The Benefits of Rendering Service To Srimati Tulasi-devi

nirmita tvam pura devair arcita tvam surasuraih 
tulasi hara me papam pujam grhna namostute

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/101 from Skanda Purana) 

Oh Tulasi, you previously appeared in this world due to the demigods. The demigods and demons together worship you. Please remove all of my sins. I pay my obeisances unto you.

NOTE: Anyone who has received initiation in the Vaishnava mantras is obliged to engage in regular worship of the Deity, including offering all he eats to the Lord. When devotees make such food offerings, they should remember to place Tulasi leaves or flowers on them because Lord Vishnu does not accept any food without Tulasi. Tulasi is most beloved of Lord Krishna and thus Her leaves and flowers are also most dear to Him. The term varknarcavatara meaning the Lord's incarnation meant for accepting worship (arcavatara) in the form of a tree (varkna) is applied to Tulasi-devi. Her leaves and flowers are therefore prescribed as an essential part of the worship of the Lord's other arcavatara, i.e., the deity form of the Lord in the temple. These regulations are found in all the scriptural texts that describe the procedures by which one is to worship such deity forms of the Lord." 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Gaudiya Bhasya.

ya drsta nikhila agha sangha samani sprsta vapuh pavani
roganam abhivandita nirasini siktantaka trasini 
pratya satti vidhayini bhagavatah krsnasya samropita 
nyasta taccarane vimukti phalada tasyai namah

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/104 from Skanda Purana, Avanti khanda) 

Just by looking at you (Tulasi), all sins become removed. Just by touching you, one's body becomes pure. By praying to Her, all diseases practically become removed. If one waters Her or makes Her wet, the fear of Yamaraja (death personified) is destroyed. Just by planting or transplanting, one achieves nearness to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If someone offers Tulasi at the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna, She awards liberation and devotion to Him, therefore I pay my humble obeisances to such a wonderful Tulasi-devi.

pradaksinam bhramitva ye namaskurvanti nityasah 
na tesam duritam kincid aksinam avasisyate

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/111 from Agastya samhita) 

 If someone daily goes around Tulasi and pays obeisances to Her, there is no more sin to be destroyed in him.

hitva tirtha-sahasrani sarvan api siloccayan 
tulasi kanane nityam kalau tisthati kesavah

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/116 from Skanda Purana) 

 In Kali-yuga, Lord Sri Kesava, after giving up thousands of places of pilgrimage and holy days, He resides in the forest of Tulasi-devi.

drstva sprstva tatha dhyata kirtita namita srta 
ropita sevita nityam pujita tulasi subha 
navadha tulasim nityam ye bhajanti dine dine 
yuga koti sahasrani te vasanti harer grhe

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/126,127 from Skanda Purana, conversation between Lord Brahma and Narada Muni)

 

Any  person  who daily  sees Tulasi, touches Tulasi, chants Tulasi's prayers, meditates on Tulasi, pays obeisances to Her, hears about Her, transplants, waters and worships Her, he achieves all auspiciousness. Any person who does these nine kinds of service goes to the abode of the Supreme Lord Hari and remains there eternally.

snane dane tatha dhyane prasane kesava arcane 
tulasi dahate papam ropane kirtane kalau

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/132 from Skanda Purana, Avanti khanda)

 In Kali-yuga Tulasi-devi burns up all of a person's sins who bathes Her, gives Her in charity, meditates on Her, eats Her leaves, worships Lord Sri Kesava with Her, transplants Her or sings Her glories.

tulasi  alankrta ye ye tulasi nama japakah 
tulasi vana palaye te tyajya durato bhatah

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/133 from Skanda Purana, Kasi khanda, Yamaraja instructs his messengers)

 Oh messengers, anybody who is decorated with Tulasi wood or chants Her name, always protects a Tulasi forest, you should give up bringing such persons to my abode.

darsanam narmadayas tu ganga snanam visam vara 
tulasi dala samsparsah samam etat trayam smrtam 
ropanat palanat sekad darsanat sparsanat nrnam 
tulasi dahate papam vaca manah kaya sancitam

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/139,140 from Padma Purana)

 Oh best of the Vaisyas, seeing Narmada, taking bath in the Ganges, and touching Tulasi leaves are equally meritorious. If somebody plants, protects, waters, sees or touches Tulasi, then that person's sins acquired by body, mind and words are burnt into ashes.

yad grhe tulasi bhati raksabhir jalasecanaih 
tad grham yama dutas ca durato varjayanti hi

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/145 from Padma Purana, Kartika mahatmya)

 In any house where Tulasi Maharani is very carefully protected and watered, the messengers of Yamaraja give up that house from a distance.

visnos trailokya nathasya ramasya janakatmaja 
priya tathaiva tulasi sarva lokaika pavani

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/151 from Agastya samhita)

  As the daughter of Janaka, Sri Sitadevi, is very dear to Lord Rama, the master of the three worlds, similarly, Tulasi-devi, who purifies all of the planets, is very dear to Him.

tulasi vapita yena punyarame vane grhe 
paksindra tena satyoktam lokah sapta pratisthitah

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/157 from Garuda Purana)

 Oh king of the birds (Garuda), anyone who has planted a garden of Tulasi, either in the forest or in the house, I truthfully say that he has won the seven planetary systems.

sansara-papa vicchedi ganga nama prakirtitam 
tatha tulasya bhaktis ca hari kirti pravaktari

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/161 from Brhan Naradiya Purana)

 As by chanting the name of Ganges, one becomes free from all kinds of worldly sins, if someone chants the name of Tulasi or chants the glories of Lord Hari with devotion, he gets the same merit.

trnani tulasi mulat yavantyapahinoti vai 
tavattir brahma hatya hi chinaty eva nasamsayah

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/165 from Brhan Naradiya Purana, conversation between Yamaraja and Bhagiratha)

 Anybody who removes the straw or dirt from the root of a Tulasi-devi, as many as he has removed, that many sinful reactions of killing brahmanas will be removed from him without a doubt.

durlabha tulasi seva durlabha sungatih satam 
durlabha hari bhaktis ca sansararnava-patina

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/170 from Brhan Naradiya Purana)

 Those people who have fallen in the midst of this material world, among them worship of Tulasi is very rare, the association of real saintly persons is very rare, and real devotion to Lord Hari is also very rare.

yasmin grhe dvija srestha tulasimula mrttika 
sarvada tisthate dehe devata na sa manusa 
tulasi mrttika yatra kastham patran ca vesmani 
tisthate muni sardula niscalam vaisnava padam

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/183,186 from Skanda Purana, conversation between Lord Brahma and Narada Muni)

 Oh best among the brahmanas, in anybody's house or on his body, if the mud from Tulasi is available, they are not just men, but they are equal to the demigods. Oh best among the sages, in anyone's house, if there is the clay of Tulasi, Tulasi wood, and Tulasi leaves available, that house is certainly a place of Lord Vishnu.

tulasi mula sambhuta hari bhakta padodbhava 
gangodbhava ca mrllekha nayaty acyuta rupatam

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/189)

 Any person who puts on tilaka from the mud or clay from the root of Tulasi, mud from the lotus feet of Sri Vaisnava, and mud from the Ganges is said to be equal to the form of Lord Sri Vishnu.

patram puspam phalam kastham tvat sakha-pallavankuram 
tulasi sambhavam mulam pavanam mrttikady api

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/191 from Prahlada samhita and Visnu dharmottara)

 Leaves of Tulasi, flowers of Tulasi, fruits of Tulasi, branches of Tulasi, bark of Tulasi, sprout of Tulasi, blossom or bud of Tulasi, and clay of Tulasi are all completely purified.

          yah kuryat tulasi kasthair aksa malam surupinim 
        kantha malam ca yatnena krtam tasyaksayam bhavet 

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/199 from Skanda Purana, Agastya samhita, conversation between Lord Brahma and Narada Muni)

 Any person who makes a beautiful japamala or neck beads out of Tulasi wood and uses them, if he does not perform any worship to Lord Sri Visnu, all of his activities become unlimitedly resultful.

yasya nabhi sthitam patram mukhe sirasi karnayoh 
tulasi sambhavam nityam tirthais tasya makhais ca kim

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/200 from Skanda Purana, conversation between Lord Brahma and Narada Muni)

 If anyone daily has Tulasi leaves on his navel, in his mouth, on his head, or on both of his ears, what is the use of him going to the places of pilgrimage in this world?

yah kascit vaisnavo loke mithyacaro'py anasrami 
punati sakalan lokan sirasa tulasim vahan

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/202 from Skanda Purana)

 If any Vaisnava in this world becomes a liar or becomes degraded from his own ashrama, if he has a Tulasi leaf on his head, he can alone purify the three worlds.

 Srila Sanatana Gosvami gives his Digdarsani-tika commentary on this verse, stating that if Vaisnavas wear articles which have been offered to the Supreme Lord, then one may question how a Vaisnava can wear something which has not been offered to the Supreme Lord. In answer to this, it can be stated that only a lying or cheating "Vaisnava" can do such a thing because they are all hypocrites and not real Vaisnavas.

bhaksitam lubdhakenapi patram tulasi sambhavam 
pascad distantam apanno bhasmi bhutam kalevaram 
sita sitam yatha niram sarva papa ksayavaham 
tatha ca tulasi patram prasitam sarva kamadam

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/213,214 from Skanda Purana, conversation between Vasistha and King Mandhata)

 Even if a most sinful hunter eats a Tulasi leaf and dies afterwards, whatever sins he has in his body turn into ashes. As whitish and blackish water (Ganges and Yamuna water) remove all kinds of sins, in the very same way white (green) and black Tulasis removes all kinds of sins, and if he eats these leaves (after offering them to Lord Krsna), all of his desires are perfectly achieved.

krtva papa sahasrani purve vayasi manavah 
tulasi bhaksanan mucyet srutam etat pura hareh

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/218 from Skanda Purana, conversation between Vasishtha and King Mandhata)

 If any person in his young age commits thousands of sins but later on eats a Tulasi leaf, he becomes free from all sins. This narration was heard previously near Lord Sri Hari.

kim citram asyah patitam tulasya 
dalam jalam va patitam punite 
lagnadi bhala sthalam alavala 
mrtsnapi krtsna agha vinasanaya 
srimat tulasyah patrasya mahatmyam yadyapi drsam 
tathapi vaisnavas tan na grahyam krsnarpanam vina

(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 9/226,227)

What can I say about the wonderful glories of Tulasi? Her fallen leaves, Her rotten leaves and Her water, even if fallen (mixed with Her mud?) is purifying. If even a minute quantity of the mud which has emanated from the Tulasi root has been placed on one's head, all of one's sins are removed. Although Tulasi is so glorious (and Her leaves are so purifying), still Vaisnavas never eat Tulasi leaves without first offering them to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna.