The story behind Tulsi Vivah
The legend, drawn from the Padma Purana, is among the most poignant in the Vaishnava tradition. Vrinda, daughter of the asura king Kalanemi, was a great devotee of Vishnu and married to the asura Jala…
The legend, drawn from the Padma Purana, is among the most poignant in the Vaishnava tradition. Vrinda, daughter of the asura king Kalanemi, was a great devotee of Vishnu and married to the asura Jalandhar; her chastity (pativrata-dharma) was so absolute that no god could defeat her husband. To break the curse her devotion held over the world, Vishnu took the form of Jalandhar and approached her — when the deception was discovered, Vrinda cursed Vishnu to become a stone (the shaligram) and immolated herself. From her ashes grew the Tulsi plant. Moved by her devotion and grief, Vishnu declared that Tulsi would be eternally dear to him; she would never be separated from him in worship; and any household where Tulsi was tended would receive his unending grace.
The ritual is performed in courtyards across North and Central India: the Tulsi vrindavan is decorated with rangoli, lamps, and red sari; the shaligram (or a small Vishnu murti) is placed beside it; mantras are chanted; the families of "bride" and "groom" exchange ritual elements as in any traditional wedding; and the day ends with arati and prasad. In many households the first wedding card of the season is symbolically offered at the Tulsi vrindavan first, before being distributed to guests.