Kartikeya inquired, "My dear Father (Lord Siva), which tree or
plant is capable of giving love of God?"
Lord Siva replied, "My dear son, of all trees and plants,
Tulasi Devi is the topmost, She is all auspicious, the fulfiller of
all desires, completely pure, most dear to Lord Krsna, and the
topmost devotee.
Long ago, Lord Krsna, for the welfare of all conditioned
souls, brought Vrindadevi in the form of a plant (Tulasi) and
planted Her in this material world. Tulasi is the essence of all
devotional activities. Without Tulasi leaves, Lord Krsna does not
like to accept flowers, food stuffs, sandalwood paste; in fact,
anything without Tulasi leaves is not looked upon by Lord
Krsna.
One who worships Lord Krsna daily with Tulasi leaves, attains
the results of all kinds of austerities, charities, fire
sacrifices. In fact, he does not have any other duties to perform
and he has realised the essence of all scriptures.
Just as the Ganges river is purifying all who bathe in her, so
Tulasi Devi is purifying the three worlds.
It is not possible to describe the full benefit of offering
Tulasi Manjaris (flowers) to Lord Krsna. Lord Krsna, along with all
the demigods, lives wherever there is Tulasi Devi. For this reason,
one should plant Tulasi Devi at one's home and offer worship daily.
One who sits near Tulasi Devi and chants or recites prayers will
attain the results much faster.
All forms of ghosts and demons run away from that place where
Tulasi Devi is planted and all kinds of sinful reactions are
destroyed when one comes close to Tulasi Devi. One who makes a
garden of Tulasi Devi gets the results of all charities and of one
hundred fire sacrifices.
One who puts into his mouth or on his head the Tulasi leaves,
after they have been offered to Lord Krsna, attains the abode of
Lord Krsna. In Kali-yuga, one who worships, performs kirtan in
front of, remembers, plants, or keeps Tulasi, burns up all his
sinful reactions and attains Lord Krsna's abode very quickly.
One who preaches the glories of Tulasi Devi and also practices
what he preaches, becomes very dear to Lord Krsna.
One who worships Tulasi Devi has already satisfied his guru,
the brahmins, demigods, and all the holy places.
One who offers a Tulasi leaf to Lord Krsna becomes a Vaisnava
very quickly. What is the need of all the scriptures for one who
has offered the wood or leaves of Tulasi Devi to Lord Krsna, for he
will never have to taste the milk from the breast of a mother again
(he will never take birth again).
One who has worshipped Lord Krsna with the leaves of Tulasi
Devi has already released all his ancestors from this realm of
birth and death.
My dear Kartikeya, I have told you many of the glories of
Tulasi Devi. If I was to describe Her glories for eternity, I still
would not be able to reach their conclusion.
One who remembers or tells others these glorifications of
Tulasi Devi will never take birth again."
