{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/db/bk09ch25.htm","path":"hin/db/bk09ch25.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk09ch25.htm","text":"THE NINTH BOOK\nChapter XXV\nOn the method of worship of Tulas\u00ee Dev\u00ee\n1-2. N\u00e2rada said :-- When the Dev\u00ee Tulas\u00ee has been made so dear to N\u00e2r\u00e2yana and thus an object for worship, then describe Her worship and Stotra (the hymn of Tulas\u00ee) now. O Muni! By whom was She first worshipped? By whom were Her glories first sung? And how did She become therefore an object of worship? Speak out all these to me.\n3. S\u00fbta said :-- Hearing these words of N\u00e2rada, N\u00e2r\u00e2yana, laughing, began to describe this very holy and sin-destroying account of Tulas\u00ee.\n4-15. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- Bhagav\u00e2n Hari duly worshipped Tulas\u00ee, and began to enjoy her with Laksm\u00ee; He raised Tulas\u00ee to the rank of Laksm\u00ee and thus made her fortunate and glorious Laksm\u00ee and Gang\u00e2 allowed and bore this new union of N\u00e2r\u00e2yana and Tulas\u00ee. But Sarasvat\u00ee could not endure this high position of Tulas\u00ee owing to Her anger. She became self-conceited and beat Tulas\u00ee on some quarrel before Hari. Tulas\u00ee became abashed and insulted and vanished off. Being the \u00ces\u2019var\u00ee of all the Siddhis, the Dev\u00ee, the Self-manifest and the Giver of the Siddhiyoga to the J\u00f1\u00e2nins, Tulas\u00ee, Oh! what a wonder, became angry and turned out as invisible to S\u2019r\u00ee Hari even.\nNot seeing Tulas\u00ee, Hari appeased Sarasvat\u00ee and getting Her permission went to the Tulas\u00ee forest. Going there and taking a bath in due accord, and with due rites, worshipped with His whole heart the chaste Tulas\u00ee and then began to meditate on Her with devotion. O N\u00e2rada! He gets certainly all siddhis who worships Tulas\u00ee duly with the ten lettered mantra :-- \u201cS\u2019r\u00eem Hr\u00eem Kl\u00eem Aim Vrind\u00e2vanyai Sv\u00e2h\u00e2,\u201d the King of mantras, yielding fruits and all gratifications like the Kalpa Tree. O N\u00e2rada! At the time of worship, the lamp of ghee, was\nlighted and dh\u00fbp, sind\u00fbra, sandal, offerings of food, flowers, etc., were offered to Her. Thus hymned by Hari, Tulas\u00ee came out of the tree, pleased. And She gladly took refuge at His lotus feet. Visnu, then, granted her boon that, \u201cYou will be worshipped by all; I will keep you in My breast and in My head and the Devas also will hold you on their heads.\u201d And He then took her to His own abode.\n16. N\u00e2rada said :-- \u201cO Highly Fortunate One! What is Tulas\u00ee\u2019s dhy\u00e2n, stotra and method of worship? Kindly describe all these.\u201d\n17. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- When Tulas\u00ee vanished, Hari became very much agitated at her bereavement and went to Vrind\u00e2vana and began to praise her.\n18-44. The Bhagav\u00e2n said :-- The Tulas\u00ee trees collect in multitudinous groups; hence the Pundits call it Vrind\u00e2. I praise that dear Tulas\u00ee. Of old, She appeared in the Vrind\u00e2vana forest and therefore known as Vrind\u00e2van\u00ee. I worship that fortunate and glorious One. She is worshipped always in innumerable universes and is, therefore, known as Vis\u2019vap\u00fbjit\u00e2 (worshipped by all). I worship that Vis\u2019vap\u00fbjit\u00e2. By whose contact, those countless universes are always rendered pure and holy; and therefore She is called Vis\u2019vap\u00e2vani (purifying the whole universe). I am suffering from her bereavement, I remember the Dev\u00ee. Without Tulas\u00ee, the Devas do not get pleased, though other flowers be heaped on them; therefore She is considered as the essence of all the flowers. Now I am in sorrow and trouble and I am very eager to see her, who is of the nature of purity incarnate. The whole universe gets delighted when the Bhaktas receive her; hence She is called Nandin\u00ee; so may She be pleased with me. There is nothing in the universe that can be compared to Her; hence She is called Tulas\u00ee; I take refuge of that clear Tulas\u00ee. That chaste dear one is the life of Krisna, hence She is known as Krisnaj\u00eevan\u00ee. Now may She save my life. O N\u00e2rada! Thus praising, Ram\u00e2pat\u00ee remained there. The chaste Tulas\u00ee then came to His sight and bowed down to His lotus feet; when She becoming sensitive out of the insult, began to weep. Bhagav\u00e2n Visnu, seeing that sensitive dear one, immediately took her to His breast. Taking, then, Sarasvat\u00ee\u2019s permission, He took her to His own home and brought about, first of all, the agreement between her and Sarasvat\u00ee. Then He granted her the boon, \u201cYou will be worshipped by all, respected by all, and honoured by all; and all will carry you on their heads.\u201d I will also worship, respect and honour you and keep you on My head. Receiving this boon from Visnu, the Dev\u00ee Tulas\u00ee became very glad.\nSarasvat\u00ee then attracted her to her side, made her sit close to her. Laksm\u00ee and Gang\u00e2 both with smiling faces attracted her and made her enter into the house. O N\u00e2rada! Whosoever worships her with her eight names Vrind\u00e2, Vrind\u00e2van\u00ee, Vis\u2019vap\u00fbjit\u00e2, Vis\u2019vap\u00e2van\u00ee, Tulas\u00ee, Puspas\u00e2r\u00e2, Nandan\u00ee and Krisna J\u00eevan\u00ee and their meanings and sings this hymn of eight verses duly, acquires the merit of performing As\u2019vamedha Yaj\u00f1a (horse sacrifice). Specially, on the Full Moon night of the month of K\u00e2rtik, the auspicious birth ceremony of Tulas\u00ee is performed. Of old Visnu worshipped her at that time. Whoever worships with devotion on that Full Moon combination, the universe purifying Tulas\u00ee, becomes freed of all sins and goes up to the Visnu Loka. Offerings of Tulas\u00ee leaves to Visnu in the month of K\u00e2rtik bring merits equal to those in giving away Ayuta Cows. Hearing this stotra at that period gives sons to the sonless persons, wives to the wifeless persons and friends to friendless persons. On hearing this stotra, the diseased become free of their diseases, the persons in bondage become free, the terrified become fearless, and the sinners are freed of their sins. O N\u00e2rada! Thus it has been mentioned how to chant stotra to her. Now hear her dhy\u00e2n and method of worship. In the Vedas, in the K\u00e2nva S\u2019\u00e2kh\u00e2 branch, the method of worship is given. You know that one is to meditate on the Tulas\u00ee plant, without any invocation (\u00e2v\u00e2hana) and then worship her with devotion, presenting all sorts of offerings as required to her. Now hear Her Dhy\u00e2nam. Of all the flowers, Tulas\u00ee (the holy basil) is the best, very holy, and captivating the mind. It is a flame burning away all the fuel of sins committed by man. In the Vedas it is stated that this plant is called Tulas\u00ee, because there can be made no comparison with Her amongst all the flowers. She is the holiest of them all. She is placed on the heads of all and desired by all and gives holiness to the universe. She gives J\u00eevanmukti, mukti and devotion to S\u2019r\u00ee Hari. I worship Her. Thus meditating on Her and worshipping Her according to due rites, one is to bow down to Her. O N\u00e2rada! I have described to you the full history of S\u2019r\u00ee Tulas\u00ee Dev\u00ee. What more do yo want to hear now, say.\nHere ends the Twenty-fifth Chapter of the Ninth Book on the method of worship of Tulas\u00ee Dev\u00ee in the Mah\u00e2pur\u00e2nam S\u2019r\u00ee Mad Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vy\u00e2sa.","title":"The Devi Bhagavatam: The Ninth Book: Chapter 25","type":"page"}