The Inner Reason: Why We Don’t Pick Tulasi Leaves On Dvadasi

Why is it recommended that Vaisnavas don’t pick Tulasi leaves on Dvadasi (generally the day after Ekadasi)? Where is this explained? Other than rules and regulations, what is the inner reason? Our gaudiya-vaisnava culture is very deep and sweet. Let’s take a peek at that sweetness and gain a deeper understanding of Tulasi devi, who she is, what she does, and how we can have a relationship with her.

When To Pick Tulasi leaves

Srimati Tulasi Devi can be picked on any day except for Dvadasi. It is explained in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa:

saṁkrāntyādau niṣiddho ̍pi
tulasya vacayaḥ smṛtau
paraṁ śrī viṣṇu bhaktaistu
dvādaśyāmeva nepyate

Although it is stated in the smṛti that one should not pick tulasi on the new moon day (amavasya), full moon day (purnima), Dvadasi (generally the day after Ekadasi), or sunday — The devotees of Lord Visnu (Vaisnavas) avoid picking tulasi only on dvadasi (Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 7.353 (Skanda Purāṇa))

na chindyāt tulasīṁ viprā
dvādaśyāṁ vaiṣṇavaḥ kvacit

Oh brahmanas, Vaisnavas should never pick tulasi on Dvadasi. (Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 7.354 (Viṣṇu-dharmottara))

bhānuvāraṁ vinā dūrvvāṁ
tulasīṁ dvādaśiṁ vinā
jīvitasyā vināśāya
na vicinvīta dharmmavit

A pious person who desires a long duration of life should not pick tulasi on Dvadasi, and durba grass on Sunday. If one does so, his duration of life will certainly diminish. (Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 7.355 (Garuḍa Puṛāna))

In these verses Sanatana Goswami has stated three times that we must not pick Tulasi leaves on Dvadasi. But why? There must be a reason. The general cultural understanding within Gaudiya circles is that Srimati Tulasi Devi is a pure devotee of Lord Krishna, and because she fasts on Ekadasi, she takes rest on Dvadasi and we should not disturb her. This article intends to delve deeper into the meaning of this statement, and provide a richer understanding of Tulasi Devi and her service to Sri Sri Radha Krishna. To begin, we must first look at what exactly Ekadasi is.

Understanding Ekadasi

Ekadasi is aprakrta, or transcendental; that which is of the highest plane of existence and has always existed. Ekadasi Devi is a person with her own personality, is devoted to Radha Krishna, and engages everyone in service to Them. She doesn’t care about food, or rest, or anything else, and she doesnt allow those near her to waste time. The sanskrit word for fasting is upavasa. Upa means “near” and vasa means “to reside”. Ekadasi is not about refraining from eating, rather it is a day for cultivating love and bringing ourselves closer, or residing nearer to the lord.

Ekadasi is also the particular phase of the moon when there is a strong influence over liquids. The billowing ocean tides are controlled by the phases of the moon, and so is the human body because it’s mostly composed of water. So at the time of Ekadasi the water in the body swells and rises up and puts pressure on the senses, pressure to enjoy more and more. As we approach the full moon day (Purnima) and the dark moon day (Amavasya) the senses continue to be pressured into enjoyment. We are being pushed by sense gratification, not drawn nearer to the lord. 

Therefore, on the eleventh day (Ekadasi) from Amavasya or Purnima, under the care of Ekadasi Devi, we engage our eleven senses (five working senses: voice, legs, hands, anus and genitals, five knowledge-acquiring senses: eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin, and the mind) in coming closer (upavasa) to the master of the senses, Krishna (hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa- sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate). This process breaks the influence of desire for material enjoyment separate from god, and fully engages the self in union with god, i.e. it projects one closer to Sri Sri Radha Krishna.

The Sweetness of Ekadasi

Mother Yasoda is not thinking Krishna is god. Neither are Krishna’s sakhas or sakhis. In their eyes Krishna is an intoxicatingly sweet human boy. They think “Today is Ekadasi, on this day the desire to enjoy rises in the body, due to the moon the senses are under pressure to be satisfied. Krishna must be feeling a greater desire for enjoyment!” They think their master must get a special massage today, or their friend wants an extra challenging wrestling match in the forest, or their son must be longing for his favorite sweets, or that today their lover will get a special rendezvous. They are already supplying everything for His enjoyment, but in the ever-increasing pleasure land of Vraj, on Ekadasi the Vraj-vasis push the bar extra high to satisfy their beloved with their collective and personal seva. We, the bhaktas and aspiring Vraj-vasis, serve in the same mood to do something special to please Krishna’s senses by engaging our senses in serving his, so much so that we won’t have time to feed ourselves or think of anything else.

Tulasi Devi’s Identity and Seva

Who is it that helps arrange the extra special services on this auspicious occasion? Who is it that facilitates the devotees service to their beloved, and engages them according to their inclination?

tvad-ājñayā pallava-puṣpa-bhṛṅga-
mṛgādibhir mādhava-keli-kuñjaḥ
madhv-ādibhir bhānti vibhūṣyamāṇā
vṛnde namas te caraṇāravindam

O Vrinda Devi, I offer my respectful obeisances to your lotus feet. Because of your order, the groves where Lord Madhava performs His pastimes appear very splendid, decorated with blossoming flowers, bumblebees, deer, and other auspicious animals, flowers, and birds. (Śrī Vṛndādevy-aṣṭakam 4)

prati-nava-nava-kuñjaṁ prema-púreṇa púrṇā
pracura-surabhi-puṣpair bhūṣayitvā krameṇa
praṇayati vata vṛndā tatra līlotsavaṁ yā 
priya-gaṇa-vṛta-rādhā-kṛṣṇayos tāṁ prapadye

Filled with a great flood of love and decorating the ever blossoming groves of Vrindavan with many fragrant flowers, Vrinda Devi creates a festive atmosphere for Sri Sri Radha Krsna to enjoy transcendental pastimes with their dear friends. Let me surrender to Vrinda Devi. (Śrī  Vraja-vilāsa Stavaḥ 31)

Vrinda Devi arranges for the birds, peacocks, flowers, fragrances, kunjas, and everything related to facilitating the ebb and flow of Radha Krishna’s union and separation. Who will do what, at what time and where. She arranges the decor, which flowers to blossom and spread their fragrance, which birds to sing in a particular tune, which bumblebees to buzz here and there, which gopi to do each service according to their particular mood. By her order all of Vrindavan becomes the most splendid atmosphere for the divine young couple. Vrindavan is Vrinda Devi’s forest and, by her love, Radha Krishna are obliged to follow her direction.

tat-tad-bhāvair vihita-paramopāsanāt prema-vṛndā-
raṇye ‘dyāti-kṣata-tanu-dṛśau divya-tat-tat-svarūpaiḥ
āvirbhūtau nija-rati-vane draṣṭum utkaṇṭhamānau
vṛndā-vijñāpanam anu calau naumi vṛndāvaneśau

Let me glorify Vrindavana’s king and queen, who, worshiped with ecstatic love, splendidly appear in a pleasure grove in affectionate Vrinda’s forest. Eager to gaze upon each other, and approaching each other on Vrinda’s order, Their eyes and limbs are marked with pastimes of love. (Śrī Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛta 15.42)

And how does this relate to Tulasi Devi?

tvaṁ kīrtyase sātvata-tantra-vidbhir
līlābhidhānā kila kṛṣṇa-śaktiḥ
tavaiva mūrtis tulasī nṛ-loke
vṛnde namas te caraṇāravindam

O Vrinda Devi, I offer my respectful obeisances to your lotus feet. Those who have studied the Sātvata-tantra glorify you. You are Lord Krishna’s potency for performing pastimes, and you are known as Tulasi Devi in the human society. (Śrī Vṛndādevy-aṣṭakam 7)

Srimati Vrinda Devi comes to the material world in the form of the sacred Tulasi plant. Why and how she does that is a topic for another article.

Why Not Pick Tulasi Leaves on Dvadasi?

One cannot imagine what extra preparations she is arranging and executing on Ekadasi. How can she have time to eat? How can she have time to sleep? She doesn’t think of herself, she only thinks about the divine young couple. On Ekadasi Krishna is longing for extra enjoyment, and she is a chief facilitator to satisfy his desires. She has spent all of Ekadasi serving extra hard, arranging so many special things for Radha Krsna. Therefore on Dvadasi we do not disturb her. We acknowledge and respect her service by not disturbing her, and use this special day to honor her, worship her and beg for her mercy. 

pakṣe pakṣe tu samprāpte 
dvādaśyāṁ vaiśya-sattama
brahmādayo ‘pi kurvanti 
tulasī-vana-pūjanam

“O foremost of vaiśyas, Dvādaśī after Dvādaśī, even the demigods headed by Lord Brahmā worship Śrīmatī Tulasī Devī.” (Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 9.113 (Padma Purāṇa))

She is extremely compassionate and merciful. Especially to persons like ourselves in the material world. Through her love Radha Krsna are controlled by her. If she makes a request to Radha Krsna “Please be merciful to that jiva, make them qualified to serve you” Radha Krsna will listen to her. We must beg for her merciful glance.

tavāraṇye devi dhruvam iha murārir viharate
sadā preyasyeti śrutir api virauti smṛtir api
iti jñātvā vṛnde caraṇam abhivande tava kṛpāṁ
kuruṣva kṣipraṁ me phalatu nitarāṁ tarṣa-viṭapī
hṛdi cira-vasad-āśā-maṇḍalālamba-pādau
guṇavati tava nāthau nāthituṁ jantur eṣaḥ
sapadi bhavad-anujñāṁ yācate devi vṛnde
mayi kira karuṇārdrāṁ dṛṣṭim atra prasīda

O Devi! Both the Śruti and the Smṛti proclaim that Murari always and everlastingly enjoys with his beloved here in your forest. Understanding this, O Vrinda, I adoringly offer obeisance at your feet. Please bestow your grace [upon me]. May the tree of my desire [by your grace] quickly and fully bear fruit [i.e., may it grant me the fruit of attaining Sri Radha and Krishna]. O virtuous one! This person begs for your prompt permission to appeal to your Masters [i.e., Sri Radha and Krishna], whose feet are the focus of a host of long-standing desires within his heart. O Devi! O Vrinda! Please cast a glance tender with compassion upon me and be gracious in this regard [so that my desires may bear fruit, since without your grace, the grace of they who are submissive to you—Radha and Krishna—is most difficult to attain]. (Stava-mālā: Utklikā-vallari: 3–4)

kvahaṁ paraḥ śata-nikṛty-anuviddha-cetaḥ 
saṅkalpa eṣa sahasa kva su-durlabhe ̍rthe 
eka kṛpaiva tava mam ajahaty upadhi-
śunyeva mantum adadhaty agater gatir me

O Srimati Tulasi devi, how low I am, my heart pierced by hundreds of offenses? How exalted and difficult to attain is my aspiration? Your causeless mercy is my only hope. It is by Your mercy that I, who am so fallen, can have these desires and thoughts. (Śrī Saṇkalpa-kalpadrumaḥ 90)

We hope this article on why we don’t pick Tulasi leaves on Dvadasi helps you go deeper in your service to Her. We welcome you to read our other articles on Tulasi Devi as found in sastra, and our collection of in-depth guides on how to serve Her.

Bibliography

• Gosvami, Sanatana. “Sri Hari-bhakti-vilasa Volume Two, Vilasas 6-10.” Translated by Bhumipati dasa, Vrindavan: Rasbihari Lal & Sons, 2005. Print.
• Thakura, Visvanatha Cakravarti. “Sri Vrindadevy-astakam.” Translated by Baba Madhava dasa BSST, digital.
• Goswami, Ragunatha dasa. “Sri Vraja-vilasa Stava.” Translated by Kusakratha dasa, digital.
• Thakura, Prabodhananda Sarasvati. “Sri Vrindavana Mahimamrta.” Translated by Kusakratha dasa, digital.
• dasa, Nandini Tulasi. “Translation of Hari-bhakti-vilasa Verse 9.113” in “The Inner Reason: Why We Don’t Pick Tulasi Leaves On Dvadasi,” Tulasiseva.com, 2024.
• Goswami, Rupa. “Stava Mala: Utklika-vallari [Verses 3-4].” Translated by anonymous. anusilana.com, [https://anusilana.in/tavaranye-devi-dhruvam-iha-murarir-viharate/].
• Thakura, Visvanatha Cakravarti. “Sri Sankalpa-kalpadrumah [Verse 90]” Translated by anonymous. Vrindakund.com, [https://vrinda-kunda.com/vrinda-devi-sevamrita/].