Tulasi mahAthmyam : Part 1
From the Bhakti List Archives
• August 4, 1999
Dear Sri Rajam Ravikumar : It is my pleasure to respond to your request for information on Tulasi in our sampradhAyam . Let us start with some background information on the sacred Basil plant , TuLasi . It is a shrub , whose pathrams (leaves) are used with reverence for worshipping Sriman NaarAyaNan by His BhakthAs from time immemorial .Yathis (SanyAsis )in our sampradhAyam wear a petal of TuLasi used in Bhagavadh AarAdhanam inside their outter ears for purifying the amangala sabdhams (inauspicious sounds )that they may come across during the day . The medicinal qualities are well recorded in AaayurvEdham text books . Vaayu , Padma , BhavishyOtthara PurANams describe the glory of Thulasi Devi. According to these PurANAs, ThuLasi originated from amrutha mathanam ( churning of the milky ocean to produce nectar by the Lord )during His avathAram as the giant Koormam(tortoise). ThuLasi devi 's marriage to the Lord is celebrated on the twelfth day of the first part (Sukla Paksham )of the month of Kaarthikai. This is known as TuLasI vivAham , where an image of Bala KrishNan is married to TuLasi dEvi in a traditional manner .This year , the TuLasi vivAham day falls on the 20th of November, which is also the Kaisika Dwadasi day .As many of you know , Kaisika PurANam is read before Sri RanganAthA on that day and there is also a special Arayar Sevai at Thirukkurunkudi called Kaisiki Natanam .I will write about that festival and the rare dance (Arayar Sevai) performed only at ThirukkuRunguDi in a few days time in the context of another Kaimkaryam under plan . Coming Back to ThuLasi MahAthmyam ,We show our reverence to ThuLasi by having it in our houses in India .We create a home for it in a special cement platform known as ThuLasi BhrundhAvanam or ThuLasi matam .Now we can understand the context of ThuLasi Devi's marriage to Baala KrishNan on Kaiski dhwAdasi day in the context of the roamings of our Lord Baala KrishNA in BrundhAvanam wearing Kaatu-Mallikai and Kaatu-Thulasi in His VyjayanthI garland (Vana Maalai) : VandhE BhrundhAvanacharam VallavI-Jana Vallabham Jayanthi Sambhavam dhAma vyjayanthI VibhUshaNam __ Sri GopAla Vimsathi: SlOkam 1 of Swami Desikan We pick the tender leaves of the TuLasi plant with appropriate manthrAs for our usage in the daily AarAdhanam for the Lord .We will describe these manthrAs in the next posting. Saint ThyagarAjA had composed 5 beautiful krithis to offer his homage to ThuLasi dEvi and called her affectionately as ThuLasammA .These songs and their Raagams are: (1) Devi ! Sri ThuLasammA ---MaayAmALa GouLai (2)ThuLasi Bilva MallikAdhi-----KedAra GouLai (3)Sri ThuLasammA ! MaayinDa nelakOnavamma--Deva GhAndhAri (4)Amma ! Raavamma, ThuLasamma nanu Paalimpu--KalyANi (5)ThuLasi Jagajjanani! dhurithApahAriNI !--sAvEri In the first krithi , Saint ThyagarAjA says that he has been cheerfully worshipping the holy feet of the Lord , the DharmAthmA , with TuLasi leaves. In the second krithi , the Saint refers to his archanaa of the Lord's various limbs with sweet- smelling TuLasi in a nishkAmya ( not expecting any fruits for the worship ) manner with a mind overwhelmed with bhakthi. In the third krithi , He addresses TuLasi dEvi as , "Sri ThuLasammA " and invtes Her to take Her abode in his house . He says : " Who is Your equal in this world ? Please come to my house bedecked with a lace saree , gold jewels, pearl necklaces and in the company of Your Lord looking at You adoringly, while You are praised by sages and rulers of the kingdoms ". In the fourth Krithi set in Raagam KalyANi ,the Saint requests ThuLasi Mother to come to his protection and states that he reposed his faith in Her blessed feet always. He points out that Sriman NaarAyaNan does not part with ThuLasi Devi even in His dreams .He states that the special reason for the Lord's love for Her is Her soft body , Parimalam (fragrance ) and glory ( mahathvam), which in turn leads to the Lord wearing Her on His crown with great affection . In the fifth krithi , Saint ThyagarAjA addresses ThuLasi Devi as the Mother of the Universe and destroyer of all sins . He says: " No Gods can equal You in steadfastness in devotion to Your Lord . Your holy feet are veritable paradise for the rivers (puNya Theerthams).Your body is the abode of all devAs! Over Your head shines all Nigamams (Vedhams)". We get an appreciation ofthe greatnes of TuLasi MaathA from saint ThyagarAjA's sthuthis . Our AzhwArs have praised Sriman NaarAyanan as ThirutthuzhAi Marbhan , ThirutthuzhAi Mudiyan and longed for the prasAdham of that ThirutthuzhAi, which has had His dEha sambhandham to remove their sufferings caused by separation from Him( AndaaL, Swami NammAzhwAr and Kaliyan ).ThiruppANAzhwAr in his AmalanAdhipirAn Paasuram salutes that Thirumudi of Sri RanganAthan adorned with Thulasi Devi as garland as " thuLabha virayAr Kamazh neeL mudi yem IyaanAr " .His divya KirItam indicates His supermacy as Ubhaya VibhUthi Naathan. What do we see on that KirItam ? A Thulasi garland wrapped around . That makes ThuLasi according to Swami Desikan "SarvAdhika soochakam " ( indicative of its supreme nature by all measures ).Such is the glory of our ThuLasi Devi. At ThiruviNNagar , MaarkaNdEya Maharishi performed penance in a ThuLasi Vanam ( Forest of ThuLasi bushes ) and Bhumi Devi incarnated as a small baby there.The sage was delighted to see this divine baby with dhivya thEjas and raised Her as His own daughter . Lord Sriman NaarAyaNaa appeared before the Sage as a old man and sought the hand of the child , BhUmi Devi and won her hand as described in the sthala purANam . The Thulasi Vanam was ideal for Sri BhUMi Devi's avathAram at ThiruviNNagar . Etymologically , the word TuLasi is derived as , "thulAm Saadhrusyam syAth ".One of the meanings of" ThulA" is to lift up . It also means a balance for measurements of weights. It lifts us all up to the Lord's side to receive His blessings because of Her(TuLasi Devi's) dearness to Him . The word Thula Saadhrusyam means resembling that of the balance (in equipoise). When the thriguNAs are under control due to Bhagavadh AarAdhanam and Yogam , the mind is like a steady balance and that is the connection to the power of ThuLasI.The word ThuLasi is also connectable to the sanskrit word Thulyam meaning samAnam or equal to. Who are the people-- worshipping the Lord with the sacred ThuLasi with a heart filled with devotion-- are qual to ? They are "thulyam " to MukthAs or liberated Jeevans . Such is the glory of ThuLasi Devi ! (To be continued ), Sri Bhumi Devi samEtha Sri Oppiliappan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan
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