Tulasi in Hinduism, Kanthi Mala, कंठी माला

Tulasi (Sanskrit: तुलसी, romanized: Tulasī), or Vrinda (holy basil) is a sacred plant in Hindu tradition. Hindus regard it as an earthly manifestation of the goddess Tulasi; she is regarded as the avatar of Lakshmi, and thus the consort of the god Vishnu. In another iteration, as Vrinda, she is married to Jalandhara. The offering of its leaves is recommended in ritualistic worship of Vishnu and his avatars, like Krishna and Vithoba.

Traditionally, the tulasi is planted in the center of the central courtyard of Hindu houses. The plant is cultivated for religious purposes, and for its essential oil.

Nomenclature
In the Vedas, Tulasi (“matchless”) is known as Vaishnavi (“belonging to Vishnu”), Vishnu Vallabha (“beloved of Vishnu”), Haripriya (“beloved of Vishnu”), Vishnu Tulasi. The Tulasi with green leaves is called Shri-Tulasi (“fortunate Tulasi”) or Lakshmi-Tulasi; Shri is also a synonym for Lakshmi, Vishnu’s spouse. This variety is also known as Rama-Tulasi (“bright Tulasi”); Rama is also one of the principal avatars of Vishnu. The Tulasi with dark green or purple leaves and purple stem is called Shyama-Tulasi (“dark Tulasi”) or Krishna-Tulsi (“dark Tulasi”); Krishna is also a prominent avatar of Vishnu. This variety is considered especially sacred to Krishna, as its purple color is similar to Krishna’s dark complexion.

One argument mooted is that goddess Lakshmi is also identical with Tulasi and hence it is also known as Lakshmi Priya; Tulasi is also identified with the wives of other incarnations of Vishnu, such as Rama and Krishna.

The name Tulasi is also believed to literally translate as “immeasurable”. Tula means a scale or balance, where an item is place on one side and weights on the other to compare and measure the weight. Hence, Tulasi could also mean the one who cannot be measured or compared.

Legends
Lakshmi-Tulasi

An altar with tulasi plant for daily worship in a courtyard in India
The Devi Bhagavata Purana regards Tulasi as an manifestation of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and the principal consort of Vishnu. Once upon a time, King Vrishadhvaja—a devotee of the god Shiva—banned worship of all other deities except for that of his patron god. The agitated sun god, Surya, cursed him that he would be abandoned by Lakshmi. Upset, Shiva pursued Surya, who fled, finally seeking shelter with Vishnu. Vishnu said to the deities that years had passed on earth. Vrishadhvaja and also his heir-son were dead and his grandchildren—Dharmadhvaja and Kushadhvaja—were now worshiping Lakshmi to gain her favor. Lakshmi rewarded their efforts by being born as their daughters Tulasi to Dharmadhvaja, and Vedavati to Kushadhvaja, respectively. In time, Tulasi gave up all her royal comforts, and went to Badrinath to perform a penance to gain Vishnu as her husband. The god Brahma was pleased with her penance, but told her that she would have to marry the daitya Shankhacuda (The reincarnation of Sudama, the cowherd friend of Krishna) before she could marry Vishnu.

The Curse of Tulasi
Shankhacuda, a mighty daitya, underwent a severe tapasya that pleased Brahma. He was granted the Viṣṇukavaca (the armour of Vishnu), and was blessed with another boon: As long as the Viṣṇukavaca was on his body, no one could slay him. Shankhacuda and Tulasi were soon married. His arrogance caused conflict with the devas, who petitioned Vishnu to relieve them. Vishnu granted his trishula to Shiva, who slew Shankachuda with the weapon. Vishnu appeared in the form of Shankacuda to Tulasi, and the two sported, and ceased when Tulasi realised that he was an imposter. When she jumped to curse him, Vishnu appeared as his true form and spoke to her, after which Tulasi joined him to depart to Vaikuntha:

You have been doing penance for a long time to get me as your husband. Your husband Śaṅkhacūḍa was the chief of my Pārṣadas, Sudāmā. It is time for him to go back to Goloka getting himself released from the curse. By this time Śiva would have killed him and he would have gone to Goloka as Sudāmā. You can now abandon your body and come with me to Vaikuṇṭha to enjoy life as my wife. Your body will decay and become a holy river named Gaṇḍakī; your hair will become the Tulasī plant, the leaves of which will be held sacred in all the three worlds.

— Devi Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 9

In regional variations of this legend, Tulasi, in her anger and grief at her husband’s demise, cursed Vishnu to be turned into stone. Vishnu turned into a stone, and resided on riverbank Gandaki River. The devotees of Vishnu call these sacred stones shaligrama.

In regional variations of this legend, Tulasi, in her anger and grief at her husband’s demise, cursed Vishnu to be turned into stone. Vishnu turned into a stone, and resided on riverbank Gandaki River. The devotees of Vishnu call these sacred stones shaligrama.

Vrinda
See also: Jalandhara
The Skanda Purana, Padma Purana, as well as the Shiva Purana feature Tulasi in the tale of Vrinda and her husband, Jalandhara. Vrinda is the daughter of Kalanemi, an asura. Vrinda is described to be pious, and a great devotee of god Vishnu. Jalandhara, an asura born from Shiva’s rage, marries her. Angered by the outcome of the Samudra Manthana, Jalandhara wages a successful war on the devas, conquering Svarga, and ruling as a virtuous monarch. However, after hearing details of Parvati’s beauty from Narada, he demands Shiva hand her over to him. Infuriated, Shiva declares war on the asura, but finds him to be an invincible foe. After employing his illusory arts, the asura attempts to abduct Parvati in the guise of Shiva. She prays to Vishnu, and makes him realise that the asura was shielded from defeat by the chastity of his wife.

Vrinda receives an ominous nightmare where she sees her husband seated on a buffalo, the sky enveloped in darkness, and a sun without lustre. Terrified of what it implied, she ran from forest to forest, forgetting herself. When a sage rescues her from two rakshasas, she begs him to inform her of the tidings of her husband’s battle with Shiva. The sage’s disciples produce the asura’s hands, a head, and a headless trunk, upon which she falls into despair. She urges the sage to resuscitate her fallen husband, which he does. Witnessing her slain husband return to life, Vrinda sported with him for several days, until she realised his true identity. She cursed Vishnu that his wife, too, would be separated from him (Which happens when Sita is abducted by Ravana) and self-immolates, even as the deity attempts to stop her. Her chastity broken, Shiva prevails over Jalandhara.

After the conclusion of the battle, Vishnu is still traumatised by the death of the beautiful Vrinda, and refuses to move from her pyre. The devas invoke Prakriti, the personified force of nature, who offers them three seeds to be planted where Vishnu stays, which represent the sattva, rajas, and tamas gunas. The seeds grow to become three plants, Dhātrī, Mālatī, and Tulasī, who are personified as three women, Svarā, Lakṣmī, and Gaurī. Vishnu grows infatuated by the sight of these wondrous women. Since Mālatī is regarded to be “deceptive” (As she stems from Lakṣmī, who is already Vishnu’s shakti), she is condemned. The goddesses of Dhātrī and Tulasī, however, bear genuine love for Vishnu, and make him forget about his misery. They accompany Vishnu to Vaikuntha, and greatly please and delight him.

In a variation of this legend, Vrinda immolates herself in her husband’s funeral pyre, but Vishnu ensures that she is incarnated in the form of tulasi plant upon the earth. She gains the status of a goddess named Tulasi, while her earthly form is the tulasi plant.

Other Legends
A Vaishnava legend relates the origin of the tulasi to the Samudra Manthana, the churning of the cosmic ocean by the devas and the asuras. At the end of the churning, Dhanvantari rose from the ocean with amrita (the elixir of immortality). Vishnu procured it for the devas, when the asuras tried to steal it. Vishnu is regarded to have shed happy tears, the first of which fell in amrita, and formed the tulasi.