Tulsi
Every question on the site tagged Tulsi, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
The holy basil kept and served in the household; water is offered to her in the morning and a lamp lit at dusk.
105 notes from our sourcesNotes from our sources
Can Shaligram be worshipped at home, and what does it require?
Yes — Shaligram worship at home is considered highly beneficial provided daily food offerings (Bhoga) are made, and its ritual marriage to Tulsi (Tulsi Vivah) should be performed annually on Dev Uthani Ekadashi.
A Vishnu worshipper wears tulsi with a das mukhi rudraksha, worn again for daan and pitru karma
Spiritual wear should match the deity being worshipped — for example, a Tulsi rosary alongside a 10-faced (Das Mukhi) Rudraksha consecrated to Vishnu — and wearing Rudraksha during worship, charitable acts, and ancestral rites is said to multiply spiritual merit.
Visarjan of the Navratri Kalash when no river is reachable
The speaker says that if there is no river, pond or lake to go to, the Kalash water can be poured at a Peepal tree, a Banyan tree or a Tulsi plant, and the Kalash left in a clean spot in the puja place itself; immerse it later whenever you go somewhere, but it must not be touched by feet or break if it is of clay. The coconut likewise stays in the puja place, and worship continues, until it can be immersed on some later trip; the rice of the purna patra is given to birds.
Why is Tulsi never offered to Lord Ganesha, and what should be avoided in the final Havan offering?
Tulsi leaves or rosaries must never be offered to Lord Ganesha; black pepper should not be used in the final complete offering (Purnahuti) — use standard Havan Samagri, ghee, sweets like modak or kheer, and Devdar wood instead.
Holi-day follow-up by deity after the Holika-night mantra offering
The speaker says that on the day after the Holika-night offering — on Holi itself, without fail — the mantra's own deity must be given its favourite flower or leaf with the mantra spoken over it nine times. For a Bhairava mantra, a Bilva leaf recited over nine times is offered to Bhairav along with his puja; for a Hanuman mantra, a Tulsi leaf recited over nine times is offered and puja given at a Hanuman temple; for a Durga mantra, a bilva leaf with the mantra is offered to her at home and her puja given at a temple, with shringar included. After this, he says, the mantra gives effect again whenever it is used in whatever way it was used before.
What specific benefits are tied to particular flower and leaf offerings in Shiva worship?
Lotus, Bilva leaves, and Shankhapushpi attract wealth; 100,000 Bilva leaves or Lotus flowers absolve major sins; Tulsi bestows both worldly enjoyment and liberation; Champak and Ketaki are strictly prohibited; and specific flowers like Jasmine, Kaner, and Harsingar each carry their own distinct benefit.
Why Sanatan prescribes classified seva of cow, dog, Tulsi and Peepal
The speaker says vanaspati and Aushadhi hold immense importance in Tantra, and quotes the saying that mantra, mani and aushadhi all three give fruit according to bhava. Sanatan culture, he says, places the highest value on seva of living beings, plants and nature, and tells us to serve all — yet it also prescribes a classified seva of the cow, the dog, Tulsi and the Peepal, and there is a reason for that. He criticises modern-minded people who call these hypocrisy and superstition even while posing as masters of the Veda, proving wrong the very acharyas they learned from; his video sets out to explain the reasons.
Aparajita and Shami at home: what their flowering and drying signal
The speaker says Aparajita and Shami must be planted at home and served in the same way — blue, white or dark Aparajita, any will do. If the Aparajita starts to flower, take it that shubh shaktis have arisen in the house: Bhagavati's shaktis, the yoginis and their ang-shaktis come and go daily, and only then does it flourish properly; what effect that has on you depends on your own karma, but the coming and going of shaktis is real, since flowers come only where positivity is in the atmosphere. Tulsi, Aak (Madar), Aparajita and Shami all have such a sensitive aura and way of emitting energy that where tantra is being used or the place is not right, they start drying at once.
What substitute Mundamalas are available today, and what precautions apply to them?
Genuine human-bone Mundamalas are unavailable to the public today; camel-bone and carved-stone substitutes are sold instead — a stone skull mala poses no inherent danger, but energized malas from unscrupulous practitioners may carry attached negative entities.
Tulsi bearing the names of Rama or Radha for Vaishnavas, Rudraksha for Shaivas and Shaktas
Vaishnava practitioners should use genuine Tulsi malas for Rama or Radha japa; Shaiva and Shakta practitioners should use authentic Rudraksha malas for the Panchakshari mantra or Devi mantras; gemstone malas can be consecrated with planetary, Tantric, or Kavacha mantras for specific benefits.
Tulsi, Shami, Aparajita and white hibiscus withering under tantra
The speaker says that when tantra is projected, ordinarily the Tulsi plant dries up first, a Shami will not take, and an Aparajita stops flowering and dries too; all the deva plants in the house wilt somewhere or other. He notes that Tulsi very often turns out to be an exception. A white hibiscus, he says, is very sensitive: if negative force or abhichara tantra is at work it will never take, and even one bearing plenty of flowers and fruit dries up within a day or so.
One-day remedy for inadvertent ancestral impurity: Gita path and Tulsi abhisheka
The speaker says remedies differ by dosha, but gives one general one. A boy of the house fills a copper lota with pure water, adds a little Gomutra and Gangajal, and recites the 11th chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita 11 times holding the lota in both hands — on any Sunday (either paksha) or on an Amavasya, all in one day, finishing between 10 am and 12:30 pm (the path may begin at 7–8 am), without blowing on or making the water jutha. The charged water is then poured over a Tulsi plant placed facing the sun, with a prayer to Surya Narayana and Tulsi that the Pitrs be freed of whatever impurity they got knowingly or unknowingly, and a request to all pitrs to be present in the plant in their portions and receive their share. He says the root, stem and top of Tulsi house different classes of pitrs — Oot, pitr and Jujhar — and by the grace of Surya Narayana, Narayana and Tulsi the pitrs become fully pure. It is a one-day prayoga; it works for impurity incurred unknowingly, and is not as effective if the fault was deliberate.
Remedy for sudden flashes of anger: mishri water in a copper lota at the bedhead
Asked about anger that flares suddenly over trivial things, souring the home, yet subsides within a minute, the speaker first asks whether the person is of Kumbha lagna with Surya and Mangal as lagnesh in the lagna — then such quick-rising, quick-cooling anger is expected. If the lagna is something else and the trouble persists, the one remedy is: every night fill a copper lota with water, add a little rock mishri, keep it at the bedhead, and in the morning offer it to Tulsi ji — not onto the plant, but poured near its root — six days a week, leaving out Sunday; relief comes in some days. His jyotish reasoning: Surya is the atmakaraka, Mangal the chief karaka of anger, copper represents Mangal, water the Moon and mishri the Sun, so this works as an utara of all three. He adds: also get a medical check — blood pressure and the like.
Can a devotee of Lord Shiva wear a Tulsi mala, and should the Shivlinga and its base be joined or separate at home?
Yes, anyone may wear a Tulsi mala provided they adhere to purity rules; in domestic worship, the Shivlinga and its base (Jaldhari/Yoni) should be kept as separate components.
What are the remedies for intense occult afflictions involving Veera Shakti?
Recite the Shiva Raksha Stotra and take complete refuge in Shiva, or perform a milk-stream purification (Dugdha-Dhar Utra) at the home's threshold at dusk while invoking Narasimha and Hanuman — alternatively, offer daily worship to Narasimha, consume Charanamrita, and wear offered Tulsi on the head.
Bhog, water and leaves in the Datta ekakshari anushthan
Asked what Bhog to offer, the speaker says any sweet item — chhuhara, kishmish, Mishri. After offering, the sadhak may eat it and feed it to the household. The water kept with the bhog is to be drunk by the sadhak himself. Belpatra and Tulsi leaf may both be offered to Bhagavan.
Tulsi seva in the Kartik month
The speaker says that seva of Bhagwati Tulsi is the third major practice of the Kartik month: throughout the month, water is offered to Tulsi in the morning and a lamp is lit before her in the evening. He calls this essential in this month.
Who gets otherworldly help: those who keep a daily niyam
The speaker says the most important thing to consider is when and to whom this help comes. First of all, people who by daily rule offer arghya to Bhagwan Surya and to Tulsi ji, do their daily puja-path, and with surrender japa at least a fixed count of the mantra of some one Ishta Devata, have a niyam, and people who walk with niyam and nishtha are certainly helped. The reason, he says, is that a person who keeps a daily niyam, with even a little Shraddha and Samarpana and who reflects on the mantra, will think fifty times before doing any wrong act. The picture of someone doing 11, 15, 20 or 50 malas every morning and then abusing people all day and thinking ill of others is, he says, mostly something seen in TV serials and movies.
Where do the tulsi patra and the bilva patra go?
After the five offerings, put one tulsi patra in it and offer it to Narayan as well. If the bhava arises in you that it has become Mai's jootha, then keep a separate naivedya for Narayan with the tulsi patra in it from the start, and let the naivedya for Bhagavati and her anga parivar — Bhairav ji, Shiva ji — be separate, with bilva patra in it.
Which deities require the tulsi patra in their naivedya?
However many param Vaishnavi shaktis and Narayani shaktis there are, naivedya should be offered to them in that manner — that is, with the tulsi patra.
How does serving Tulsi and the deva-trees benefit the ancestors?
Tarpan offered at a deva-tree — Tulsi with milk and water, or Narayana's 108 names, or at a Peepal where Tulsi is unavailable — is described as a minor Abhisheka that becomes the means by which the lineage's ancestors are satisfied through divine grace.
What do the Aparajita and Tulsi plants indicate about a household?
Tulsi is described as the most sensitive plant, drying repeatedly where negativity is being absorbed; the speaker says to keep replanting regardless. Where Aparajita spreads and flowers, he says auspicious power has begun to arrive in that house.
Can reading the Gita's eleventh chapter and offering it to Tulsi end a negative power?
The speaker answers flatly that it will end — asking how it could not — and tells the questioner to do it with faith. But he adds a limit: sixteen days will not uproot a thirty-year affliction, though its roots will be shaken and its path obstructed.
Seva of the peepal, bilva and amla trees and of Tulsi ji, with deepdaan at the devalayas, comes next in the remedial order.
And serving the vriksha devas: let it be the peepal tree, let it be the bilva tree, let it be the amla tree — serving these, and serving Tulsi ji. And doing deepdaan at the devalayas, as with the Deepawali and Dev Deepawali now coming.
What should be kept is thrown out, and what should never be kept is put on display
He calls it the greatest irony running today that so-called modern astrologers tell people to throw out the things that should be kept in the house, saying they will bring inauspiciousness and ruin life, and tell them to display the things that should never be kept in a house at all.
What is the first thing a tantric prakshepan strikes in a house?
He says that whenever there is a prakshepan of tantra, the first effect is on the Tulsi ji plant. But if in that same tantra, in that same chowki, some shubh shaktis have also been sent that are somewhere constrained by mantra bal, then no effect falls on Tulsi ji either: Tulsi ji stays entirely green while in the house complete quarrel and strife break out.
When does the Tulsi plant actually dry up?
He says Tulsi ji goes to your loss and begins to dry only when there is interference with your mool tattvas — when paishachik badha and devi prakop both occur thoroughly. Only then does Tulsi ji dry, only then does a dev vriksha dry; otherwise it will very often happen that Tulsi ji is green and flourishing while an obstruction has already arisen in your house.
Why does trouble start as soon as a japa against negativity begins?
A listener doing Aghor Bagla Sabar japa for three days reports she made rotis for two days, then fell ill and could not make them, and felt dizzy while doing japa. He says that as soon as any negative energy is present and you perform a prayoga to remove these things, it at once begins to give its effect. In such a state, do the deepan vidhi in the name of whichever mahashakti you are employing, the pujan of Tulsi ji, and if possible the pujan of Shiva ji in a temple at once, so that so much energy and force is generated that its effect does not fall on your body.
Does Baglamukhi sadhana dry up the Tulsi plant?
He says that is not possible. Bhagavati Baglamukhi is Pran Toshani vidya, Amriteshwari vidya, whose Bhairav is Mahamrityunjay himself. For one who has gone into the mouth of death, we perform an anushthan of Amriteshwari and Mahamrityunjay, by whose mantra alone all these awaken; that Mahamrityunjay in whose hands is a kalash, and in that kalash Amriteshwari Devi abides in the form of amrit — from her, how would the Tulsi plants dry?
Either the japa vidhi is wrong, or a pitr resident in the Tulsi is being distressed by it
He says either your japa vidhi is wrong and a dosha is attaching, or the Tulsi ji plants will dry only if in your kula there are some in the pitr yoni who are being distressed by Baglamukhi. The presence of the pitr is formed in your Tulsi ji plant; different kinds of pitr take their own portion from different parts — from the leaves, the stem, the root and the manjaris — and Bhagavati Tulsi becomes the medium of their shanti.
Bhogs of the attendant shaktis and where each is offered
Thereafter, the speaker says, it is told in what manner bhog is to be given to each. There are many shaktis to whom khappar is offered on the day of Poornima, to some on Amavasya; to some a stream of liquor is poured, to some plain liquor, to some kachchi. Some are to be given bhog outside the house, some at the Chaukhat, some in the pujan sthan, some at the place where you keep water, some at Tulsi ji, some by going to the bank of a river or a lake.
What should be done with suspect prasad brought to the house after an eclipse, before eating it?
Even if you have shraddha, he says, first feed a little to a cow and only then eat; or give a little somewhere to Dharti Mata, or place a little near Tulsi ji saying may Bhagavati accept it. The first bhog should not go into anyone's mouth in the house — it should first be given to the vanaspatis, to the deva trees, or to whatever animals and birds are deva-like, and only then eaten. If anything negative is in it, you will be spared.
What does a withering Tulsi plant indicate after an eclipse?
If Tulsi ji withers within two or three days, the speaker says, know that some prayoga or other is being done there. You should at once have a havan performed at home, and do a havan yourself if possible.
Which other plants should be watched in the days after an eclipse?
If Tulsi ji dries within three or four days, know at once that some tantra has been used, all of a sudden. Within three or four days after the grahan Tulsi ji should not dry, the creeper of Aparajita should not dry, Shami ji should not dry. If this is happening within three or four days, become alert, and a havan should be done at home at once.
Why does eating meat keep the negative entity in place?
Entering into your body and into your tongue, the speaker says, they are taking that taste — so from where would they leave? When Tulsi patra is seated on your tongue, when you offer no bhog without Tulsi, when no bhog is made without bel patra, when the bhagwan and devata accept it and you accept it back, pure and satvik — then something is obtained.
Where are the thirteen lamps placed?
Those thirteen lamps are kept at different places in the house. Keep one in the puja place; where there is a than of the kula devi-devata, keep one there; on the chaukhat one must certainly be kept. Wherever in the house there is a place for keeping drinking water, one is to be kept for the sake of the pitr. One is to be kept near Tulsi ji, and near whichever dev vriksha there is — Tulsi ji, Aparajita. And if you have made a place for the pitr somewhere, or keep their photo, there too you will give a place and keep a lamp.
Which mala should be used for the Narsingh mala mantra?
Asked by someone who wants to do the Narsingh mala mantra from one Navami to the next, after a five-day Ganpati anushthan from Kartik Shukla Chaturthi, he says: use a mala of tulsi, or else use a mala of ten-mukhi rudraksha.
What if I am told to give arghya with the Gayatri but am not entitled to it?
The first thing, he says, is that this is a Dhanu lagna kundali and Brihaspati is your chief graha — but it is not the case that arghya is given according to the lagna kundali. He says only one condition always: if you wear manikya on the body, then arghya is not to be given, or at the time of giving arghya you must take it off and then give it, that is all. For the rest, every person can do the puja of Suryanarayan, and everyone should certainly give him arghya. Surya and Tulsi ji should be given arghya daily by all — only, on Ekadashi and Sunday, these two days, Tulsi ji is not to be given water.
Stage one of Badavanal siddhi: Sitaram japa from Ekadashi to Ekadashi
The speaker says the vidhi begins on the Ekadashi of any month and runs to the Ekadashi of the next paksha. In that period one does 108 malas daily of the Sitaram nama on a genuine Tulsi mala of 108 beads plus a sumeru, to destroy one's paap and taap and to produce in the body the element that can hold the Badavanal vidya. It is done with Brahmacharya, sleeping on the ground if possible, after a morning bath and puja of Shri Ram's darbar, on a Kusha Asana laid with its head east, in yellow clothes, facing east only, with achaman and a Sankalpa naming the purpose and also all paap, shraap and kundali doshas; each day's japa is surrendered with water into Ram's right hand or Janaki's left. After the home puja one goes to a Shiva temple, lights five ghee lamps, does abhisheka with milk, curd and honey and then water, offers bilva and flowers and recites the Rudrashtakam eleven times; back home, one feeds the creatures around the house before eating. Kept up to the Ekadashi, this completes the first stage.
First-day offerings to Hanuman in the Badavanal anushthan
The speaker says on the first day one has a chola offered to Hanuman through the pandit with sankalp; then writes Ram nama with ashtagandha and the ring finger on 11 or 21 paan leaves — either रा with the anusvara, whose dot stands for Mata Janaki, or श्री राम, where Shri stands for Janaki, so that either way it becomes Sitaram — strings them into a garland and puts it on Hanuman, with a red-flower garland and the Ram-nama cloth; has a moonj janeu offered by the pandit, or oneself while reciting the Gayatri mentally if one wears a janeu; and offers rot-churma with laddu and tulsi leaf — the same quantity every day.
Can eclipse japa be done beside plants growing on a terrace?
Yes — beside Aak (Madar), Aparajita, Parijat, Shami or Tulsi. The speaker calls this an entirely divine arrangement.
What is actually mandatory to do in Pitru Paksha?
Panchbali above everything else. Whether or not you do anything else, feed five creatures: fresh roti to the Gau, food to the dog, food to the crow, sugar for the ants, and a meal to a destitute or hungry person. Alongside it, Arghya to Surya and to Tulsi on every day not excluded.
Do the mala and other items need purification and fire-contact after eclipse Sutak?
No. Fire-contact belongs to death and birth Sutak, not to eclipse Sutak. Sprinkle Gangajal, or plain water with a Tulsi leaf, and everything is purified — there is no provision for fire-contact in it.
Is it enough to keep only the Brahm Sthan well?
No. The speaker says you cannot keep the Brahm Sthan very well — a tulsi plant there, Hanuman ji's puja happening there as in old houses — while filth is kept in the Ishan corner and a washroom has been built in the Agni corner; there will still be trouble. According to vastu everything must be in its proper place; and even after that, if you deliberately quarrel, there is no remedy for it.
What is the rule about tulsi on a Shaligram, and the days when plucking is forbidden?
The speaker says tulsi ji should be offered every day; and on those days on which the plucking of tulsi ji's leaf is forbidden — Ekadashi, Sunday, Dwadashi, a grahan, Amavasya — it should be plucked and kept in advance. If a fresh one is not available, the old leaves themselves should be washed and certainly offered upon them. A Shaligram shila should never be kept without tulsi: that is the chief rule.
Which deities must compulsorily be worshipped in a home?
Asked whether Hanuman ji's pujan too is compulsory alongside the panch devas and the kuldevi, the speaker says absolutely — without Hanuman ji's dhwaja in the house, what is going to happen. Ganapati ji's puja is entirely compulsory; you will do Lakshmi-Ganesh's puja; you will certainly do the puja of some one swarup of Narayan; you will certainly do Shiva ji's puja, Bhagavati's puja, Hanuman ji's puja; there must certainly be a tulsi plant and Hanuman ji's dhwaja.
Where should a newly brought Shaligram shila be kept, and how worshipped daily?
Asked by someone who brought a Shaligram shila on Tulsi Vivah Ekadashi, the speaker says to keep them at the puja place itself. If you keep a Shaligram shila outside and it is small, birds very often pick it up and carry it away, and then you will be left searching for Vishnu ji. Keep them at the puja place on a yellow cloth or a plate; just as a stand comes for a Shivling, one comes for a Shaligram too, and you may keep him on that, or else spread a yellow cloth and establish Bhagavan Shaligram upon it.
What should the old do if they cannot do more?
If diksha has been received, do jap of the guru mantra; if it has not, take the name of the one in whom you have faith. If you can do nothing at all, sit quietly and watch a serial about God. If you cannot do that either, you can at least remember. Do the seva of Tulsi ji. Go to a temple and sit on the temple steps and contemplate.
What remedies does he give for heavy pitru dosha?
To a listener who says he has a great deal of pitru dosha and is not able to have anyone called, he says there is no difficulty and gives three things he can do himself. First: daily, when the floor is mopped in the house, have the mopping done with sendha namak added. Second: the seva of living creatures must certainly happen — roti for the cow, roti for the dog, for the crow, for beasts and birds; whatever is given must go out of the house every day, by rule. Third: let some one member recite the seventh adhyaya of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita daily, even in Hindi, and while reciting put three kusha and a tulsi leaf into a copper lota.
What are the rules for the tulsi leaf and the water in that remedy?
The tulsi leaf must not be plucked on Ekadashi and Dwadashi — that is, on the sudosh — and must not be plucked on a Sunday or a Thursday; so pluck it in advance and keep it, and then do the path of the seventh adhyaya. When the water has been made abhimantrit by the path, give a little of it to everyone to drink as the charanamrit of God, and sprinkle it in the house too, sprinkling three times at the main door. Begin it from tomorrow, Somvati Amavasya, which is a very good and extremely auspicious day, and continue it without break for a whole year. Do not call anybody and do nothing else special; do only this much, and benefit will certainly come in the pitru dosha.
The chaukhat: a threshold once worshipped alongside Tulsi, now gone from homes
The speaker says the Chaukhat, the threshold or dehri, has vanished from homes although it has very special importance. In earlier times it was worshipped alongside the puja of Tulsi, and there was a vidhi of Deepdaan at it. He says the channel already has three or four videos on the chaukhat and he will make another on why it was worshipped; he also asks what boundary is broken by installing one and worshipping it.
Strong pitru dosha attaches only after a family falls from its rules
The speaker says that as long as a family had not fallen, by fate or its own karma, and kept these household rules going, a strong Pitru Dosha did not attach quickly; the matter of Preta, pishach and Abhichara is separate. Asked which of the rules you keep, the only answer people give is that times have changed. He replies that people ate then and eat now, only the way of eating has changed and so the dosha attaches; installing a Chaukhat breaks no boundary, and one who plants fifty decorative trees trembles at planting Tulsi.
Can dried tulsi be used for deepdaan and havan?
Asked by a close associate whether the method many people give for deepdaan using dried tulsi is proper, that same gentleman answered flatly that it is a foolish act and should not be done. The speaker replies that those who made videos on using dried tulsi as havan samidha or for deepdaan gave their reference from the Skanda Purana and the like, and that the reference could at least be looked at.
What is the dosha of uprooting such flowering plants?
These flowers, these creepers, these kinds of trees should never be uprooted and thrown away — green, flourishing trees should never be uprooted and discarded. A very great dosha attaches, he says: one is ruined, the lineage is ruined, complete ruin descends financially.
Three places where the ancestors sit in a home
The speaker names three places held to be the ancestors' in a house. First, their official place is the main door's chaukhat, the doorframe, not the trikut that people build today. Second, Tulsi, where the subtle portions of different kinds of Pitr are held to reside, so that water offered to Tulsi or to Surya Narayan reaches them and satisfies them. Third, symbolically and subtly, the feet of the house's ishta or kul deity whose main image stands in the puja room, but he says this never means placing the photos of one's dead beside those feet; doing so creates dosha.
What remedies help with social anxiety, lack of confidence, and fear of public speaking?
Practicing one's Ishta Devata's Kavach up to 11,000 times, 41 days of daily Hanuman worship, or a Ram Beej Mantra written on Tulsi leaves and offered with Hanuman Chalisa for even 15 days, causes social anxiety to vanish.
Daily ghee lamp at Tulsi so no rin dosha remains toward the giver of a vidhan
For freedom from rin dosha, the speaker asks that every day one ghee Deepak be lit beside Bhagwati Tulsi, so that no rin dosha remains between the listener and those from whom this vidhi-vidhan has been taken. Do only this much, he says, so that no rin dosha remains and the effect of the sadhana is obtained beyond doubt.
On which days should arghya not be given to Tulsi?
The speaker says arghya is given to Bhagavati Tulsi after the Surya arghya each morning, but not on Ekadashi and not on Sunday. If one's own tradition also omits Tuesday, or has no vidhan of giving it on Dwadashi, follow that; look at it according to one's own custom. On all the remaining days it is to be given.
What is the tulsi deepdaan for Bhagavan Narasimha?
The second thing is an arrangement for deepdaan with tulsi in Bhagavan Narasimha's name at the time of sandhya. Citing the Padma Purana, the speaker says two things especially may be done with the wood of a tulsi plant that has dried up completely: the making of harichandan, and this lamp.
Is the tulsi and Narayana practice only for Vaishnavas?
The speaker says that if you are a Vaishnava especially, then certainly do it — but the Shaktas and Shaivas should not think otherwise. There is no Shakta and no Shaiva, he says: all are Smarta. In the householder state everyone is Smarta.
Why must tulsi be placed in Narayana's naivedya?
The speaker says Bhagavan Narayana does not accept the naivedya at all until tulsi ji's leaf falls into it, and that tulsi ji is a form of shakti. He says he was dismayed on seeing videos in which a so-called extremely famous figure of the present time said that tulsi is a servant at Narayana's feet and is not placed in the naivedya in their tradition.
A tradition of one or two hundred years has gone so far as to prove a shastrokta statement false.
He says a tradition a hundred or two hundred years old has gone so far as to prove even a shastrokta statement false — that Bhagavati is a servant of his feet and cannot be placed in the naivedya. In his view, when so-called world-famous people whom many begin to worship do this, they act as heads that cut off heads.
If a lineage really does withhold tulsi, should it be said publicly?
No, the speaker says. Even if it is genuinely the case that tulsi is not offered in your naivedya, keeping the feeling of lokachar and for the sake of lokahita, this subject should not be told. The best thing about Shaktas, he says, is that they never give away their end; they keep it secret, because folk tradition would be defiled by it.
How is the tulsi-wood lamp for Narasimha actually made?
Take the whole dried wood of tulsi ji and wrap it together with the cotton wick of the lamp, pour ghee, and light it while reciting Bhagavan Narasimha's mantra or remembering him — if nothing else, saying "नरसिंहाय नमः". The speaker says anyone at all, man or woman, may do this, and there is no need even to add pranava.
What should be kept beside the tulsi plant, and from when?
The speaker says a tulsi plant must be in the house and must receive seva; and from the Mesh Sankranti that has just set in, up to the Bhadrapada Sankranti, keep at least one clay kalash there, wrapped in red cloth and filled with water. Many pitrs and dev-pitrs dwell near the tulsi tree; they are satisfied through Narayana and Bhagavati Tulsi, and their blessing fills a house with wealth and grain.
In which places of the house should water be kept for the pitrs?
Three, the speaker says: first the chaukhat; second the kitchen — its ishan kona, or nairitya kona, or the western direction; and third the sthan of tulsi ji. His own view is to keep it wherever convenient, since one cannot demolish things over a direction. The water source kept at such a place belongs to the pitrs alone.
Can any spirit help itself to water placed for the pitrs?
No. The speaker says the pitrs will give it to whom they wish; you are not giving it directly to anyone, and no one will be able to take it. Even if a brahmarakshas were sitting there playing cricket with you, calling you friend, when it needs water it will have to ask you — it cannot take and drink it.
What is the fruit of stealing flowers or tulsi for worship?
In the same way, when you pluck a flower from another's garden, pluck or uproot Tulsi ji, steal them without asking and carry them home, then in that condition you obtain the fruit of stealing gold. That same fault attaches to you and must be suffered accordingly: when they take you into Naraka, the Yamadutas melt that same gold and make you drink it, melt that same gold and give you a bath with it.
Can an akhand deepak be lit near Tulsi ji, especially in Kartik?
Asked whether an akhand deepak may be lit near Tulsi ji, especially in Kartik, the speaker says that whenever you light an akhand deepak near Tulsi ji, at that time install the Shaligram shila there as well, or do it after installing the Shri vigraha of Bhagavan Shri Narayan. If you light the akhand jyot outside and rain falls, there will be difficulty, so whenever you take a decision, take it with thought.
Which mala should be used for Ram nam japa?
Asked whether a sphatik mala may be used for Ram nam japa, he says it may. If you do it with a tulsi mala it will be excellent.
Where in a house are such things placed?
He is not saying today's prayogas are of that high an order, the speaker says, but there are processes of this kind, and they may be done near someone's chaukhat, inside the chaukhat, at the brahma sthan, beside Tulsi ji, or at deva sthans of this sort. Because it is by the divine energy inside our body that we walk and speak and laugh and play — and the more that energy decays, the more we stoop, the weaker our viveka grows, and the more negative we become from within.
What are the rules for wearing a tulsi mala?
Asked how a tulsi mala is to be worn, the speaker says it is to be worn around the neck. The general rule after wearing a mala is that one is not to speak untruth, not to behave untruthfully, not to converse untruthfully; if you do find it necessary to speak an untruth, it will be better to remove the mala, and try not to have to speak it while wearing it. At the time of bathing, take it off and set it aside; after bathing, bathe it separately and then wear it. If you wish to sleep wearing it you may, there is no difficulty in it — but before the act of going to the toilet and the like they should be taken off.
What comes of lighting a lamp daily at the Tulsi and the Shami plants?
Tulsi ji is worshipped in home after home, he says, and the Shami is a destroyer of enemies. One should not take them only as Shani Bhagavan's — that the Shami tree is worshipped only for Shani Bhagavan's pleasure. The swaroop of Narayan is connected with the Shami tree. Whenever there is any suffering connected with Shani and havan and so on is done, whether you offer black sesame as ahuti or do deep daan to Shani Bhagavan, if you put in and burn dried Shami wood, that gives a very great effect. So along with Tulsi ji at home one should plant the Shami tree, the Aparajita creeper, the kaner tree and the tree of the gudhal flower.
What upay is there for a girl's early marriage?
Asked for an upay or anushthan for early marriage for girls, the speaker names practices relating to Bhagavati Katyayani, or to Bhagavati Tulsi, or to Bhagavati Parvati. He points to the saptakshari sadhana vidhan of Bhagavati Parvati given on the channel with Shiv ji, and says to do that anushthan for at least three pakshas.
What if water is offered to Tulsi on Ekadashi by mistake?
There is nothing to be done except ask forgiveness. It happens by forgetfulness and confusion, so there is no need to worry so much. The prescribed Prayashchitta has many rules if you go that way — but at the least, ask forgiveness for the offence.
May Tulsi be worshipped on Ekadashi?
Worship, yes — Tulsi Vivah itself takes place on that day. But Argha is forbidden. Bhagavati Tulsi is on her fast that day, so nothing that would break her fast — no Naivedya, no Argha — should be given.
Where should the Kartik deepdaan be done, and how often?
Deepdaan must certainly happen at both times, morning and evening; the evening deepdaan is absolutely obligatory. It should be, roughly, a small daily form of what is done at Diwali — near Hanuman ji's dhwaja and near Tulsi ji. One who protects and serves Tulsi ji in the month of Kartik is held to be the equal of Vishnu ji himself, and every man and woman should certainly do Tulsi seva in this month.
Should the lamp be lit for Tulsi on a Sunday in Kartik?
The speaker says that whether it is Sunday or any other tithi, in the month of Kartik light the lamp not right up close to Tulsi ji but, for instance, near Hanuman ji's dhwaja if Tulsi ji stands beside it. On that day do not light one separately for Tulsi ji if such a scruple is in your mind, and light it on the remaining days.
How much daily seva should a householder do in Kartik?
Carrying the household along — not in the manner of a vairagi, but detached even within the household — one should serve as much as one can. In whatever hour is available after the morning bath, do archan and pujan of the ishta aradhya by the satnam or the sahasranama; along with it recite shlokas relating to Narayan, or his ashtottara satnam, or sing some stuti of his; and let Tulsi ji's seva happen. Chaukhat pujan should happen in all twelve months.
Does an ongoing anushthan continue through Kartik?
Along with the month's devata, the speaker says, keep continuing your own ishta aradhya of whom you do japa and tapa — the anushthan will run for them. And Tulsi ji's puja, deepdaan and the rest are all necessary to do; go on doing all of it.
How should Shaligram ji be kept and served?
The speaker says there is no separate video for Shaligram ji, but that just as Narmadeshwar ji receives abhishek and shringar by daily rule, so Shaligram ji will also receive daily shringar and pujan and abhishek — and he is never to be separated from the Tulsi leaf. Tulsi leaves will always, daily, remain upon him.
Is it auspicious to steal a Ganpati vigraha or a Tulsi plant?
Asked whether the belief in the Sirohi and Udaipur region of Rajasthan, that stealing a vigraha of Bhagwan Ganpati and stealing Bhagwati Tulsi is held very auspicious, is a superstition, the speaker says he has never anywhere read this to this day. He asks the people of those regions and any sadhaks listening to send him proof, whether it is true or untrue, whether it is a kidwanti or some such matter. According to him it is a wrong thing: it is like gold, and the dosha of stealing gold attaches in it; stealing a dev vigraha is a very great offence.
Is the Tulsi leaf to be offered in the naivedya or only at the feet?
The speaker says that the guru of that same podcast, whose videos are going viral, says that in their tradition Tulsi ji is not offered in the Lord's naivedya. But it is a shastrokta statement — in the Shankhachuda prakaran of the Shiv Mahapuran it has just been seen that the Lord gave the blessing and the boon that only when Tulsi ji is offered in the naivedya will he accept the bhog, and otherwise he will not accept the naivedya. Yet they say Tulsi is offered only at the Lord's feet, and that if offered in the naivedya the naivedya itself would become jhoota.
What may be offered to Hanuman in place of vark?
If you have so much wish to offer silver and silver is not beyond your means — offer Hanuman a Ramnami locket; have some ornament of gold or silver made for him and offered; put a mukut on him; a mala of Tulsi; Ram written on a paan leaf, Ram written on a peepal leaf. Offer those. Which bhakta ever said to offer chandi ka vark?
On which days is Tulsi not to be watered or plucked?
A listener says it is held that water should not be given to Tulsi ji on Sunday. The speaker says he will make a separate video on this too — on why water is not to be given on Sunday, why she is not to be plucked on Thursday, and why she is not to be plucked on Amavasya.
How does one tell whether bhoot-pret are taking the bhog at the household shrine?
Say it by looking at your own puja mandir, he says. If the devi-devatas take the puja and bhog, there will be bhavyata — light even one lamp and the shrine will look magnificent. Where the thought has become of that kind, or where there is dev dosha, you may decorate it however much and spend thousands of rupees, and you will feel a complete flatness in the shrine; it will not seem at all that dev shaktis are seated there. Looking at it, a sense of emptiness comes.
Is the story of Tulsi's anger at Ganesh a true one?
A listener says that like the Brahma and Saraswati matter, another wrong thing is current — that Tulsi ji grew angry on seeing Ganesh ji and cursed him. Look, he says: the things that are current are of a very different kind. The kathakars and the commentators, not understanding the original thing, have set it down as it stands — and that is all it is.
Does water given to the pitrs need to be given separately?
You will not need to give water separately for the pitrs, he tells the listener. Give water to Tulsi ji, and the pitrs will be satisfied of themselves. The svarup of Tulsi ji, which is a svarup of Bhagavati, satisfies both the pitrs and the devas. You need say nothing separately; you have only to say her mantra — "महाप्रसाद जननी सर्व सौभाग्य दायनी आधि व्याधि जरा मुक्ति तुलसी त्वम नमस्तुते". Saying only this much, give the water. Do not make a separate use of til and gud for the pitrs.
On Sunday the water goes to Surya, who is the karaka of the father, and the pitrs are satisfied by that
On Sunday you will not give it, he says — so you will be giving water to Surya. By giving water to Surya too the pitrs are satisfied. Surya is the karaka graha of the father. And for a good job: from Surya pujan a good job, from the puja of Ishan Shiva a good job, from the puja of your own kuldevi a good job; do the seva-puja of Hanuman, and a still better job from that.
Dev-shraap from cutting a peepal, shami or tulsi or removing a deity's place
The second cause, the speaker says, is the curse of deities: a temple broken, a deity's place removed to build a house, deity trees like peepal, shami or tulsi uprooted, an old worshipped tree on purchased land cut down. Paying someone else to cut it does not escape the dosha — the ghosts, pretas, pishachas or deities dwelling on it are not fools; it is their home and their yoni, and within dev-shraap comes the curse of all of them.
Forgiving the abhichar enemy who begs, and winding down with Rudrabhishek
The speaker says that at the third death in their house the perpetrators caught the family's feet — 'are you people getting something done? Don't' — and admitted their fault to their face, because now the sword hung over their own beloved child, lying near death for the parents' karma. They folded their hands, swore touching Shiva ji and touching Tulsi that the offence would never happen again, and did sit-ups holding their ears. His ruling: if someone asks forgiveness to your face, forgiveness has to be given — punishing is not our work. The winding-down vidhi was Rudrabhishek and the like, praying to Bhagavati to be calm, to still her Kopa, that fitting punishment had been received and there should be no more deaths. Whether that will hold, he says, he does not know; at present those on whom Bhagavati struck are still laid low.
Is there a special Sawan vidhan for Surya and Tulsi?
Asked about vidhis in Sawan for Suryadev and Tulsi ji for the removal of all sins and doshas, he says that in the month of Sawan the most special vidhi vidhan is for Bhagwan Shiva, and he has probably already discussed all of those. For Shiva ji, for Tulsi ji, in this month he does not feel there is any such special vidhi vidhan. What has been stated according to shastra for Sawan is to arrange the maximum water — but if a vidhi were done of giving Tulsi ji more water, that too is a problem, because excess water should not be given to her. And for Bhagwan Surya, what has been said from before is what should be done.
Tulsi vidhans belong to Kartik and Surya vidhans to Margashirsh.
For the special vidhi vidhan he would have to look at what has been stated for the twelve months, he says, and he does not think he will be able to discuss it further just now, because his whole mind is on Mahadev. He will speak separately of Suryanarayan and Ma Bhagavati Tulsi in the month of Kartik and in the month of Margashirsh — because the month of Margashirsh is dedicated to Bhagwan Suryanarayan and the month of Kartik to Ma Bhagavati Tulsi, so it would be more proper to give all these vidhi vidhans then.
How should Hanuman ji be worshipped that morning?
On the Saturday it is the Purnima, Hanuman ji's jayanti, he says. Morning, noon or evening, whenever suits you; if it can be done early in the morning, that is very good. If there is a shri vigraha or a photograph of Hanuman ji at home, perform his shringar. With a paan leaf, with a peepal leaf on which the beej mantra of Ram ji is written, with a leaf of tulsi ji, perform the archan; perform archan with red flowers, do a sahasrarchan and so on, very beautifully — and after that perform a havan of the Hanuman Chalisa with your family.
How was Bhairav kept in ordinary homes when images could not be made?
Symbolically. In the medieval period images could not be made in every house, so at the Tulsi chaura — where Hanuman ji's flag is planted — elders would grow five Tulsi plants, keep khadaun near the flag, and a little away at the side plant a trishul. The trishul was the symbol of Bhairav and Hanuman ji the symbol of Langurveer; both are raksha-karak devas.
What is the household sequence of daily worship the speaker gives to a woman?
First give water to Surya and water to Tulsi ji — but if you are not giving water to Tulsi ji on Sunday, then do not give it. After that, guru pujan, Ganpati pujan, Batuk Bhairav's pujan, Hanuman ji's pujan, and thereafter Bhagavati's pujan and then Shiv ji's. In between, after Hanuman ji, do the puja of Lakshmi Narayan or of Ram ji if you do it. If you worship Kuber before Shiv ji, or if your kuldevi and kuldevata are Sokha Baba, Gauraiya Baba, Banni Mata or Bandi Parmeshwari, then at the time of Shiv ji's pujan do the dhyan mantra of Virabhadra and Bhadrakali with whatever pujan paddhati you have.
Should the pitr be remembered during dev pujan?
According to him, and as far as he has learnt and seen, pitr smaran should not be done that way while seated in the pujan sthan. If you are giving arghya and water to Surya for the sake of the pitr, then the pitr pujan has already taken place there symbolically — Surya will convey everything to the pitr lok. If you are doing the pujan of Tulsi ji, it has happened there too. Separately, after saluting Tulsi ji with the mantra, you may make pranam for the pitr as well and remember them there. But when you are seated in dev pujan, pitr smaran does not happen on the same asana.
Can the bhog of all the family deities be offered in one vessel?
It is a very good question and everyone should listen to it and follow it, the speaker says. More than one deva and devi may absolutely be kept at home; there is no difficulty, as you wish. Offer the bhog in two places. If you offer in two places, then one vessel's bhog is for the whole Shiv Parivar and all the shaktis connected with Shiva, to whom a tulsi leaf is not surrendered — because if you put in a tulsi leaf, that bhog will not be accepted even by the amsha of Ganpati, Bhagavati Durga cannot accept it, Bhagavan Shiva cannot accept it, and a great many shaktis will not accept it.
Both vessels take the same bhog; a tulsi leaf in one of them makes it the Vaishnav bhog.
In one vessel Vaishnav bhog. In both vessels put the same things — the kishmish and kaju you usually offer, or panchmeva, or whatever sweet bhog you offer. In one of them put a tulsi leaf: all the Vaishnav shaktis connected with Narayan, Hanuman ji, Krishna ji, Narayan, the Ram Darbar, all of them will accept the bhog from that one. The second vessel is for all the remaining shaktis — kul devata, kuldevi, whatever their form. Then you will not have to set out vessels in ten places.
What is the method if the bhog is offered in a single vessel?
If you offer in one place, do not put in the tulsi leaf first. Set the bhog down and begin the pujan. When the pujan is done, before the aarti, or even after the aarti: you will certainly be keeping water beside the bhog vessel — take water out with the achamani and circle it five times around the bhog. Leave the Vedic mantras aside; you may say the Annapurne Sadapurne mantra or "श्री अन्नपूर्णाय नमः", remembering Bhagavati Annapurna: O Bhagavati Annapurna, serve food to all the devatas and all the devis, let all obtain their share of the food, let the naivedya reach all. Pour the water five times there. Then put in one tulsi leaf and, with folded hands, pray that all the devatas accept the bhog — Narayan too will accept it, and the remaining shaktis as well.
Shankhachud's own shakti was blunted by the insults he gave
He recalls Shankhachud, who insulted Devaraj Indra, Vishnu ji and everyone; because of that insult his very shakti became blunted, and struck once by Indra's vajra he fell unconscious. All his shaktis, and Tulsi ji's pativrat dharma, stood useless where they were once he did the nindaa. In exactly this way, when you begin saying that you did so much puja of Durga ji and nothing is happening, the trouble begins and our punya starts to decay. Therefore nindaa should not be done.
Should the mahatmya alone be read, or the adhyaya with it?
The mahatmya alone is not to be read, the speaker says; along with the mahatmya the seventh adhyaya must be read too. There is no difficulty for you in the paath of the seventh adhyaya on account of your financial condition: you do not need to do anything in it, you have only to take a sankalp. Water is free, the tulsi leaf is free, and the paath you can do with your own mouth. There is no difficulty at all.
Is it true that Bhagavati Chandika is angered by the scent of tulsi?
A shloka is much circulated these days, a listener says, whose meaning is that Bhagavati Chandika becomes angry from the mere scent of tulsi — by which reckoning a Vaishnava could never worship Bhagavati Durga at all. Kindly send the shloka once, the speaker answers, and let us see what its source is and why it is; it must have been written for some reason on account of some such situation, it is not written just so. That would be improper. In the form of tulsi Jagadamba herself is present. Send the shloka and he will give the proof from the shastra, live, opening the book: that Bhagavati herself has manifested in the form of Dhatri, of tulsi and the rest, and what her mahatmya is — you may read it in the Devi Bhagavat too.
Should a tulsi kanthi mala be removed by one worshipping Bhagavati?
Now those who are doing Bhagavati's worship are being told to have the tulsi kanthi mala they have taken removed, the speaker notes. He says he simply cannot comment on such subjects, because everyone has his own mati, gati, buddhi and his own kula krama — it may be that it is their kula krama. But according to him, all this cannot be had done without diksha. And the Narayan who bears this shakti, Pitambara — so far as it seems to him, the greatest and most capable siddha sadhak who bears Pitambara is Bhagavan Narayan himself; he bears her always, she is dear to him, and her energy is controlled by him, so there should be no dosha in it. In the Satnam at the least there is none at all. Yes, if one does his tantrokta mantras and such particular subjects, then.
Where may a lamp for the pitrs be lit daily?
Yes, if it is done only on Amavasya the matter is different: on Amavasya a lamp can be given, for one day. Light one morning and evening before the deities. For the sake of the pitrs too you may, if you wish, do a nitya deep-daan, where in the kitchen the place of the drinking water is — there you can light it. The lamp that is kindled at evening, at the sandhya hour, beside Tulsi ji is also for the sake of the pitrs: Tulsi Maharani accepts it, and the pitrs too, being situated in her root, her trunk and her leaves, obtain their share. But if you do it targeting only one pitr, then in this there is difficulty.
No notes match "".