must make profit from these toiletries then someone should do them a favour and express the differences in the basil family. They can still get the herbal benefit from Greek basil and so many of the others if they want to profit. Whatsmore some of them grows more prolific.

They may even have a website a simple few emails could save alot of people committing unknown aparadhe.

[stonehearted]

I third it! As one of those who introduced Tulasi to the West (with Govinda dasi), it makes no sense to me. Besides, what they always advertise is ocimum sanctum (Holy Basil), which, if I remember correctly covers both Krishna Tulasi and Rama Tulasi.