Tulasi Prayers ~ Swarupa Damodara Dasa

A Vedic Bhakti art devotional slideshow featuring photo images of Srimati Tulasi Devi Deities. In order to understand who Tulasi devi is, one must also understand who Vrinda devi is. In fact, Tulasi devi and Vrinda devi are one and the same.

Vrinda devi is an expansion of Radharani who lives in Goloka Vrndavana where she is in charge of planning out the details of Krishna's pastimes. She plans out every little thing, from what clothes will be worn to what flowers will bloom in the forest as Krishna traverses the paths. She also supervises Krishna's pastimes with her parrots, who fly past and relay to Vrinda devi what is going on. When Krishna is performing the rasa dance with Radharani and doesn't want to leave her in the morning, Vrinda devi sends her parrots who imitate the voice of Mother Yasoda calling out to Krishna looking for Him, and then Krishna and Radharani hurry back to their homes to pretend to have been sleeping all night. Thus, Vrinda devi is a very intimate devotee of Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani.
The words Tulasi Prayers Follow....

Tulasi-arati Kirtana

vrindayai tulasi-devyai
priyayai keshavasya cha
vishnu-bhakti-prade devi
satyavatyai namo namaha

Translation

(The first mantra is offering of obeisances to Shrimati Tulasi Devi. Srila Prabhupada explains that the Tulasi tree is a pure devotee of Krishna in the body of a plant. Worship of the Tulasi plant is very important in devotional service.) "I offer my repeated obeisances unto Vrinda, Shrimati Tulasi Devi, who is very dear to Lord Keshava. O goddess, you bestow devotional service to Lord Krishna and possess the highest truth."

namo namah tulasi krishna-preyasi namo namaha
radha-krishna-seva pabo ei abhilashi
ye tomara sharana loy, tara vancha purna hoy
kripa kori' koro tare brindavana-basi
mor ei abhilash bilas kunje dio vas
nayane heribo sada jugala-rupa-rashi
ei nivedana dharo sakhir anugata koro
seva-adhikara diye koro nija dasi
dina krishna-dase koy ei jena mora hoy
shri-radha-govinda-preme sada jena bhasi

Translation

O Tulasi, beloved of Krishna, I bow before you again and again. My desire is to obtain the service of Shri Shri Radha-Krishna.
Whoever takes shelter of you has his wishes fulfilled. Bestowing your mercy on him, you make him a resident of Vrindavana.
My desire is that you will also grant me a residence in the pleasure groves of Shri Vrindavana-dhama. Thus, within my vision I will always behold the beautiful pastimes of Radha and Krishna.
I beg you to make me a follower of the cowherd damsels of Vraja. Please give me the privilege of devotional service and make me your own maidservant.
This very fallen and lowly servant of Krishna prays, "May I always swim in the love of Shri Radha and Govinda."

Devotees circumambulate the Tulasi plant while singing the following prayer:

yani kani cha papani
brahma-hatyadikani cha
tani tani pranashyanti
pradakshina pade pade

Translation

"By the circumambulation of Shrimati Tulasi Devi all the sins that one may have committed are destroyed at every step, even the sin of killing a brahman."