Par kalpošanu Tulasī — Prabhupādas vēstules
Śrīla Prabhupāda Says - [Regarding the importance of Tulasī worship]
Translation: One should worship the Lord by offering pure water, pure flower garlands, fruits, flowers and vegetables, which are available in the forest, or by collecting newly grown grasses, small buds of flowers or even the skins of trees, and if possible, by offering tulasī leaves, which are very dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Purport: It is specifically mentioned herein that tulasī leaves are very dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and devotees should take particular care to have tulasī leaves in every temple and center of worship. In the Western countries, while engaged in propagating the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we were brought great unhappiness because we could not find tulasī leaves.
We are very much obliged, therefore, to our disciple Śrīmatī Govinda dāsī because she has taken much care to grow tulasī plants from seeds, and she has been successful by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. Now tulasī plants are growing in almost every center of our movement.
[SB: 4.8.55]
Śrīla Prabhupāda Says – [Regarding the care and worship of Tulasī Devī]
I am so very glad to learn that Śrīmatī Tulasī Devī has favored you so much. If you can actually grow this Tulasī plant, and I am sure you will do it, then you must know it for certain that your devotion for Kṛṣṇa is testified. I was very much anxious to introduce this worship of Tulasī plant amongst our Society members, but it has not become successful till now, therefore, when I hear that you have got this opportunity, my pleasure does not have any bounds.
Please take care of the Tulasī plants in the following way. This is the best season for growing Tulasī plants. From 15th April to 15th June is the best season for growing this plant. Now I understand that the seedlings are coming out, so the whole spot if possible may be covered by some net because the seedling stage creepers being very delicate are sometimes eaten up by the sparrows, so we have to give a little protection from attack of the sparrows.
All the devotees should pour water at least once in the morning before taking prasādam. The watering should not be very much large in quantity, but it should be poured just to keep the ground soft and moist. Sunlight also should be allowed. When the creepers are grown at least 7 inches high, then you can take them out from the planting soil and transplant them in a row in a different place.
Then go on watering and they will grow like anything. I think this plant cannot grow in cold countries, but if the plants are dispatched from your place and if the devotees take care of the plant with a little care in a flower pot, then it may grow.
Tulasī leaf is very, very dear to Viṣṇu. All Viṣṇu-tattva Deities require profusely Tulasī leaves. Lord Viṣṇu likes garland of Tulasī leaves. Tulsi leaves mixed with sandalwood pulp and placed on the lotus feet of the Lord is the topmost worship. But we must be very careful that Tulasī leaves cannot be placed on the feet of anyone else except Lord Viṣṇu and His different forms.
Tulasī leaves cannot be placed even on the lotus feet of Rādhārāṇī or on the lotus feet of the Spiritual Master. It is entirely reserved for being placed on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. We can place, however, Tulasī leaves in the hands of Rādhārāṇī for being placed on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, as you have seen on the Govinda Album.
I am giving you herewith three mantras for Tulasī Devī as follows:
vrindaai tulasī devyai priyaai keśavasya ca visnubhaktiprade devī satyavatyai namo namaḥ
This is offering obeisances, bowing down (pañcāṅga prāṇam). And when collecting leaves from the plant, the following mantra should be chanted:
tulasyā mṛta janmasi sadā tvam kesavapriya kesavarthi cinomi tvam barada bhava sobhine
Then the mantra for circumambulating the Tulasī tree.
yāni kani ca pāpāni brahmahatya dikani ca tāni tāni praṇaśyanti pradakṣiṇaḥ pade pade
So there are three mantras, one for bowing down, one for circumambulating,* and one for collecting the leaves. The collecting of leaves should be done once in the morning for worshiping and for putting on the plates of foodstuff to be offered. On each bowl or plate there should be at lest one leaf. So you follow and practice these Tulasī affairs and you try to distribute your experience to all the other centers, that will be a new chapter in the history of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement.
[Letter to Govinda Devī Dāsī: Los Angeles 7 April 1970]
Śrīla Prabhupāda Says – [Regarding the worship of Tulasī Devī]
I am very glad to know that you are seriously taking to Śrīmatī Tulasī Devī worship. Tulasī Devī is a pure devotee of Krishna and she should be treated with the same respect given to all Krishna's pure devotees. Simply by worshiping her faithfully, a devotee can get himself free of from all material miseries. In the Nectar of Devotion I have given two verses from the Skanda Purāṇa, one of which is: "Tulasī is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simply by touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simply by bowing before, simply by hearing about, or simply by sowing the tree, there is always auspiciousness.
Anyone who comes in touch with the Tulasī tree in the above mentioned ways lives eternally in the Vaikuṇṭha world.'' So from this verse we can understand how pure is the service which Tulasī offers to Śrī Krishna. So we should always endeavor after becoming servant of Tulasī Devī.
I do not know who has taught you that part of a Tulasī plant may be cut off and then replanted? From the Tulasī plant you can cut off only leaves for offering them to Krishna, never for cutting and planting. That is an offense.
The mañjarīs (seeds) can be offered in water and it makes the water fragrant and tasteful. And the mañjarīs can be planted for growing new Tulasī plants. Yes, the prayer you have enclosed is bona fide.
Tulasī Devī never goes back to Godhead, she is always with Godhead. She is a pure devotee and thus she has appeared on this planet to render service to Krishna by being offered in all temples throughout the world by being offered up to the lotus feet of Krishna.
[Letter to Rādhāvallabha: Bombay 6 Jan 1972]
