15.11.2021 is the Tulasi Vivaha day.
A Hindu festival in which a
ceremonial marriage of the Tulsi Holy Basil with god shaligram or a branch of amala tree.
(personifications of Vishnu) is held. The Tulsi wedding signifies the end
of the monsoon and the beginning of the wedding season in hinduism.
The ceremonial
festival is performed anytime between prabhodhini ekadashi (the eleventh or
twelfth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the hindu month of karthik) and karthik poornima(the full moon
of the month). The day varies regionally.
Tulsi is venerated as
a goddess in Hinduism and is sometimes considered as a wife of Vishnu, with
the epithet, “Vishnupriya”, “the beloved of Vishnu”. The legend behind Tulsi Vivah and its rites
are told in the scripture, Padma Puran.
According to hindu scripture, the Tulsi plant was a woman named “Vrinda”
(Brinda; a synonym of Tulsi).She was married to the asura king Jalandhar, who due to her piety and
devotion to Vishnu, became invincible. Even Devtas could not defeat Jalandhar,
so they requested Vishnu - the preserver in the Trinity - to find a solution.
When leaving for war Vrinda promised Jalandhar for doing Sankalpa for his
victory till he returns but Lord Vishnu disguised himself as Jalandhar and she
saw him, she left her Sankalpa and touched his feet.
With her Sankalpa
destroyed, Jalandhar lost his power and was killed by Shiva and his head fell
in Vrinda's palace.
Seeing this she
realized it was not her husband but Lord Vishnu.
Vrinda cursed Lord
Vishnu to becomeshaligram and to be separated from his wife, Lakshmi. This was later fulfilled when he was
transformed into the black shaligram stone (actually a fossil), and in
his Rama avatar, was separated from his wife Sita, who was kidnapped by the asura king Ravana. Vrinda then drowned herself in the ocean,
and the gods (or Vishnu himself) transferred her soul to a plant, which was
henceforth called Tulsi.
As per a blessing by
Vishnu to marry Vrinda in her next birth, Vishnu – in form of Shaligram -
married Tulsi on Prabodhini Ekadashi. To commemorate this event, the ceremony
of Tulsi Vivah is performed.
The marriage of Tulsi
with Vishnu/Krishna resembles the traditional Hindu wedding. The marriage
ceremony is conducted at homes and at temples where a fast is observed on the
Tulsi Vivah day until evening when the ceremony begins. A mandap (marriage
booth) is built around the courtyard of the house where the Tulsi plant is
usually planted in centre of the courtyard in a brick plaster called the Tulsi vridavana. It is
believed that the soul of Vrinda resides in the plant at night and leaves in
the morning. The bride Tulsi is clothed with a Sari and ornaments including earrings and
necklaces. A human paper face with a bindi and nose-ring may be attached to Tulsi.
The groom is a brass image or picture of Vishnu or Krishna or sometimes Balarama or more frequently the Shaligram stone - the symbol of
Vishnu. The image is clothed in a dothi. Both Vishnu and Tulsi are bathed and
decorated with flowers and garlands before the wedding. The couple is linked
with a cotton thread (mala) in the ceremony.
At Prabhu Dham
the festival is collectively celebrated by
whole village which makes it a significant point of attraction. Here it is
celebrated as three day festival in the Hindi month of karthik from Ekadashi to Trayodashi. The
festival is started with the vedic chanting of Ramacharitra manas or Ramayana by the villagers itself. The second day
is celebrated as Sobha Yatra which is of significant importance in which the
special prasad is Pongal and the third day is celebrated as
Tilakotsav and Vivahotsav of Lord Vishnu and Devi Brinda. The villagers prepare
56 types of prasad known as Chapan Bhog and distributed to all. All caste takes
participation in this village accordingly. Devotees including saints and
mahants all over from Bihar visit this place to celebrate this festive
occasion.
In Maharashtra, an important ritual in the ceremony is when
the white cloth is held between the bride and the groom and the priest recites
the Mangal Ashtaka mantras. These mantras formally complete the wedding.
Rice mixed with vermilion is showered by the attendees on Tulsi and Vishnu at
the end of the recitation of the mantras with the word "Savadhan"
(literally "be careful" implying "You are united now". The
white curtain is also removed. The attendees clap signifying approval to the
wedding. Vishnu is offered sandalwood-paste, men's clothing and the sacred thread. The bride is offered saris, turmeric, vermilion
and a wedding necklace called Mangal-sutra, worn by married women.
Sweets and food cooked for an actual wedding are cooked for Tulsi Vivah too.
This ceremony is mostly performed by women. The prasad of sugar-cane, coconut chips, fruits and
groundnut is distributed to devotees.
The expenses of the
wedding are usually borne by a daughter-less couple, who act as the parents of
Tulsi in the ritual wedding. The giving away of the daughter Tulsi (kanyadaan)
to Krishna is considered meritorious to the couple. The bridal offerings to
Tulsi are given to a brahmin priest or female ascetics after the
ceremony
In two Rama temples
in surashtra, the ceremony is more elaborate. An invitation card is sent to
the groom's temple by the bride's temple. On Prabodhini Ekadashi, a barat bridal
procession of Lalji - an image of Vishnu - sets off to the
bride's temple. Lalji is placed in a palanquin and accompanied by singing and
dancing devotees. The barat is welcomed on the outskirts of Tulsi's village and
the ceremonial marriage is carried at the temple. At the bride's side, Tulsi is
planted in an earthen pot for the ceremony. People desirous of children
perform Kanyadaan from Tulsi's side acting as her
parents. bhajans are sung throughout the night and in the
morning the barat of Lalji returns to their village with Tulsi.
Guruvayoor is one of the
holiest shrines that lies nestled in the lush green territories of Kerala.
People throng in large numbers to have a darshan of a dimunitive statue of lord
Krishna, bedecked with jewels and with a sweet smile on his face, showering his
grace on every devotee who visits the temple. Of the various sevas and
offerings made to Sri Guruvayoorappan, none is as famous or so widely spoken
about as the Tulabharam. In this divine offering, the person who has made the
vow sits on the pan of a large weighing scale (Tula) and is weighed
against a particular item of choice like paddy, sugar, bananas etc. The person
then gives the item equivalent to his weight to the temple for use in the
worship of the lord. Some years back, the owner of Shanthi Constructions
offered Tulabharam in gold. About 75 kg of gold ingots were weighed against him
and then dedicated to the lord. This act of seva has its roots in the
Dwapara Yuga during the lifetime of Lord Krishna himself. Praised as a
spectacular Krishna leela teaching people about the power of devotion and love,
the story is an interesting read.
The palace of Dwaraka ever twinkled with the presence of
Krishna’s many wives. Rukmini, Sathyabama, Jambhavathi and all the others went
about their usual chores serving Krishna and all the others of the extended Yadava
clan. With the blessings of the goddess of wealth, the treasuries of Dwaraka
always overflowed with jewels and precious stones. Sathyabama was the beautiful
daughter of Satrajith, the owner of the sacred Syamantaka jewel. She was
haughty and proud of her royal lineage and good looks. She prided herself on
her pure love for Krishna and yet she was jealous of Rukmini, the goddess of
wealth incarnate. Rukmini on the other hand, being the first queen of Dwaraka
was a very humble lady and a pious wife. She let nothing come in the way of her
devotion to Krishna and served him with whole hearted love and devotion.
One day, the divine sage Narada, the creator of mischief, came
to Dwaraka to offer his salutations to Sri Krishna. In the courtyard he met
Satyabhama, beautifying herself with some flowers on her tresses. He walked up
to her and with a voice of absolute innocence asked her, “Rani Satyabhama, dont
doubt my intentions, but is it my old age or is it really true that Krishna
loves Rukmini more than you?” Sathyabhama was thoroughly shaken and stood
still, gaping at Narada.”You are far more beautiful and charming than her. You
are the younger queen. Dont you think you deserve more attention?”, prodded
Narada again. Pulling herself together, Satyabhama looked inquisitively at
Narada, “Tell me divine sage, what should I do to gain his undivided attention?
You are my only hope now”, she pleaded to him.
Narada, ever eager to cause confusion told, “That is my whole
point of visit, mother. I have a first-class plan all hatched up to bring
Krishna back to you.” Satyabhama’s eyes were twinkling and she listened to
Narada with rapt attention.” You will now make a vow, that you will hand over
Krishna to me as a slave. Then to keep the sanctity of the vow but also to
retain Krishna to yourself, I will allow you to trade him in for an equivalent
weight of your riches. Seeing that you are willing to trade in your wealth for
him, Krishna will admire you for your sacrifice and will keep you close to him.
The only hitch is that I do not know if your wealth will suffice to balance out
Krishna’s weight”, Narada asked sceptically. Proud as ever, Satyabhama flared
up, “I am the daughter of Satrajith. My wealth is limitless. I am sure that I
have enough to balance Krishna. We will carry on with this plan of yours.”
And that,was exactly what Narada wanted.
Satyabhama rushed to Krishna and hurriedly told him about her
unfortunate vow to Narada. Krishna patiently listened to her and very meekly
nodded his head. Satyabhama then commanded one of the servants to bring out the
large scales used to weigh grains and groceries. She also sent the Caretaker of
the Coffers to bring out all her jewels and gold to the grand court room. And
gently leading Krishna, she went to the Courtroom. All the ministers stared at
the scales that had been placed at the center of the court. Their mouths
further fell when they saw box after box of gold being carried inside. Krishna
was silent throughout the entire time. So great was the uproar of surprise at
the court that Krishna’s other queens too hurried from their Anthapuram to the
main court.
Amidst all the courtiers and with Krishna himself as the
witness, Satyabhama gave away Krishna in dhaana to Narada. The other wives of
Krishna were shocked at this, but being ever dutiful, they did not speak out in
front of the assembled court. Narada then gave her the option of taking back
Krishna but instead presenting him with an equivalent weight of riches. Amidst
loud sighs of relief, Satyabhama agreed to it. She then placed Krishna on one
plate of the Scales and with a smirk on her face started piling up the gold,
jewels and gemstones on the other plate. She kept adding more and more of her
wealth, but the pan with Krishna did not even budge. To top it all Narada kept
giving her ominous warnings, “Remember devi, if you fail to supply me with
sufficient wealth, Krishna will forever be a slave to me. I can even bid him
out to anyone I want.” Satyabhama freaked out and swallowing her pride, begged
the other wives of Krishna to give her their jewels so thet they could retain
Krishna. Out of their devotion to their lord,, the wives removed every gold
ornament on their body until they were wearing only the Mangalsutra. But the
scale showed no signs of motion.
Krishna, always the sly cowherd, “Look Satyabhama, because of
your stupid vow, I have to be a slave to this rishi. Oh how I hate this”, he
complained. Satyabhama was at a loss for words when Krishna continued, “Why
dont you ask Rukmini. She must be able to get us out of this predicament”, he
suggested coyly. Satyabhama was in such a state that all her ill will towards
Rukmini flew out of the window. Rushing to Rukmini’s private chambers she
poured out the dire state of matters. Rukmini, ever calm, didnt panic and came
along with Satyabhama. On the way she passed the sacred Tulasi Maadam and
plucking a single leaf of Tulasi [Sacred Basil], she continued her way to the
hall. She very quietly walked towards the balance and praying to Krishna,
placed the single tulasi leaf on all the piled up wealth. Lo and Behold! The
pan containing Krishna flew up and remained underbalanced. Shocked at this,
Satyabhama looked to Krishna for explanation. “Try removing your riches,
Bhama,” Krishna told her, all smiles.
With a very sceptical expression on her face she removed all her
riches until nothing but the single tulasi leaf sat on the pan. And yet, it
weighed more than Krishna. She was stunned and humbled. Krishna jumped down
from his high hanging pan and came to her, “Bhama, you gave all your riches to
me, but there was no devotion in that offering. Just the feeling of
possessiveness. When you made your offerings with such a thought in your mind,
they lost their value and became mundane things. On the other hand Rukmini
offered just a single tulasi leaf. But her intentions were noble. She made the
offering with utmost love and devotion towards me. And that single leaf was
sufficient to please me beyond expectations. Remember it is not the offering
that matters, but the love and devotion with which you do it, that does.” Then
leaving Satyabhama standing stunned in the court, Krishna returned to his
chambers with hss other wives. Turning to Narada, her eyes now shining bright
with tears, Bhama said, “Devarishi, thank you for teaching me this hard learnt
lesson today. I will never ever underestimate the power of devotion and love
towards the lord.” Narada nodded and with his characteristic Narayana-Narayana,
he was gone.
And thus ends the leela of Bhama’s lesson and thus begins the
new custom of offering Tulabharam to the Lord in his temples. But let us all
remember, that it is not so much as the value of the offerings that matter, as
the love with which you offer it to the god almighty. After all, Love ‘IS’ God.
