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This is celebrated on the 12th day of the first half or Shukla Paksha of the month of Karthik to commemorate the marriage of Vishnu and Tulsi.

Tulsi is one of the most sacred plants of the Hindus and is believed to be the incarnation of Vrinda, the virtuous wife of Jalandhar. Vrinda, the daughter of the Asura Kalanemi, was married to Jalandhar who, according to legend, was born out of the sweat which Shiva had thrown from his brow into the ocean when he perspired at being insulted by Lord Indra. As he was born in water or Jala, he was named Jalandhar. Due to this he claimed regime of the Ocean and demanded back all the fourteen treasures churned out of the ocean during Amrutha Manthan.

But Indra, the king of the Gods refuted to oblige. To avenge Indra, Jalandhar worshipped Brahma and did severe penance. Brahma being pleased granted him freedom from death as long as his wife Vrinda remained virtuous. Jalandhar waged a war on Indra and invaded Amaravathi, the capital of Swarga, compelling all the Gods to flee. Jalandhar had become invincible in the three worlds because of Vrinda.

Then, Vishnu constructed a plan.

The Gods deceived Vrinda with the false news that her husband has been killed in battle. The severed head and body of two monkeys were put in front of her, and she believing it to be her husband’s dead body was plunged in grief. A Sadhu came along and by reciting some mantras he joined again the head and the body, and Vishnu looking exactly like Jalandhar stood in front of her. Thinking in her excitement that it was her resuscitated, she embraced him. But then realizing her mistake, she lost her virtue for having touched the body of another man.

After Vrinda had lost her holiness Jalandhar got killed. When Vrinda discovered she was deceived, she cursed Vishnu, “Your wife will be taken away from you and you will have to ask help from monkeys to recover her” (This curse was literally realized when Vishnu took avatar as Rama) and then she prepared a pyre and jumped into the fire. But Vishnu admiring her chastity and sorry for the wrong done to her, was inconsolable till the Gods planted a Tulsi shrub and summoned her spirit into it. Since then she is believed to come into the shrub every evening leaving it in the morning. This is the reason why the Tulsi leaves are not plucked after sunset. The place where Tulsi is kept is called Tulsi Vrindavan.

Even though by mistake, Vrinda had for an instant believed Vishnu to be her husband. Therefore when Vishnu took avatar as Krishna, Vrinda took avatar as Rukmini, and on the 12th day of the bright half of Karthik they got married.

On this day the Tulsi Vrindavan at houses is smeared with cow dung. Sugarcane is buried in it, and avale (fruits of the Gooseberry tree) and wet chinch (fruits of the tamarind tree) are put on it.

Ramprasad Kamath
Secretary
GSB Association, Mysore
E-mail: kamathgsb_mysore@yahoo.co.in
Ph: 9845111203