Tulasi puja(contd) (Tulasi stotra/puja.19)

Tulasi puja(contd) (Tulasi stotra/puja.19)

Tulasi Puja Vidhana 

https://youtu.be/GPtAAaCat4c

Among all articles which are offered to the Lord, Tulasi is most highly praised. Therefore one may perform perfect worship of the Lord by simply offering pure water and Tulasi leaves (Raghunatha das Goswami, Advaita Acarya). According to the Garuda Purana, Tulasi must always be offered on the naivedyam.

tulasi vina ya kriyate na puja
snanam na tat yat tulasi vinakrtam
bhuktam na tat yat tulasi vinakrtam
pitam na tat yat tulasi vinakrtam

Puja, bathing and offering of food and drink performed without Tulasi cannot be considered as puja, bathing and offering to the Lord. The Lord does not accept anything or drink anything that is without Tulasi. Brhad Naradiya Purana

During the puja, one should offer Tulasi leaves to the Lord’s feet. Tulasi garlands may also be offered around His neck. Some say that gandha, flowers and Tulasi should be offered at least three times, washing the hands each time before offering. The article is offered in the right hand, while the left hand touches the right arm. Some say that offering eight Tulasi leaves is best.

Plucking Tulasi

One should be clean before touching or plucking Tulasi.

asnatva tulasim citva yah pujam kurute narah
so’paradhi bhaven nityam tat sarvam nisphalam bhavet

One who picks Tulasi without having bathed and then performs worship is an offender, and all his activities becomes useless. Vayu Purana

Tulasi should not be plucked on dvadasi.

nacchindat tulasim vipra dvadasyam vaisnavah kvacit

The Vaisnava should never pick Tulasi on dvadasi tithi. Visnu Dharmottara

One should pluck the leaves with the right hand, holding the branch in the left hand, being careful not to break the branches.

patranam cayane vipra bhagna sakha yada bhavet
tada hrdi vyatha visnor diyate tulasi pateh
karatala trayam dattva cinuyat tulasi dalam
yatha na kampate sakha tulasya divyasattama

If when picking Tulasi leaves one breaks the branches, Visnu feels pain in His heart. One should clap the hands three times before picking Tulasi and pick in such a way that the branches do not shake. Visnu Smrti

One should say:

tulasy amrta janmasi sada tva kesava priya
kesavarthe vicinvami barada bhava sobhane

tvad anga sambhavaih patraih pujayami yatha harim
tatha kuru pavitrangi kalau mala vinasini

Oh Tulasi, born from the ocean of nectar, you are eternally the dearmost of Kesava. For His worship I now pluck you. Please bestow blessings on me.

Oh Tulasi, being pure in body and the destroyer of the sins of Kali-yuga, I will worship the Lord using leaves coming from your body. You should make that worship successful.

If Tulasi is unavailable, one may touch Tulasi wood to the Lord’s body as an offering of Tulasi. If wood is unavailable one should chant the name of Tulasi and perform the puja meditating on her presence. (i.e. etat tulasi patram sri krsnaya namah)



Tulasi leaf is very, very dear to Visnu. All Visnu-tattva deities require profuse Tulasi leaves. Lord Visnu likes garlands of Tulasi leaves. Tulasi leaves mixed with sandalwood pulp and placed on the lotus feet of the Lord is the topmost worship. But we must be very careful that Tulasi leaves cannot be placed on the feet of anyone else except Lord Visnu and His different forms. Tulasi leaves cannot be placed even on the lotus feet of Radharani or on the lotus feet of the spiritual master. It is entirely reserved for being placed on the lotus feet of Krsna. We can place, however, Tulasi leaves in the hands of Radharani for being placed on the lotus feet of Krsna.

Glories of Tulasi

Tulasi is glorified throughout the Puranas and Pancaratra. Visnu created Tulasi at the time of the churning of the milk ocean for the spiritual upliftment of the souls in the material world. Tulasi is considered to be more dear to the Lord than Laksmi, for, by performing extreme austerities and loving worship of the Lord with the aim of having the Lord as her husband, Visnu surrendered to her wish.

There is no better recipient of charity than vipra, no better gift than giving of cows, no better tirtha than the Ganga, and no better leaf than the Tulasi leaf. Whatever can be obtained by offering all types of flowers and leaves, may be attained by simply offering one leaf of Tulasi, Offering flowers of gold, jewels and pearls is not equal to offering Tulasi.

By offering Tulasi one is released from sins accumulated for one koti of lifetimes. By offering Tulasi to the head of the Lord all the unmentionable and undetected sins are destroyed. By sprinkling the Lord’s house with water using a Tulasi leaf, one is freed from all great sins. By offering Tulasi one destroys enemies, increases wealth, and guarantees liberation from material birth. One is certain to attain Vaikuntha. The fragrance of Tulasi leaves, the flower of the malati plant and the milk from a brown cow are the three items which most quickly satisfy Kesava.

dhatri phalani tulasi hy antakale bhaved yadi
mukhe caiva sirasya ange patakam nasti tasya vai

If one has amalaki fruits or Tulasi leaves in one’s mouth or on one’s head or body when one dies, one is guaranteed not to suffer in hell. Brahma Purana



Please take care of the Tulasi plants in the following way. This is the best season for growing Tulasi plants. From 15 April to 15 June is the best season for growing this plant. Now I understand that the seedlings are coming out, so the whole spot if possible may be covered by some net because the seedling stage creepers, being very delicate, are sometimes eaten up by the sparrows, so we have to give a little protection from attack of the sparrows. All the devotees should pour water at least once in the morning before taking prasadam. The watering should not be very much large in quantity, but it should be poured just to keep the ground soft and moist. Sunlight also should be allowed. When the creepers are grown at least 7 inches high, then you can take them out from the planting soil and transplant them in a row in a different place. Then go on watering and they will grow like anything. I think this plant cannot grow in cold countries, but if the plants are dispatched from your place and if the devotees take care of the plant with a little care in a flower pot then it may grow.


The Glories Of Tulasi puja from Sri Garga-Samhita

(2.16)

Sri Radha, the goddess of the rasa dance, spoke to Her friend Candranana, the best of the knowers of religion. Sri Radha said, “Please tell Me what kind of worship I should perform to please Sri Krsna, worship that will bring auspiciousness, piety, and the fulfillment of My desire. O beautiful one, you heard the religious scriptures from Garga Muni’s own mouth. O noble hearted one, please tell Me what vow or what worship I should perform.” Hearing Radha’s words, and reflecting on them in her heart for a moment, Candranana, the best of all friends, replied, “O Radha, service to Tulasi gives the greatest piety, the greatest good fortune and the greatest benediction. It gives Lord Krsna’s association. You should always gaze on Tulasi, touch her. Then she will grant Your desire.”

“They who, day after day, serve Tulasi in these nine ways attain the results of pious deeds performed in many thousands of millions of yugas… As many branches, sub-branches, seeds, flowers and leaves as are on the Tulasi he has planted, so many ancestors and descendants in His family for thousands of kalpa-yugas will go to Lord Krsna’s transcendental abode. O Radha, by offering Him every flower and leaf that exists, a person who, with offerings of Tulasi-leaves worships Lord Krsna is not touched by sin as a lotus is not touched by water… A home in the midst of a Tulasi forest is a sacred pilgrimage place. Yamaraj’s servants will never enter that home.”

“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.”

“O friend, as four-faced Brahma cannot describe all the glories of Lord Krsna, who holds the Sarnga bow, so he cannot describe all the glories of Tulasi. A man or woman who offers sandal-paste and Tulasi to Sri Krsnacandra’s feet attains the results I have told to You. O gopi, serve Tulasi every day. Then Sri Krsna will come under Your control [having won His heart.]”

After hearing Candranana’s words, Sri Radha, the queen of the rasa dance, in order to please Lord Krsna, began to serve 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 served Sri Tulasi. Beginning with the full moon of the month of Asvina (Sept/Oct), and ending with the full moon of Caitra (Mar/Apr), to please Sri Krsna, saintly Radha followed a vow with great devotion. Month after month She sprinkled Tulasi with milk, sugar-cane juice, grape-juice, mango-juice, pancamrta, and many kinds of sweet and cool juices. On the first day of Vaisakha (Apr/May), She ended the vow. King Vrsabhanu’s daughter, Radha, then pleased two hundred-thousand brahmanas with a great feast of fifty six courses. Then Radha gave them daksina of a hundred bharas of gold and pearls to each brahmana. The demigods showered flowers on the Tulasi temple.

Then, seated on a glorious throne on a gold pedestal, Her eyes like lotus petals, and Her gold crown and earrings glittering, beautiful four-armed Tulasi, who is dear to Lord Krsna, 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-like 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 Krsna will be kind to You, You are very fortunate.”

To Tulasi, who spoke these words and who is dear to Lord Krsna, Radha bowed and said, “May I have unalloyed devotion for Lord Krsna’s lotus feet.” Saying, “So be it, ” Krsna’s beloved Tulasi disappeared. Then Radha, King Vrsabhanu’s daughter, went home happy at heart.

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.

All glories to Srimate Vrinda-devi!!!

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TULASI PUJA--AN INDIAN  TRADITION


https://youtu.be/al6v51EYD20