A Plant getting Married? Tulsi Marriage – a ritual to respect the Mother Nature

Paying reverence to plants and trees in India is common, but the Tulsi plant is the most revered. Tulsi (Tulasi), or Holy basil, is regarded as a highly sacred plant in Hindu customs and has held considerable significance in Indian homes for millennia.

Hindus regard it as an earthly manifestation of the goddess Tulsi, an avatar of Lakshmi. 

Tulsi Vivah – The legend behind the Marriage of the Tulsi Plant

Tulsi Vivah is a Hindu festival in which a ceremonial marriage of the plant is performed with Lord Vishnu or his avatar, Lord Krishna.

The Tulsi wedding marks the end of the monsoon and the beginning of the wedding season, according to Hindu customs. 

Though there are many legends and stories behind the tradition, one of the most widely accepted is mentioned in the Hindu scripture, the Padma Purana. 

Brinda, married to King Jalandhar, gained her husband incredible powers through her devotion to Lord Vishnu. Due to Jalandhar’s invincibility, he started misusing his powers and attacking other Gods, who were unable to defeat him. As a last resort, the Gods requested Lord Vishnu, the preserver, to find a solution.

When King Jalandhar left for another war with a God, his wife, Brinda, went into meditation and prayed for his victory until he returned. Lord Vishnu, disguised as Jalandhar, came to see Brinda.

Seeing her husband return, Brinda left her meditation. With her meditation interrupted, Jalandhar lost his power and was killed, and his head fell into Brinda’s palace.

Seeing this, she realised it was not her husband but a trick played by Lord Vishnu. Out of anger, Brinda cursed Lord Vishnu to transform into a black ‘Shaligram’ stone and to be separated from his wife.

Following this, Brinda herself committed self-immolation, and the gods (or Vishnu himself) transferred her soul to a plant, which was henceforth called Tulsi.

Lord Vishnu also blessed Brinda that in her next birth, she would marry him. Hence, to commemorate this event, the Tulsi marriage (Vivah) ceremony is performed. 

Festivities around the Tulsi Marriage (Tulsi Vivah)

The Tulsi marriage is celebrated with great fanfare, and it resembles the traditional Hindu wedding. The marriage ceremony is conducted at homes and at temples, by marrying a Shaligram stone to the plant. 

Lamps, fruits, and sugarcane are kept around the plant to celebrate the occasion. The plant is decked up as a bride with bright-colored clothes, jewellery, and flowers. 

During the ceremony, Vishnu and Tulsi are tied together with a cotton thread to signify the marriage.

Many people observe fast on this special day, sing songs, and take her blessings so that our lives are filled with purity, calmness, and happiness forever.

In many cities on the banks of the river Ganga, such as Varanasi, Allahabad, Patna, and Haridwar, devotees, as part of the ritual, offer prayers and take a holy dip in the river.

Tulsi is more precious than all the material possessions

According to folklore, there is another story about Lord Krishna, Tulabharam, and Tulsi.

Satyabhama, the queen of Lord Krishna, prided herself on her love for Krishna. On the other hand, Rukmini, Lord Krishan’s first wife, was devoted and humble in her service to her Lord. 

On one occasion, the sage Narada Muni arrived in Dwaraka, the city of Lord Krishna. In the course of the conversation, Narada hints to Satyabhama that Krishna loves Rukmini more than her.

The angry Satyabhama challenges Narada to prove it. Narada tricks Satyabhama into accepting a Tulabharam challenge, a practice of weighing a person against precious jewellery and ornaments. 

Satyabhama had to perform this ritual, in which she had to give Krishna away in charity to Narada if she was unable to get enough jewellery to outweigh Krishna.

He further persuades her by saying that if Satyamaba is successful, Krishna’s love for her will increase manifold. Proud Satyabhama tells Narada that she can easily mobilise enough wealth that it is child’s play for her to outweigh Krishna.

The stage is set for the ceremony, Krishna, always the mischievous one, readily submits to this drama despite Rukmini’s pleading. Satyabhama arranged a large scale and placed all her gold ornaments on one side and Krishna on the other, but the scale did not budge.

Narada warns her that if she can’t put enough gold or diamonds, Krishna will become his slave to be done with as he pleases. Meanwhile, Krishna remained a mute witness to all this drama and rubbed salt into the open wounds of Satyabhama’s ego. 

Satyabhama swallows her pride and begs all the other queens to give their jewels. They agree out of love for Krishna, but their wealth did not help tilt the scales.

Narada then suggests to Satyabhama that Rukmini may be able to get her out of the predicament. She swallows her pride and appeals to Krishna’s devoted wife.

Rukmini comes and, with a prayer to her husband, puts a single leaf of the sacred Tulasi on the scale (Tula). The scales suddenly become so heavy that even after removing all the other jewels, the scales are weighed down on the side of the Tulasi leaf.

While there are different versions across texts as to why the weighing was arranged, the story of the Tulsi leaf placed by Rukmini being worth more than Satyabhama’s wealth is a typical ending.

The Tulabharam incident is often retold to underscore the significance of Tulsi and the fact that a humble offering to God is greater than any material wealth.

Even then, the weight of these ornaments could not outweigh Krishna! However, a single tulsi plant placed on the other side by Rukmini tilted the balance. The anecdote shows that even Lord Krishna regarded Tulsi as superior to himself.

Significance of Tulsi Plant

Tulasi/Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), commonly known as holy basil, is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is predominantly cultivated in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

Generally, the plant is kept at the entrance of the house or the central courtyard in most Indian households. As a practice, people often pay respect to the plant every day by watering it and lighting a lamp.

In many religious ceremonies, Tulsi leaves are used, particularly in Charanamrit (holy water), and offered to devotees. It is known to be the only holy object that, once used in worship, can be cleaned and reused in another ceremony, because it purifies itself.

Sacred basil is known not only for its spiritual value but also for its medicinal properties, and is considered the queen of all Indian herbs. Taking the plant in small doses helps in increasing immunity. 

Another brilliant impact of Tulsi is on the environment—it is one of the few plants that release oxygen at night, unlike most plants, which release carbon dioxide. 

In conclusion, let Tulsi’s marriage be an occasion to seek blessings and a day to remind us always to respect every living being on this planet.