Explaining Srimati Tulsi devi and how to honour her.
Srila Prabhupada - "Tulasi leaf is very, very dear to Visnu. All Visnu-tattva Deities require profusely Tulasi leaves.
Lord Visnu likes garland 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.
Tulasi leaf 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, as you have seen on the Govinda Album.
In honoring Tulasi leaf on prasadam, best to swallow whole when chewing Krishna prasad.
I am giving you herewith three mantras for Tulsi Devi as follows:
vrindaai tulasi devyai priyaai kesavasya cavisnubhaktiprade devi satyavatyai namo namah
This is offering obeisances, bowing down (pancanga pranam). And when collecting leaves from the plant, the following mantra should be chanted:
tulasya mrta janmasi sada tvam kesavapriyakesavarthi cinomi tvam barada bhava sobhine
So there are three mantras, one for bowing down, one for circumambulating, and one for collecting the leaves.
The collecting of leaves should be done once in the morning for worshiping and for putting on the plates of foodstuff to be offered.
On each bowl or plate there should be at least one leaf.
So you follow and practice these Tulasi affairs and you try to distribute your experience to all the other centers, that will be a new chapter in the history of Krsna Consciousness Movement. (Letter to Govinda dasi April 7th 1970 Los Angeles, California USA)
Some have asked if we can take seeds from a fruit, or the seeds from a Tulsi Manjari, which have already been offered to Lord Krsna, then plant those seeds and then again offer the fruit grown on that tree?
I don't think the sastra has gone to this extent in analyzing this sort of issue.
I do know that Hari Bhakti Vilasa says that one can touch bhoga with a tulasi twig if one has no tulasi leaves to put on it.
And one can do this over and over again. Just wash the twig in between use. But then we are not offering the full trig just touching the bhoga with it.
Probably people do plant seeds that they have gotten from prasadam tulasi and then later use the leaves for offering to Krsna. After all the leaves are different from the seeds.
Although the seeds were offered the plant grows leaves and more seeds which have not been offered. So it's an interesting question but I think this level of question isn't answered.
For example we offer water to Krsna, that same water will eventually end up in the sea (we drink it, urinate it out, it gets absorbed in the earth, flows to the sea) is then evaporate by the sun and come back down as rain and comes back to us again, and again we can offer it.
Ultimately everything comes from the Lord and is being offered back to Him although it is a part of Him.
Even we are parts of Him. I think the devotion is more important than taking these issues to the nth degree.
Some have asked if we can take seeds from a fruit or the seeds from a Tulsi Manjari which are offered to Lord Krsna, then plant those seeds and then offer the fruit grown on that tree?
ReplyDeleteI don't think the sastra has gone to this extent in analyzing this sort of issue.
I do know that Hari Bhakti Vilasa says that one can touch bhoga with a tulasi twig if one has no tulasi leaves to put on it.
And one can do this over and over again. Just wash the twig in between use. But then we are not offering the full trig just touching the bhoga with it.
Probably people do plant seeds that they have gotten from prasadam tulasi and then later use the leaves for offering to Krsna. After all the leaves are different from the seeds.
Although the seeds were offered the plant grows leaves and more seeds which have not been offered. So it's an interesting question but I think this level of question isn't answered.
For example we offer water to Krsna, that same water will eventually end up in the sea (we drink it, urinate it out, it gets absorbed in the earth, flows to the sea) is then evaporate by the sun and come back down as rain and comes back to us again, and again we can offer it.
Ultimately everything comes from the Lord and is being offered back to Him although it is a part of Him.
Even we are parts of Him. I think the devotion is more important than taking these issues to the nth degree.