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Glories of Tulsi; Radhika observes austerities using Tulsi; Tulsi Devi appears in Her divine form and blesses Sri Radhika with a boon
Sri Narada says:- King! Listening to
these words of Sri Radha, the best of all Sakhis, Chandranana thought for a
moment and answered thus.
Chandranana said:- Radhe! To attain
SriKrishna the most beneficial vow is the worship of 'Tulsi'. This vow is the
giver of the best fortune, and most auspicious. In my opinion, you should take
up the worship of Tulsi because, by touching Tulsi and caring, singing the name
of Tulsi, praising her, raising her, sprinkling water on her, and by
worshipping daily with Tulsi leaves is very saintly and leads to
auspiciousness. Dear! those who worship Tulsi in nine ways, they will enjoy the
good results of their worship for a thousand crore years. As long as the
branches, offshoots, seeds, flowers, and lovely leaves of Tulsi, planted by
humans on this earth keep growing, all those who are born in their lineage will
be in the world of Sri Hari, for two thousand eons along with the one who
planted that Tulsi. Radhika! The good things that you get by worshipping the
Lord's feet with all the flowers in the world can be obtained by offering just
one leaf of Tulsi. Those who worship Sri Hari with Tulsi, their sins will not
stick to them like water does not stick onto lotus. The result that is earned
by the benefaction of gold, one hundred times, and precious gems for four
hundred times can be obtained by rearing a Tulsi garden.
In whose house, there is a Tulsi forest or a Tulsi garden, then that
house is equal to a place of pilgrimage. Even the assistants of Yamraj will go
to that place. Those sacred humans who plant the Tulsi plant, which is the
destroyer of all sins, is saintly and is the provider of all good wishes, such
humans will never see Yama, the son of Surya. By planting, rearing, sprinkling
water, seeing and touching Tulsi, all the sins committed by the mind, speech,
and body of the humans will be burnt. Holy places such as Pushkar, rivers such
as Ganga, always reside in Tulsi. Even Vaasudev and other Devas reside in
Tulsi. If one gives up his life with a branch Tulsi on his head, even with
millions of sins, Yamaraj cannot look in his direction. The bodies of those men
who apply the paste made out of Tulsi wood, will not even be touched by the
sinful acts committed by them. Dear! The ceremonies for the dead ancestors
should be performed at a place where there is the shade of the Tulsi forest. By
doing this the donations given at the time of the ceremony will grow manifold.
Like greatness of the possessor of the bow, Sri Hari cannot be told, in the
same way, the greatness of Tulsi cannot be told even by the first Deva, the
four-faced Brahma. Hence Gopa's daughter! you also worship Tulsi by which Sri
Krishna will belong to you forever.
Sri Narada says:- Heeding to the
advice of Chandranana, Queen of Raas, Sri Radha started to worship Tulsi to
please Sri Hari. In Ketaki forest she had a very tall and most attractive
temple for Tulsi on large spherical land. The walls of the temple were embedded
with gold and the edges were decorated with Padmaraaga pearls. That beautiful
temple was very attractive being decorated with emeralds and diamonds. Around
the temple, on all four sides, lanes were constructed to do parikrama and all
the lanes were embedded with Chintamani ( pearls which full fill all wishes). A
tall tower at the main entrance of the temple was enhancing its beauty. There,
a flag was fluttering on a golden shaft. Being decorated on all four sides by
golden canopies, that temple of Tulsi with flags of vyjayanti was resplendent
like Indrabhavan. In the middle of such a temple, Sri Radha planted green twigs
of Tulsi and started her worship of Tulsi at a very auspicious time.
Inviting Sri Garga and after taking his advice, chaste Sri Radha,
with great devotion to please Sri Krishna, performed her vow starting from
Ashwin Shukla Purnima till Chaitra Poornima worshipped Tulsi. After starting
the vow, she watered Tulsi with different kinds of liquids every month. In the
month of Kartika with milk, in Margasheersh with sugar cane juice, in Magh with
mango juice, in Phalgun with juice made by different kinds of fruits and in
Chaitra with Panchamruta (a mixture of five types of fruits and honey). In this
way after the completion of her vow, daughter of Vrishabhanu, following the
advice of Sri Garga celebrated the completion of her vow on the day of
Vaishakha Krishna Pratipada. She fed two lakh Brahmanas with fifty-six types of
dishes and donated clothes, jewelry, and wealth to them. King! she gave one
lakh big gemstones and one crore gold coins to Sri Gargacharya. At that moment,
the beating of drums started in the sky, dancing of celestial girls began and
Devatas rained divine flowers on the temple of Tulsi.
At the very same time, seated on a golden throne,
the favorite of Sri Hari, Devi Tulsi appeared there. She had four shoulders.
Her eyes were as broad as lotus petal. She appeared like a sixteen-year-old and
had a dark complexion. On her head the golden crown was bright and from her ears,
shining eardrops were swinging. Her hair was tied and covered with silk cloth
and she was wearing a snakelike garland of vyjayanti flowers. Getting down from
Garuda, Devi Tulsi embraced the colorful looking Sri Radha and kissed her
moonlike face.
Tulsi said:- Kalavati Kumari Radhe! I
am enraptured by your great devotion and am incessantly pleased. With a feeling
of wellbeing of all, you completed this well-rounded vow. Here, whatever you
have wished for with your body, heart, mind, and soul will be fulfilled. Your
husband will always be favorable to you and in the same way, you will always
have remarkably good fortune.
Sri Narada says:- King! Prostrating
before The Favorite of Hari, Tulsi, the daughter of Vrishabhanu, Radha told her
'Godess! let my devotion to the Lotus feet of Govind be eternal'. Pearl of
Mithila kingdom! Then Haripriya, Tulsi saying 'So be it', disappeared. From
then onwards daughter of Vrishabhanu, Radha lived happily in her town. King! on
this earth whoever is full of devotion and listens to this quaint discourse
will experience the pleasures of the three worlds and will attain the Supreme
Lord and will be gratified.
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