Srimati Tulasi Devi | The Hare Krishna Movement

Srimati Tulasi devi (praṇāmas) Prayers

16 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Sri Tulasi Pranama, Srimati Tulasi Devi, Tulasi Tags: auspiciousness, devotional service to tulasi, Lord Kesava, namo namah tulasi krsna preyasi nomo mamah, o goddess, Spiritual world, Sri Tulasi devi, Srila Prabhupada, Srimati Tulasi Devi, Tulasi, tulasi is all auspicious, tulasi tree, Vrnda, vrndayai tulasi devyai, you bestow devotional service to Krsna

“Tulasi is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simply by touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simply by bowing before, simply by hearing about, or simply by sowing this tree, there is always auspiciousness. Anyone who comes in touch with the Tulasi tree in the above mentioned ways lives eternally in the spiritual world.” (—Srila Prabhupada, The Nectar of Devotion)

Śrī Tulasī-praṇāma

(oṁ) vṛndāyai tulasī-devyai priyāyai keśavasya ca
kṛṣṇa-bhakti-prade devi satyavatyai namo namaḥ

I offer my repeated obeisances unto Vṛndā, Śrīmatī Tulasī-devī, who is very dear to Lord Keśava.
O goddess, you bestow devotional service to Kṛṣṇa and you possess the highest truth.

Appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the Glories of Srimati Tulasi

31 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Advaita Acarya, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Chanting Hare Krishna, Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta, Srimati Tulasi Devi Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Sri Caitanya's descent, Advaita Acarya, appears by the desire of His devotee, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, protector of religion, srimati tulasi, tulasi buds in water from the ganges, Tulasi devi

…Whenever the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends in His human form, He sends ahead all His devotees, who act as His father, teacher and associates in many roles. Such personalities appear before the descent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Before the appearance of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, there appeared His devotees like Śrī Mādhavendra Purī; His spiritual master, Śrī Īśvara Purī; His mother, Śrīmatī Śacīdevī; His father, Śrī Jagannātha Miśra; and Śrī Advaita Ācārya.

Advaita Ācārya having appeared, He found the world devoid of devotional service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa because people were engrossed in material affairs.

Everyone was engaged in material enjoyment, whether sinfully or virtuously. No one was interested in the transcendental service of the Lord, which can give total relief from the repetition of birth and death.

Seeing the activities of the world, the Ācārya felt compassion and began to ponder how He could act for the people’s benefit.

[Advaita Ācārya thought:] “If Śrī Kṛṣṇa were to appear as an incarnation, He Himself could preach devotion by His personal example.

“In this Age of Kali there is no religion other than the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, but how in this age will the Lord appear as an incarnation?

“I shall worship Kṛṣṇa in a purified state of mind. I shall constantly petition Him in humbleness.

“My name, ‘Advaita,’ will be fitting if I am able to induce Kṛṣṇa to inaugurate the movement of the chanting of the holy name.”

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is very affectionate toward His devotees, sells Himself to a devotee who offers Him merely a tulasī leaf and a palmful of water.”

Advaita Ācārya considered the meaning of the verse in this way: Not finding any way to repay the debt He owes to one who offers Him a tulasī leaf and water, Lord Kṛṣṇa thinks, “There is no wealth in My possession that is equal to a tulasī leaf and water.”

Thus the Lord liquidates the debt by offering Himself to the devotee. Considering this, the Ācārya began worshiping the Lord.

Thinking of the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, He constantly offered tulasī buds in water from the Ganges.

He appealed to Śrī Kṛṣṇa with loud calls and thus made it possible for Kṛṣṇa to appear.

Therefore the principal reason for Śrī Caitanya’s descent is this appeal by Advaita Ācārya. The Lord, the protector of religion, appears by the desire of His devotee.

Marriage of Shalagrama and Tulasi

27 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Festivals, Srimati Tulasi Devi, Tulasi-saligram Vivaha Tags: festivals, Lakshmi-Narayana, mandapa, marriage of Shalagrama and Tulasi, Narada-pancaratra, Saligram, Sri Padmanabha gosai, Tulasi, Tulasi-Saligram Vivaha, Veda, yajna-kunda

Marriage of Shalagrama and Tulasi
(Tulasi-Saligram Vivaha)
Written by Sri Padmanabha Gosai

Shri Vasishthaji said that what I have heard in ancient times from Lord Brahma about the marriage of Tulasi I will now describe according to what is written in the Narada-pancaratra. First one should plant Tulasi either in the house or the forest, and after three years one may perform her marriage. The auspicious times when one may perform the marriage of Shalagrama and Tulasi are described as follows. When the sun is moving in the north, Jupiter and Venus are rising, in the month of Kartika, from the Ekadashi to the full moon in the month of Magha, and when constellations that are auspicious for marriage appear, especially the full moon day. – First one should arrange a place for sacrifice (yajna-kunda) under a canopy (mandapa). Then after performing shanti-vidhana, one should install sixteen goddesses, and do the shraddha ceremony for his female maternal ancestors.

The Eight Names of Vrinda-devi

10 Nov 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas, Srimati Tulasi Devi Tags: Asta-nama--satva, Krishna-jivani, pushpasara, Tulasi, visvapujita, Vrinda-devi, vrindavani

Asta-Nama-Stava from the Padma Purana The Eight Names of Vrinda-devi

On the full moon-day of Kartik Lord Sri Krishna Himself worships Srimati Tulasi-devi with this Mantra.

Vrindavani, vrinda, visvapujita, pushpasara, nandini, Krishna-jivani, visva-pavani, tulasi

VRINDAVANI – One who first manifested in Vrindavan.

VRINDA – The goddess of all plant and trees ( even if one Tulasi plant is present in a forest it can be called Vrindavana.)

VISHVAPUJITA – One whom the whole universe worships.

PUSHPASARA – The topmost of all flowers, without whom Krishna does not like to look upon other flowers.

NANDINI – Seeing whom gives unlimited bliss to the devotees.

KRISHNA-JIVANI – The life of Sri Krishna.

VISHVA-PAVANI – One who purifies the three worlds.

TULASI – One who has no comparison.

Anyone while worshiping Tulasi-devi chants these eight names will get the same results as one who performs the Ashvamedha sacrifice. And one who on the full-moon day of Kartika (Tulasi-devi’s appearance day) worships Her with this Mantra will break free from the bonds of this miserable world of birth and death, and very quickly attains Goloka Vrndavan. On the full moon-day of Kartik Lord Sri Krishna Himself worships Srimati Tulasi-devi with this Mantra.

One who remembers this Mantra will very quickly attain devotion to Lord Krishna’s Transcendental Lotus Feet.

Pasted from; http://www.vrindavan-dham.com/vrinda/songs-prayers.php

The Importance of Srimati Tulasī

14 Sep 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Spiritual World, Srimati Tulasi Devi Tags: Spiritual world, Srimad Bhagavatam, Srimati Tulasi Devi, Tulasi, tulasi garlands, tulasi leaves

Srimati Tulasi and Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra

The most important thing about the spiritual world is that there is no envy among the devotees there. This is true even among the flowers, which are all conscious of the greatness of tulasī.

Although flowering plants like the mandāra, kunda, kurabaka, utpala, campaka, arṇa, punnāga, nāgakeśara, bakula, lily and pārijāta are full of transcendental fragrance, they are still conscious of the austerities performed by tulasī, for tulasī is given special preference by the Lord, who garlands Himself with tulasī leaves.

Purport

The importance of tulasī leaves is very clearly mentioned here. Tulasī plants and their leaves are very important in devotional service. Devotees are recommended to water the tulasī tree every day and collect the leaves to worship the Lord. One time an atheistic svāmī remarked, “What is the use of watering the tulasī plant? It is better to water eggplant. By watering the eggplant one can get some fruits, but what is the use of watering the tulasī?” These foolish creatures, unacquainted with devotional service, sometimes play havoc with the education of people in general.

The most important thing about the spiritual world is that there is no envy among the devotees there. This is true even among the flowers, which are all conscious of the greatness of tulasī. In the Vaikuṇṭha world entered by the four Kumāras, even the birds and flowers are conscious of service to the Lord. (Srimad Bhagavatam)

The Worship of Srimati Tulasi Devi

08 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Nectar of Devotion, Srimati Tulasi Devi Tags: Aspects of Transcendental Service, Srila Prabhupada, Srimati Tulasi Devi, The Nectar of Devotion, Tulasi, Vrnda devi

The Worship of Srimati Tulasi Devi

Tulasi is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simply by touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simply by bowing before, simply by hearing about or simply by sowing this tree, there is always auspiciousness. Anyone who comes in touch with the tulasi tree in the above-mentioned ways lives eternally in the Vaikuntha world.

The Nectar of Devotion 1970 Edition
Chapter 11 Aspects of Transcendental Service
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

In the Skanda Purāṇa there is a statement eulogizing the tulasī tree as follows: “Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the tulasī tree, which can immediately vanquish volumes of sinful activities. Simply by seeing or touching this tree one can become relieved from all distresses and diseases. Simply by offering obeisances to and pouring water on the tulasī tree, one can become freed from the fear of being sent to the court of Yamarāj [the King of death, who punishes the sinful]. If someone sows a tulasī tree somewhere, certainly he becomes devoted to Lord Kṛṣṇa. And when the tulasī leaves are offered in devotion at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, there is the full development of love of Godhead.”

In India every Hindu, even those not belonging to the Vaiṣṇava group, take special care of the tulasī tree. Even in great cities where it is very difficult to keep a tulasī tree, people are to be found very carefully keeping this plant. They water it and offer obeisances to it, because worship of the tulasī tree is very important in devotional service.

In the Skanda Purāṇa there is another statement about tulasī, as follows: “Tulasī is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simply by touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simply by bowing before, simply by hearing about or simply by sowing this tree, there is always auspiciousness. Anyone who comes in touch with the tulasī tree in the above-mentioned ways lives eternally in the Vaikuṇṭha world.”