The Greatness of Tulasl and Dhatri

Suta said:

1-2. Jaimini, being very much pleased on hearing the fruit of the Ekadashi (vow), spoke, with the palms of his hands joined, these (words) to lord Krishna Dvaipayana (i.e. Vyasa): " Through your grace I have heard the greatness of god Vishnu. (Now) tell me about the greatness of tulasl which destroys the sins of the listeners." Vyasa said:

3-6. O brahmana, this revered tulasi should always be worshipped by all deities like Indra. It gives the fruit of the four goals of human life. To the good tulasi is difficult to be obtained in heaven, in the mortal world and in the nether world. Devotion to it secures the four goals of human life. O best one, at that place only where one tulasi-plant stands, all gods like Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva dwell. Always Kesava dwells in the middle of the leaf, Prajapati at the tip of the leaf, and Shiva at the foot-stalk of the leaf of tulasi.

7-10. Lakshmi, Sarasvati, so also Gayatrl and Candika, likewise all other wives of (other) gods dwell in the leaves of that (tulasi-plant). These, viz. Indra, Agni, Samana, Nairrti, so also Varuna, Vayu and Kubera dwell in the branch of the tulasi-plant. All planets like the Sun, the Visvedevas, 1

1. Visvedevah— Name of a particular group of deities ten in number and supposed to be sons of Visva; their names are: Vasu, Satya, Kratu, Daksha, Kala, Kama, Dhrti, Kuru, PurQravas, and Madravas.

Vasus, 1 all sages and all divine sages, so also all the holy places that are there in the crores of universes and on the earth, live by resorting to (i.e. in) the tulasi plant.

11-17. He who devoutly worships tulasi, has worshipped the holy places, so also all gods like BrahmaVishnu just at that moment destroys (the sin of) the murder of a brahmana remaining in the body of those who remove the masses of grass at the root of tulasi. O best brahmana, by sprinkling the tulasi plant with fragrant and cold water in summer a man would obtain eternal bliss. He who gives it moonlight or an umbrella, especially in summer, is freed from all sins. A man who would everyday sprinkle thetulasi plant with continuous streams in Vaishakha obtains the fruit of a horse-sacrifice. He who would sprinkle the tulasi plant with water from the hand stretched out and hollowed also obtains heaven after being freed from all sins. O brahmana sage, in the house of that man who would sometime sprinkle the tulasi plant with milk, Lakshmi is steady.

18-22. O brahmana sage, listen to the fruit of the merit of him who would smear the root of the tulasi plant with cowdung. For as many thousands of kalpas as the dust particles removed from there, he rejoices with Vishnu, O Jaimini. He who would place a lamp at the root of the tulasi plant at twilight, goes along with a crore (members) of his family to Vishnu's abode. Vishnu would always protect him who protects the tulasi plant from cows, dogs, asses, men and children. There is no doubt that he who devoutly plants a tulasi plant, obtains the highest liberation after death.

23. That best devout man who would see the tulasi plant in the morning uninterruptedly obtains the fruit of seeing Vishnu.

24. The life, strength, fame, wealth, progeny of one who would devoutly salute the tulasi plant, grow.

25. By remembering tulasi, all sin perishes. The diseases of men perish on just touching the tulasi (plant).

26-27. The sin in the body of him who eats the auspicious tulasi leaf, removing all sins, perishes at that moment (only).

1. Vasavah — Vasus are a class of deities. They are eight in number: Apa, Dhruva, Soma, Dhara or Dhava, Anila, Anala, PratyQsa, and Prabhasa.

In the body of the man who wears a rosary made of tulasi wood there is no sin. This is the truth that I tell.

28. There is no doubt that he who bears on his head the water dropped from the leaves of tulasi, obtains the religious merit due to a bath in Ganga.

29. A man having devoutly worshipped the auspicious tulasi with durvas, sacred rice grains, flowers, offerings of eatables, would obtain the fruit of the worship (offered) to Vishnu.

30. O brahmanas(? ), what is the use of worshipping Vishnu's feet to him who has sometime worshipped revered tulasi, giving the highest nectar of piety, material welfare and sensual enjoyment, with offerings of eatables, flowers, excellent incense and ghee-lamps?

31. O brahmana, Vishnu is pleased with them who plant tulasi pleasing Vishnu and fit to be worshipped by gods, at places free from blemishes; and Mura's enemy, the lord of the three worlds, quickly gives them the highest position.

32. Whatever auspicious act — a sacrifice, a vow, honouring the dead ancestors, worship of Vishnu, giving gifts — and other auspicious act(s) that men perform at the blemishless root of tulasi — all those indeed become inexhaustible.

33. O best brahmana, all that pious act which a man does on the earth without tulasi, dear to Vishnu, becomes fruitless. The god of gods, the lotus-eyed one (i.e. Vishnu) is also not pleased.

34. A man who, with devotion, sees the auspicious, pure tulasi during pilgrimages, quickly gets the fruit of the pilgrimages through Vishnu's grace. This statement is very firm.

35-36. Ananta (i.e. Vishnu), the only lord of the world, abandoning fragrant flowers like mandara, kunda, lotus, gladly accepts even dry tulasi full of virtues and the security for the destruction of sins. Hari (i.e. Vishnu) to whom tulasi is dear always snatches the wealth of those wicked men who, through ignorance, uproot a tulasi (plant) purifying like the nectargiving creeping plant, and place it on the ground. This is the truth.

37. Vishnu quickly snatches the wealth of those men who always urinate or excrete or put dirt at the root of tulasi, the abode of gods, and thus collect sins.

38-42. " I am collecting (the leaves of) you for worshipping Vishnu. I am collecting (the leaves of) you since even with flowers like (those of) parijata, so also with sandal etc., put without you Vishnu is not satisfied. O holy one, without you every act is fruitless. Therefore, O goddess TulasI, I am collecting (the leaves of) you. Grant me a boon. O leader of the world, pardon me that pain which is produced in your heart due to (your leaves) being plucked. O Tulasi I salute you." A devotee of Vishnu, joining the palms of his hands recites these two hymns and then clapping twice collects tulasi leaves in such a way that the tulasi branch does not shake, O best brahmana.

43. When at the time of plucking a leaf, a branch of goddess (Tulasi) would be broken, then anguish is produced in the heart of Vishnu, Tulasi's lord.

44. Vishnu, the destroyer of (the demons) Madhu and Kaitabha should be worshipped even with every old leaf fallen from the tip of a branch.

45. He who would worship lord Vishnu with tender tulasi leaves, quickly gets whatever he desires with (i.e. in) his heart. Jaimini said:

46. O best brahmana, what (other) tree is like that of tulasi? I desire to know it. O son of Satyavati, (please) tell it. Vyasa said:

47-51. O brahmana, as tulasi is always most dear to Vishnu, so is dhatrl, destroying all sins. O best brahmana, all those deities who dwell in the plant after having reached it, stay at the root of amalakl. O best brahmana, holy places like Ganga dwell just there where pure dhatrl, most dear to Vishnu, remains. That act, auspicious or inauspicious, which is done by men at the root of amalakl, would certainly become inexhaustible, O brahmana. He who would worship Vishnu with pure, fresh leaves of dhatrl, is freed from mass of sins and secures absorption into Vishnu.

52-56. O Jaimini, that place where there would be neither < IhatrI nor tulasi is impure. (A man) does not obtain the fruit of his act (performed there). All the (pious) acts done by him in his hermitage where the auspicious dhatrl or tulasi does not exist indeed become fruitless. O brahmana, (in the house) of him, which is without dhatrl and tulasi, poverty and sin (remain) and by that Kali is pleased. The wise should look upon that place where there is neither tulasi nor dhatrl as a cremation ground, O best brahmana. All gods dwell there where dhatrl and tulasi exist. All sin exists there where there is neither a leaf of dhatrl nor of tulasi.

57-60. Vishnu, along with Lakshmi, would remain by resorting to the body of the wise man who would wear a rosary of dhatrl-fruits. All deities live by resorting to the body of the intelligent man who would wear a garland of dhatrl wood. All the act, auspicious or inauspicious, which a man wearing a garland (i.e. rosary) of dhatrl fruits does, is said to be inexhaustible. The entire sin remaining in the body of that man knowing the entire nature of Brahman, who eats the dhatrl fruit, perishes.

61-63. O best brahmana, I (shall) tell (you) the greatness destroying all sins (of the man) who would wear a rosary of the dhatrl fruits. Listen (to it). Even if he by chance dies in a cremation ground, he obtains the religious merit due to a bath in Ganga. There is no doubt about it. Seeing him, all sinners are instantly freed from very fierce heaps of sins, (committed) even during hundreds of crores of existences.

64-66. There is no doubt, O best brahmana, that he who everyday takes a lump of the dhatri fruit would obtain religious merit everyday and store it. There is no doubt that he who harms the dhatri tree, the resort of all gods, gives blows on the body of Vishnu. Dhatrl is full of all gods. It is especially dear to Vishnu. Even Brahma cannot correctly describe its virtues.

67. That man who, having known the entire truth, has devotion for dhatri and tulasi, enjoys all pleasures, and then in the end obtains liberation due to Vishnu's grace.

 

CHAPTER TWENTYFIVE

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