Subject: [world-vedic] Tulsi Vivah-The Wedding Between Krsna & Tulsi
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 17:08:32 -0000
From: Meera S. Sashital
Reply-To: vediculture@yahoogroups.com
To: vediculture@yahoogroups.com

Tulsi Vivah
Source: Free Press Journal
By Meera S. Sashital

One of the most sacred plants of the Hindus is the Tulsi Plant
(Ocimum Sanctum). There is not one household where you will not find
the plant in front of the house. Tulsi plant is held in great
Veneration because it is supposed to be the incarnation of Lakshmi.
Every pious Hindu takes care to water it daily and make
circumambulation of it while praying.

In the month of shukla or bright half of Kartik, on an auspicious day
between the eleventh day and the fifteenth, God Krishna in married to
Tulsi. A mock marriage is performed with a murti of Krishna or the
Salagrama believed to be Krishna himself and Tulsi. Tulsi, the plant,
was in her former birth Vrinda, the daughter of a giant named Nemi or
Kalanemi. Tulsi was married to a demon named Jalandhar. Her husband
was, according to legend, born out of the sweat which Shiva had
thrown from his brow into the ocean when he perspired at being
insulted by Lord Indra. As he was born in water or Jala, he was named
Jalandhar. Due to this he claimed suzerainty of the Ocean and as his
heritage demanded back from Indra all the fourteen treasures churned
out of the ocean in the second incarnation of Vishnu. But, Indra, the
king of the Gods, refused. To avenge Indra, Jalandhar worshipped
Brahma and did severe penance. Brahma being pleased grants him
freedom from death as long as his wife Vrinda remained virtuous and
chaste, because Vrinda was renowned for her faithfulness and chastity.

Jalandhar quite secure of his life wages war on Indra and invades
Amaravati, the capital of Swarga, compelling all he Gods to flee.
They seek Shiva and Vishnu's protection and fight the demon but get
defeated. Finally Vishnu deputes Lakshmi to Jalandhar to learn the
secret of his death. Jalandhar yields to her charms and discloses the
fact. At first Shiva is sent to Vrinda in Jalandhar's form to entice
her but he fails. Then, Vishnu himself goes to Vrinda in the guise of
Jalandhar and betrays her. No sooner Vrinda loses her virtue,
Jalandhar gets killed. Vrinda on discovering the identity and the
horrible deed he had committed cursed Vishnu that he would become a
black stone. Vishnu also retaliates and cursed her saying that she
should become a Tulsi shrub.

This is why Vishnu has turned into a shaligram, the ammonite found
chiefly in the river Gandaki, and Vrinda into Ocimum sanctun, the
Tulsi plant. Vishnu won over by Vrinda's unimpeachable chastity vows
to marry her every year. This has been immortalised by performing
their marriage annually on the 11th day of the month of Kartik. With
the ceremony of Tulsi's marriage, the annual marriage season of the
Hindus begins. This day also coincides with the end of Vishnu's four
months sleep, known as Prabodhini Ekadasi (Awaking Eleventh).

Another slight deviation in Tulsi's story of that when Vrinda
discovered she was deceived, she built a pyre and immolated herself.
But Vishnu admiring her chastity and sorry for the wrong done to
her, was inconsolable till the Gods planted a Tulsi shrub and
summoned her spirit into it. Since then she is believed to come into
the shrub every evening leaving it in the morning. This is the reason
why the Tulsi leaves are not plucked after sunset.