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  • Volunteer

    maybe Prabhuji, but in Srimad Bhagavatam 10th Canto it says that Devaki had a child each year.

    Your servant, 

  • Volunteer

    Hare Krishna dear Devotees, please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

    Lord first entered to Vasudeva's heart and from his heart later transported into Devaki's heart. And then later to her womb. 

    So it not an ordinary appearance. 

    And when He appeared after 9 months to external world He appeared without any pain, cry and etc. On the contrary His Body was decorated with jewelries, and He had hair, yellow garments, ...

    So can we say it as an ordinary birth?

    He appeared in that way because He wanted to please His Devotees like Vasudeva and Devaki. Because for many life times they used to desire to have God as their child. So for many life times He used to accept the position of their child. Also Lord wanted to please His another Devotee's creation - Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma is a creator at the same time a very great Devotee of Lord Krishna. When he constructs this material world he give natural laws to which everyone should obey. So in order to please and honor His Devotee Lord Krishna appeared as an ordinary baby having parents but still it was not ordinary.

    --------

    When we do service to the Lord we have to think of ourselves as if we are not even serving but assisting pure souls to serve to Krishna. We sing in Mangala Arati Guru Maharaja early in the morning decorates Altar and Deities very beautifully ...to that Guru i pay my humble obeisances...Guru Maharaja then offers 4 types of food to the Deities...to that personality i offer my obeisances...

    in this way all we have to accept that we are not serving to Krishna directly because it is a very big position, but we are assisting those pure souls.

    So while offering some food we put on them Tulasi leaf because we want to assist Tulasi Maharani in Her service to Krishna. 

    Also Lord Krishna told that He won't accept anything which is offered without Tulasi. So it is His desire so if we want to please Krishna we have to do what He requested us to do.

    Your servant,

    • Volunteer

      ahh excellent answer. I wish there was some way I could edit my original answer seeing as I am 100% incorrect, it's time I start reading more. 

      But also out of curiosity (since I haven't read the birth pastime of Lord Rama), how was Lord Rama born? If i recall correctly, he was not born in the jewels that Lord Krishna was (but alas, these are different pastimes too so this may also be a reason).

      I have a another question mataji referring to the patram pushpam quote. The basis of that verse is focused on love and devotion, so how does this tie in with tulsi maharani? Or am i just headed in the wrong direction?

      I do remember various pastimes (from movies in particular that show the significance of Tulsi Maharani, and how Krishna is immediately pleased when one offers him a Tulsi leaf), but I'm not sure how this corresponds to the teachings in the Gita... i do get the feeling I am headed in a wrong direction because Prabhupada's purport specifically states that Krishna likes vegetables, etc.  and not meat, which is one of the many essences of that verse, and the verse should be taken that Krishna is satisfied with simple things, as long as they are offered with love and devotion. I'm quite confused.

      Please guide me,

      Your servant,

  • Volunteer
    Since I'm not on a desktop computer, I can't pull quotes, but here goes:

    Krishna is unborn, the Brahma Samhita describes him as anadir adir which means with no origin. Now when he comes to the material world he doesn't take birth. If you recall his "birth" pastime, the four armed form of Vishnu appeared, who later turned in baby Krishna. But since I don't have sources right now, I will leave it as such.

    I found an interesting explanation for your second question
    If one worships Vishnu without tulsi leaves then it is in vain because without offering tulsi leaves or without sprinkling food with water using them, Vishnu does not partake of the offering. Looking at, touching, meditating upon, praying to, worshipping, planting or eating tulsi leaves can cleanse one of sins committed in several births in the bygone eras. It is said that all deities reside in this plant right from the roots to the shoots.’
    2.1 Why are tulsi leaves offered to Vishnu?: Commonly it is said that in the ritualistic worship of a deity, it is offered its favourite item; for example, Ganapati likes red flowers, Shankar bel and Vishnu tulsi. Then a story as to why that deity likes that particular substance is narrated. In reality superior deities like Shankar, Vishnu, Ganapati do not have any likes or dislikes. Yet the reason for offering certain substances to certain deities is as follows.
    One of the objectives of ritualistic worship is that the idol which is to be worshipped should get charged with divine consciousness (chaitanya) and that it should help one in making spiritual progress. In order to generate that divine consciousness, the substance which is offered to that idol has more ability to attract the pure particles (pavitrakas) [most subtle spiritual particles] of that deity, from as far as the maha region as compared to other substances. Red flowers have the ability to attract the pure particles of Ganapati, bel of Shankar, tulsi of Vishnu, etc. Hence tulsi leaves are offered to Vishnu. A tulsi plant is planted on a pedestal in front of the house and tulsi is even wedded to Krushna.

    Read more at: http://www.hindujagruti.org/hinduism/knowledge/article/why-are-tuls...

    In my opinion the answer is a bit more complex and slightly different from that. Krishna states in the Gita (patram pushpam...) if one offers me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit,or water I shall accept it. In other words, while Krishna will only accept offering with the tulsi leaf, we know that love and devotion is also what he looks for. Since we are devotees, we know that Tulsi is very dear to Krishna, but if we don't have tulsi to offer to Krishna (and rather we ask forgiveness and offer with love) Krishna will accept it happily. But offering with tulsi is like guarantee that He has accepted.
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