Overview
The following article, published in The Gauḍīya, Vol.10, Issue 46, in 1932, is a series of questions and answers regarding the worship of Tulasī Devī. This was written under the direct guidance of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda.
“In 1990, I remember being in Śrī Caitanya Sārasvata Maṭha and Sāgara Mahārāja was reading an article to us about tulasī – it was questions and answers. It had been written in the time of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta. I always remember that article because it touched upon a lot of questions that devotees ask – “Can you eat tulasī? Can you use tulasī for medicine,” and all these things. It would be nice if we could find this article and translate it into English for the devotees…” (Swami B.G. Narasiṅgha, Room Conversation, August 22nd 2013)
QUESTIONS
1) Tulasī is an object most dear to Hari and is worshipable; therefore, would it be an offence to consume Tulasī? Some people swallow Tulasī without chewing it. They say that if one chews, it causes injury to Tulasī’s body. Is this true or not?”
2) Is it permissible to pluck Tulasī from the Tulasī plant on all lunar days? Is plucking Tulasī forbidden on Sundays, on Amāvasyā (the new-moon day), or on Pūrṇimā (the full-moon day)? Some Smārta traditions do not pluck Tulasī on Sundays or on Amāvasyā and similar days – what, then, is the actual śāstrika injunction in this matter?
3) When suffering from colds, fever, and the like, does taking Tulasī juice as a medicine constitute an offense at the feet of Tulasī? Can one grow a Tulasī grove at home in order to ward off malaria or harmful germs and the like? Is there any possibility of offence by doing so?
4) Is it permissible to pierce Tulasī and string them into a garland for the Lord? Is it an offense to cook food by burning Tulasī wood as fuel?
5) Can light-coloured Tulasī be used in the service of Kṛṣṇa?
6) Is offering Tulasī to Nārāyaṇa with intentions such as curing disease, destroying enemies, or removing obstacles considered offensive, or is it an act of devotion?
7) Can day-old Tulasī be used in the worship of Viṣṇu? Generally, stale flowers are not used in worship – should Tulasī likewise be rejected?
8) Is it true that Tulasī became cursed and thus attained birth in the form of a tree, and that she is even subject to neglect or contempt by animals such as dogs?
9) Is Tulasī sued for guru-pūjā, śiva-pūjā etc. or not?
10) Can Tulasī be offered at the feet of the Pañca-Tattva and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī or not?
Can the respected editor of Śrī Gauḍīya kindly oblige us by providing answers, with śāstrika references, to the above-mentioned questions concerning Tulasī?
Humbly,
Śrī Śyāmasundara Deva Śarma
ANSWERS
1) Tulasī is an object most dear to Hari and is worshipable; therefore, would it be an offence to consume Tulasī? Some people swallow Tulasī without chewing it. They say that if one chews, it causes injury to Tulasī’s body. Is this true or not?”
Śrī Tulasī is exceedingly dear to Hari – on this point the śāstra have loudly proclaimed her glories. The use of Tulasī in the service of Śrī Hari is prescribed by the śāstra. Just as accepting with the tongue or chewing śrī-mahā-prasāda for the service of Śrī Hari is not considered an offence, even though it is the divine substance of Viṣṇu, the same principle applies in relation to Śrī Tulasī. Just as eating śrī-mahā-prasāda with a mentality of sense enjoyment is offensive, similarly, consuming Śrī Tulasī under the influence of a sense-enjoying mentality is especially offensive. Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (1st Vilāsa, Verses 58–68) contains extensive evidence on this subject. A few of these references are cited below:
tathā ca tulasī-patra bhakṣaṇāt bhāvavarjjitaḥ
pāpo’pi sad-gatiṁ prāpta ity etad api viśrutam
It is well known that by eating a Tulasī leaf, at the time of leaving the body, one attains both the destruction of sins and a good destination.
bhakṣitaṁ lubdhakena api patraṁ tulasī-sambhavam
paścād diṣṭāntam āpanno bhasmī-bhūtaṁ kalevaram
Consuming a Tulasī leaf before death completely burns away all sins even in the body of a person considered a candāla (a dog-eater).
sitāsitaṁ yathā nīraṁ sarva-pāpakṣayā bahum
tathā ca tulasī-patraṁ prāśitaṁ sarva-kāmadam
Just as the white and dark waters of the Gaṅgā and Yamunā destroy all sins, in the same way, by consuming a Tulasī leaf, all sins are eradicated.
tāvattiṣṭhanti pāpāni dehināṁ yama-kinkarāḥ
yāvanna tulasī-patraṁ mukhe śirasi tiṣṭhati
O servants of Yama, as long as a Tulasī leaf does not reside on the mouth or the head of a human being, bodily sins continue to remain.
amṛta-dukhitā dhātrī tulasī viṣṇu-vallabhā
smṛtā saṅkīrtitā dhyātā prāśitā sarva-kāmadā
When the amalakī, which appeared from nectar, and Tulasī, who is dear to Viṣṇu, are remembered, praised, meditated upon, or eaten, they fulfil all desires.
yukto yadi mahā-papaiḥ sukṛtaṁ nārjitaṁ kvacit
tathāpi gīyate mokṣa-tulasī bhakṣitā yadi
Even a person who has never accumulated any good deeds and is steeped in great sins attains liberation if they consume Tulasī.
upoṣya dvādaśīṁ śuddhāṁ pāraṇe tulasī-dalam
prāśayed yadi viprendra aśvamedhaṣṭikaṁ labhet
If on a pure Dvādaśī one observes a fast and then takes a Tulasī leaf at the time of breaking the fast, it is said that one attains the results that are equivalent to performing eight Aśvamedha sacrifices.
The śāstra mentions countless results of consuming Tulasī, thus encouraging one to honour Tulasī with a mind devoted to service. Śāstra glorifies the act of chewing Tulasī. In the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, we see this in the account of the sādhana-filled life of a former prostitute, who attained mercy through the saviour of the fallen, Ṭhākura Haridāsa:
tulasī-sevana kare carvana upavāsa
indriya-damana haila premera prakāsa
She served Tulasī, ate Tulasī, and fasted. By controlling her senses, prema manifested. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 3.141)
When Tulasī is taken with a mentality of sense enjoyment, one is effectively attempting to injure her body. But when Tulasī is chewed with a disposition inclined toward service, one attains kṛṣṇa-prema through the mercy of Tulasī.
2) Is it permissible to pluck Tulasī from the Tulasī plant on all lunar days? Is plucking Tulasī forbidden on Sundays, on Amāvasyā (the new-moon day), or on Pūrṇimā (the full-moon day)? Some Smārta traditions do not pluck Tulasī on Sundays or on Amāvasyā and similar days—what, then, is the actual śāstrika injunction in this matter?
In Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (Seventh Vilāsa, verse 108), quoting a statement from the Viṣṇu-dharmottara, it is said:
na cchindyāt tulasīṁ viprāḥ dvādaśyāṁ vaiṣṇavaḥ kvacit
O brāhmaṇas, a Vaiṣṇava should never, under any circumstances, cut or pick Tulasī on Dvādaśī.
saṅkrāntyādau niṣiddho ’pi tulya-avacayaḥ smṛtau
paraṁ śrī-viṣṇu-bhaktaiḥ tu dvādaśyām eva neṣyate
Although in the Smṛti it is stated that picking Tulasī is prohibited on days such as Saṅkrānti and others, for devotees of Śrī Viṣṇu, such a prohibition is only to be accepted on Dvādaśī.
Commentary (by Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī):
saṅkrānto pakṣayor atte dvādaśyāṁ ravi-vāsare. tulasīṁ ye vicinvantīty-ādi-vacanaiḥ smṛti-śāstre niṣiddho ’pi paraṁ kevalaṁ dvādaśyāmeḥ tulyā avacayo neṣyate.
Although in the Smṛti-śāstras the picking of Tulasī is prohibited on days such as Saṅkrānti – that is, on Saṅkrānti, Amāvasyā, Pūrṇimā, Dvādaśī, and Sundays –devotees of Viṣṇu desire to refrain from picking Tulasī only on Dvādaśī. (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, Seventh Vilāsa, verse 107)
devārthe tulasī-cchedo homārthe samidhās tathā
indukṣaye na duṣyeta gavārthe tu tṛṇya ca
(Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, Seventh Vilāsa 7th Vilāsa, verse 108)
The meaning is that there is no fault in picking Tulasī for Viṣṇu on Amāvasyā, in cutting wood for the purpose of sacrifice, or in cutting grass for the sake of cows.
3) When suffering from colds, fever, and the like, does taking Tulasī juice as a medicine constitute an offense at the feet of Tulasī? Can one grow a Tulasī grove at home in order to ward off malaria or harmful germs and the like? Is there any possibility of offence by doing so?
Tulasī is the beloved of Kṛṣṇa, therefore she should be engaged only in the service of Kṛṣṇa. If Tulasī is used with the aim of one’s own enjoyment rather than for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure, it becomes an offence at the feet of Tulasī and hinders bhakti. Using Tulasī as a remedy for colds, fever, malaria, or harmful germs with the aim of gratifying one’s own senses is an offence at the feet of Tulasī.
Such activities extinguish the tendency towards bhakti to Bhagavān and cause the jīva to wander along the path of material existence. Devotees of Bhagavān, apart from a sole intention for the happiness of Kṛṣṇa’s service, never – like Rāvaṇa, with wicked intelligence – attempt to ‘enjoy’ that which is beloved of Kṛṣṇa.
4) Is it permissible to pierce Tulasī leaves and string them into a garland for the Lord? Is it an offence to cook food by burning Tulasī wood as fuel?
Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (7th Vilāsa, verses 88, 89) states:
puṣpāntarair astaritaṁ nirmitaṁ tulasī-dalaiḥ
mālyaṁ malaya-jālīptaṁ dadyāt śrī-rāma-mūrdhani
vācaṁ niyamya cātmānaṁ mano viṣṇau nidhāya ca
yo ’rcayen tulasī-mālyair yajña-koṭi-phalaṁ bhavet
bhavāndha-kūpa-magnānām etad uddhāra-kāraṇam
At intervals, one should weave a garland of Tulasī leaves, interspersed with flowers, and after anointing it with sandalwood paste, offer it upon the head of Śrī Rāma. One who restrains the speech, regulates the mind, and offers it at the lotus feet of Śrī Viṣṇu, performing worship of Hari with a Tulasī garland, attains secondary results equivalent to millions of yajñas. Worship of Śrī Viṣṇu with a Tulasī garland should not be done simply to satisfy one’s own senses. When performed properly, it becomes a bridge for the deliverance of those who have fallen into the well of material existence.
From the above statement, it is understood that stringing Tulasī into a garland for the satisfaction of Śrī Hari’s senses is not harmful – rather, it increases bhakti. In Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, there are many more statements regarding stringing Tulasī into garlands specifically for the service of Śrī Hari:
saḥ punaḥ tulasī-patraiḥ komala-mañjarī-ṣuṭaiḥ
pūjayet sūtra-baddhaiḥ kṛṣṇaṁ devakī-nandanam
One should worship Kṛṣṇa, the son of Devakī, with garlands strung from tender Tulasī leaves along with flower buds. (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, 7th Vilāsa)
The use of Tulasī wood for the service of Lord Śrī Viṣṇu is sanctioned by śāstra.
yo dadāti hare-dhūpaṁ tulasī-kāṣṭa-bahninā
śatakṛtu-samaṁ puṇyaṁ go ’yutaṁ labhate phalam
One who offers incense to Śrī Hari using Tulasī wood attains merit equivalent to a hundred yajñas and the fruit of donating ten thousand cows. (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, 8th Vilāsa, verse 110; from the Dhṛta-Prahlāda Saṁhitā)
yad gṛhe tulasī-kāṣṭhaṁ patraṁ śuṣka-mathārja kam
bhavate naiva pāpaṁ tad gṛhe saṅkrāmate kalo
patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ kāṣṭhaṁ tvaḳ śākhā pallavānkuram
tulasī-sambhavaṁ mūlaṁ pāvanaṁ mṛttikād api
naivedyaṁ pacate yas tu tulasī-kāṣṭa-vahninā
meru-tulyam bhaved annaṁ tad dattaṁ keśavāya hi
Whether dry or moist, in any form, Tulasī wood or Tulasī leaves, if they are present in the home, even in Kali-yuga, sin cannot enter that place. All parts of Tulasī – its leaves, flowers, fruits, wood, stem, branches, foliage, sprouts, roots, and even the soil – are completely pure. If food is cooked using the fire of Tulasī wood and then offered to Śrī Bhagavān Viṣṇu, that food becomes as meritorious as Mount Sumeru itself. (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, 9th Vilāsa, verses 54–55)
Tulasī can be used in every way, for Viṣṇu’s service or for one’s sense-enjoyment. However, if used in that way, it will become a bridge to hell for the senses of a jīva who is averse to the Lord.
5) Can light-coloured Tulasī be used in the service of Kṛṣṇa?
Quoting the śāstrika statement from Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, Seventh Vilāsa, verse 96, it is said:
tulasī kṛṣṇa-gaurābhā tayā vyarcca janārdanam
naro jāti tanuṁ tyaktva vaiṣṇavīṁ śāśvatīṁ gatim
One who worships Śrī Viṣṇu with Tulasī, distinguished by dark and light colours, attains the eternal state of a Vaiṣṇava after leaving the body.
6) Is offering Tulasī to Nārāyaṇa with intentions such as curing disease, destroying enemies, or removing obstacles considered offensive, or is it an act of devotion?
The practice of offering Tulasī and similar items to Narāyaṇa for the purpose of curing disease, destroying enemies, removing obstacles, or fulfilling any natural desire – in other words, for gratifying one’s own senses – has been observed in the world among karmīs and certain impure sampradāyas. This gives rise to offences and is an obstacle to bhakti. Thus, one should completely abandon all such sinful activities that are unfavourable to bhakti in every sense, for the sake of one’s own welfare. As long as the inclination of a jīva is to use Kṛṣṇa’s service as a means for gratifying their own senses rather than for serving Him, the welfare of such a jīva will remains very distant. Those who engage in such illicit activities themselves, or in any way allow others to do so, are all forever fallen from devotion and are offenders.
7) Can day-old Tulasī be used in the worship of Viṣṇu? Generally, stale flowers are not used in worship – should Tulasī likewise be rejected?
Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, 7th Vilāsa, verse 54 quotes the following śāstra:
na paryuṣita doṣo ’sti jalajotpala-campake
tulasyagastya-bakule viśve gaṅgā-jale tathā
There is no fault in offering lotus flowers, campaka flowers, tulasī leaves, agastya flowers, bakula flowers, bilva leaves, as well as Gaṅgā water – even if they are old.
varjyaṁ paryuṣitaṁ puṣpaṁ varjyaṁ paryuṣitaṁ phalam
na varjyat tulasī-patra na varjyaṁ jāhnavī-jalam
In the worship of Śrī Hari, offered flowers and fruits may be discarded, but Tulasī leaves and Gaṅgā water, even after being offered, should never be discarded. (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, 7th Vilāsa, verse 81, from Nāradīya Purāṇa)
8) Is it true that Tulasī was cursed and thus attained a birth in the form of a tree, and that she is even subject to neglect or contempt by animals such as dogs?
The opinion that “Tulasī became cursed and took birth as a tree etc” is full of deception and is averse to the Lord. Vaiṣṇavas that are pure and are tattva-vijñā (knowledgeable of tattva) are not deceived by statements about Bhagavān Viṣṇu or the activities of the devotees of Bhagavān, as the Vaiṣṇavas apparently ‘roam on the path of karma’, or the misleading and deceptive statements about the birth and activities of Viṣṇu and the Vaiṣṇavas.All these interpolated and agenda-driven opinions are observed everywhere, intended to deceive those who are averse to the Lord. Persons who are established in the truth are not deceived by this. We read refutations of such averse, delusive doctrines in the teachings to Śrī Sanātana found in the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta:
mauṣala-līlā, āra kṛṣṇa-antardhāna
keśāvatāra, āra viruddha vyākhyāna
mahiṣī-haraṇa ādi, saba māyāmaya
vyākhyā śikhāila yaiche su-siddhānta haya
The mauṣala-līlā, Kṛṣṇa’s disappearance, the keśa-avatāra, contradictory explanations, and the abduction of the queens of Dvārakā etc. – these are all comprised of māyā. Mahāprabhu taught interpretations by which the correct conclusion is reached. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23)
The account of Rāvaṇa’s abduction of Māyā Sītā, as cited in the Śrī-caritāmṛta, is also to be analysed in relation to this. Śrī Tulasī Devī is not a material tree. Śrī Śālagrāma, Śrī Tulasī, the Gaṅgā, and similar Viṣṇu/Vaiṣṇava entities eternally reside in Vaikuṇṭha. They descend into this world, together with their opulence of Vaikuṇṭha, for the welfare of the jīvas. When one serves them with a service-oriented heart, under the guidance of the guru and the Vaiṣṇavas, their true nature is realised and their mercy is achieved. Otherwise, by viewing them merely as ordinary material objects, one becomes deprived and is led onto the path to hell.
9) Is Tulasī sued for guru-pūjā, śiva-pūjā etc. or not?
Śrī Tulasī is the beloved of Kṛṣṇa, a Vaiṣṇavī, and in the āśraya-vigraha category.* Śrī Gurudeva is bhagavad-vigraha (non-different from the Lord) belonging to the āśraya category. Śrī Śiva is the best of Vaiṣṇavas. Hence, a servant cannot worship one entity in the āśraya category by means of another entity in the āśraya category – that is an offence. A detailed discussion on this subject, may be found in The Gauḍīya.*
*Translator’s Note: “Guru is bhagavad-vigraha in the āśraya category” – it is also said that Kṛṣṇa is sevya-bhagavān (The form of the Lord who accepts service), and guru is sevaka-bhagavān (the form of the Lord who renders service). He is as good as Hari (sākṣāt-hari).
Although Śrī Guru, Tulasī, and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī are all in the category of āśraya entities, one does not ‘use’ one āśraya to worship another. Although the guru is āśraya-tattva and worships Tulasī and Rādhārāṇī (who are also āśraya-tattva), he does so, not as objects of utility, but as devotees and mediators in kṛṣṇa-sevā, maintaining a proper devotional order. The prohibition in the text refers only to using āśraya entities as instruments or for material ends, which is an offence.
10) Can Tulasī be offered at the feet of the Pañca-Tattva and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī or not?
Among the Pañca-Tattva, one may offer Tulasī at the feet of the viṣaya, or the three forms of Viṣṇu – namely, Śrī Gaurasundara in His own form, Baladeva Śrī Nityānanda, and the Mahā-Viṣṇu avatāra, Śrī Advaita Prabhu. However, Śrī Tulasī should not be offered at the lotus feet of the āśraya-vigraha category, or śakti-tattva, such as Śrīvāsa or Śrī Gadādhara. Tulasī should not be offered at the feet of Śrīmatī. However, Tulasī may be offered to their hands. A detailed discussion and supporting evidence on this subject can be found in earlier issues of The Gauḍīya.
(Translated into English by Swami Bhaktivijñāna Giri)
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