Tulsi Tulsi Sandra Hubby Category="Herbs"Category="Lamiaceae"Category="Vaishnavism"
This article is about a plant; for the musician see Tulsi (musician)

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Tulsi
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Tulsi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Division:Magnoliophyta
Class:Magnoliopsida
Order:Lamiales
Family:Lamiaceae
Genus:Ocimum
Species:O. sanctum
Binomial name
Ocimum sanctum
L.

The tulsi (also known as tulasi) plant or Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum) is an important symbol in the Hindu religious tradition. The name "tulsi" means "the incomparable one". Tulsi is a venerated plant and Hindus worship it in the morning and evening. Tulsi grows wild in the tropics and warm regions. Dark or Shyama (Krishna) tulsi and light or Rama tulsi are the two main varieties of basil. The former possesses greater medicinal value and is commonly used for worship.

Tulsi as a deity

The presence of tulsi plant symbolizes the religious bent of a Hindu family. A Hindu household is considered incomplete if it doesn't have a tulsi plant in the courtyard. Many families have the tulsi planted in a specially built structure, which has images of deities installed on all four sides, and an Alcove for small earthen oil lamp. Some households can even have up to a dozen tulsi plants on the Verandah or in the garden forming a "tulsi-van" or "tulsivrindavan" - a miniature basil forest.

Places that tend to inspire concentration and places ideal for worship, according to the Gandharva Tantra, include "grounds overgrown with tulsi plants". The Tulsi Manas Mandir at Varanasi is one such famous temple, where tulsi is worshipped along with other Hindu gods and goddesses. Vaishnavites, or followers of Lord Vishnu, revere the tulsi leaf because it pleases Lord Vishnu the most and thus is as an inherent part of offerings of naivedya. They also wear beaded necklaces made of tulsi stems. The manufacture of these tulsi necklaces is a Cottage industry in places of Pilgrimage and temple towns.

Tulsi as an elixir

Apart from its religious significance it is of great medicinal significance, and is a prime herb in Ayurvedic treatment. Marked by its strong aroma and Astringent taste, tulsi is a kind of "elixir of life" as it promotes longevity. The plant's extracts can be used to prevent and cure many illnesses and common ailments like common cold, headaches, stomach disorders, inflammation, heart disease, various forms of poisoning and malaria. Essential oil extracted from karpoora tulsi is mostly used for medicinal purposes though of late it is used in the manufacture of herbal toiletry.

According to Jeevan Kulkarni, author of Historical Truths & Untruths Exposed, when Hindu women worship tulsi, they in effect pray for "less and less Carbonic acid and more and more Oxygen - a perfect object lesson in sanitation, art and religion". The tulsi plant is known to purify or de-pollute the atmosphere and also repells mosquitoes, flies, and other harmful insects. Tulsi used to be a universal remedy in cases of malarial fever.

Vaishnavites do not use her as a medicine, though, out of reverence.

Tulsi in legends

Quite a few legends in Puranas and other scriptures point to importance of tulsi in religious rituals. She is regarded as a goddess and a consort of Lord Vishnu. A garland of tulsi leaves is the first offering to the Lord as part of the daily ritual. She is accorded the sixth place among the eight objects of worship in the ritual of the consecration of the kalasha, the container of holy water.

According to one story, Tulsi was a Gopi who fell in love with Lord Krishna and so had a curse laid on her by His consort Radha. She is very dear to Lord Vishnu. Tulsi is also mentioned in the stories of Meera and Radha immortalised in Jayadeva's Gita Govinda. One story has it that when Lord Krishna was weighed in gold, not even all the ornaments of His consort Satyabhama could outweigh Him. But a single tulsi leaf placed by His another consort Rukmini on the pan tilted the scale.

Tulsi is ceremonially married to Lord Vishnu annually on the eleventh bright day of the month of Kaartika in the Lunisolar calendar. This festival continues for five days and concludes on the full moon day, which falls in mid-October. This ritual, called the "Tulsi Vivaha", inaugurates the annual marriage season in India.

In the Christian tradition it is said that she grew around the place of Crucifixion. She is also mentioned in Shiite writings.

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