Ganga
November 18th, 2002, 09:53 AM
Yesterday's celebration (actually it should be this full moon, ie. tomorrow, but Sunday was easier to organize):
There is an ancient story in Brahma Vaivarta Purana about a princess called Tulasi (matchless). She performed severe austerities to gain a boon that she could have Vishnu (God) as her husband. Simultaneously, another man was performing rituals and austerities to gain her as his wife. Well, she did meet this man who happened to be a "demon" (demoniac person) and agreed to marry him after Brahma whispered to her ear that she would get Vishnu after that.
Tulasi took her marriage vows very seriously. Her husband understood that due to her chastity, he could become the most powerful man on Earth. Thus he became very arrogant. No one could conquer him, and soon the gods themselves feared him. Lord Shiva went to battle him, while Vishnu approached Tulasi in the shape of her husband. Of course, Tulasi and Vishnu spent the night together. As the night neared its end, Tulasi's husband died. She could immediately understand what had happened, especially since Vishnu revealed his true form to her. Tulasi was furious - she had been tricked.
"You are so stone-hearted. I curse you to become a stone!" she uttered.
"Very well," Vishnu accepted. "But because you are so dear to me, I shall curse your body to become river Gandaki, and your hair to sprout up as a Tulasi-trees. I shall always live within your waters, and the worms living there will carve my stone-body with the markings of my chakra (wheel)."
River Gandaki flows in modern day Nepal, and it is only there that those special stones with the markings of chakra are found. (Scientists call them fossilized stones.) As for Tulasi, Vishnu (Krishna) never accepts anything offered to Him without Tulasi leaves, as She is Goddess Herself in one of Her many forms.
In many of our temples, we perform the wedding of Tulasi and Vishnu (in His form as a stone) once a year to commemorate this story. Some devotees will take the place of Vishnu's parents, and some Tulasi's parents. What happened yesterday, was that the couple who were to be Tulasi's parents had to cancel at the last minute. My husband was the officiating priest, but we decided that I should take the role of Goddess's mother. It was a very beautiful experience, and I'm happy I could share this with you, too, albeit virtually through Internet.
There is an ancient story in Brahma Vaivarta Purana about a princess called Tulasi (matchless). She performed severe austerities to gain a boon that she could have Vishnu (God) as her husband. Simultaneously, another man was performing rituals and austerities to gain her as his wife. Well, she did meet this man who happened to be a "demon" (demoniac person) and agreed to marry him after Brahma whispered to her ear that she would get Vishnu after that.
Tulasi took her marriage vows very seriously. Her husband understood that due to her chastity, he could become the most powerful man on Earth. Thus he became very arrogant. No one could conquer him, and soon the gods themselves feared him. Lord Shiva went to battle him, while Vishnu approached Tulasi in the shape of her husband. Of course, Tulasi and Vishnu spent the night together. As the night neared its end, Tulasi's husband died. She could immediately understand what had happened, especially since Vishnu revealed his true form to her. Tulasi was furious - she had been tricked.
"You are so stone-hearted. I curse you to become a stone!" she uttered.
"Very well," Vishnu accepted. "But because you are so dear to me, I shall curse your body to become river Gandaki, and your hair to sprout up as a Tulasi-trees. I shall always live within your waters, and the worms living there will carve my stone-body with the markings of my chakra (wheel)."
River Gandaki flows in modern day Nepal, and it is only there that those special stones with the markings of chakra are found. (Scientists call them fossilized stones.) As for Tulasi, Vishnu (Krishna) never accepts anything offered to Him without Tulasi leaves, as She is Goddess Herself in one of Her many forms.
In many of our temples, we perform the wedding of Tulasi and Vishnu (in His form as a stone) once a year to commemorate this story. Some devotees will take the place of Vishnu's parents, and some Tulasi's parents. What happened yesterday, was that the couple who were to be Tulasi's parents had to cancel at the last minute. My husband was the officiating priest, but we decided that I should take the role of Goddess's mother. It was a very beautiful experience, and I'm happy I could share this with you, too, albeit virtually through Internet.