Monday, March 6, 2017

Tulasi Worship



Tulasi is worshiped with mantras that are spoken directly to Tulasi Devi.
The three mantras for Tulasi Devi are as follows:
The first mantra is for offering obeisances, bowing down (pancanga pranam):

vrindaai tulasi devyai priyaai kesavasya ca,
visnubhaktiprade devi satyavatyai namo namah

When collecting leaves from the plant, the following mantra should be chanted:

tulasya mrta janmasi, sada tvam kesavapriya,
kesavarthi cinomi tvam, barada bhava sobhine

The mantra for circumambulating the Tulasi tree:

yani kani ca papani brahma hatya dikani ca,
tani tani pranasyanti pradaksinah pade pade

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.


To worship Tulasi devi, one sings this prayer:

namo namah tulasi krsna-preyasi namo namah
radha-krsna-seva pabo ei abilasi

ye tomara sarana loy, tara vancha purna hoy
krpa kori' koro tare vrndavana-vasi

mora ei abhilasa, vilasa kunje dio vasa
nayana heribo sada yugala-rupa-rasi

ei nivedana dhara, sakhira anugata koro
seva-adhikara diye koro nija dasi

dina krsna-dase koy, ei yena mora hoy
sri-radha-govinda-preme sada yena bhasi

1) O Tulasi, beloved of Krsna, I bow before you again and again. My desire is to obtain the service of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna.

2) Whoever takes shelter of you has his wishes fulfilled. Bestowing your mercy on him, you make him a resident of Vrndavana.

3) My desire is that you will also give me a residence in the pleasure groves of Sri Vrndavana-dhama. Thus within my vision I will always behold the beautiful pastimes of Radha and Krsna.

4) I beg you to make me a follower of the cowherd damsels of Vraja. Please give me the privilege of devotional service and make me your own maidservant.

5) This very fallen and lowly servant of Krsna prays, "May I always swim in the love of Sri Sri Radha and Govinda."