The Tulsi plant
is found in every Hindu home. It is a species resembling the basil
that grows in Europe.
The following episode was written by
Huyler as he witnessed Tulsi worship in an Orissan home. It conveys
the intimate relationship the Hindu has with Tulsi, and it teaches,
through exquisite example, how we may worship Her.
"'O Tulsi, you
who are beloved of Vishnu, You who fulfill the wishes of the devout,
I will bathe You. You are the Mother of the World. Give me the
blessings of Vishnu.' The high, cracked voice of Manjula pierces the
damp predawn hush. Joining her voice, other women also sing the
praises of the Goddess. They all kneel before a meter-high
terracotta planter shaped like a miniature temple adorned with
sculptures, and containing a green-leafed Tulsi [photo, page 32].
Rising to her feet, Manjula pours holy water from a small, brightly
polished brass pot into the cupped palm of her right hand and
sprinkles it upon the leaves of the bush. Her expression is one of
adoration but also one that portrays many years of close
association, of friendship. For Manjula, the Goddess is incarnate in
this herb, representing the duty and dedication, the love, virtue
and sorrow of all women. She is a link to Manjula's own soul.
"Manjula's
actions are repeated by the other women. Beneath their feet are
designs of flowers and conch shells painted directly onto the ground
with white rice powder and sindur (vermilion). Placing the brass pot
on the ground amid the paintings, Manjula lights camphor incense in
a clay pot and waves the clouds of sweet smoke over and around the
bush and its container. Holding a clay lamp filled with lighted ghee
in her right hand, she rotates it in a large circle three times in
front of the tulsi plant. Bowls of fruit (bananas, apples, guavas
and the meat of dried coconuts) and hibiscus and marigold flowers
are placed on the ground before the terracotta.
"Incense sticks
are lit as Manjula once again presses her hands together in
reverence, singing: 'O Tulsi! Within your roots are all the sacred
places of the world. And inside your stem live all the Gods and
Goddesses. Your leaves radiate every form of sacred fire. Let me
take some of your leaves that I may be blessed.' With her right hand
clasped around the stem of the small bush, she shakes it gently,
causing three leaves to flutter to its base. Thanking the Goddess,
she places a single leaf between her palms and prostrates herself
before the planter. After lying in this posture of absolute
supplication for several minutes, Manjula again kneels before the
Tulsi shrine and lovingly asks the Goddess if she may be allowed to
dress Her. Taking a length of red cotton cloth from a basket, she
wraps it around the bush. Then she places bright red hibiscus
flowers in the upper leaves and hangs garlands of marigolds around
the stem and the planter. Culminating the ceremony, Manjula puts the
tulsi leaf in her mouth, taking into her body the spirit of the
Goddess. Followed by the other women, she walks seven times around
the elaborately sculpted planter, chanting: 'O Goddess Tulsi, You
who are the most precious of the Lord Almighty [Vishnu], who live
according to His Divine Laws, I beseech you to protect the lives of
my family and the spirits of those who have died. Hear me, O
Goddess!'
"As the first
rays of the rising sun hit the tulsi's top leaves, the ritual has
ended. Every morning and every evening of the year, Manjula prays to
Tulsi at the shrine on the doorstep of her house, but that worship
is usually simple and straightforward, entailing sprinkling the bush
with holy water, adorning it with a few hibiscus blossoms, and
shaking down a few leaves to eat as part of her prayers. This
morning's elaborate ritual celebrates the first day of Kartika, a
month particularly sacred to Vishnu and his Goddess-consort Tulsi.
By caring for and honoring this sacred bush, Manjula creates a bond
with the Goddess. Representing honor, virtue and steadfast loyalty,
this humble bush of herbal leaves is the archetype of Hindu
femininity, revered by men and emulated with empathy by women. She
is Tulsi, Mother of the World."
