Srila Prabhupada on Tulasi Devi 2

The following article consists of excerpts about Srimati Tulasi Devi from the letters, lectures, conversations, and books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Date: Feb. 17, 1973
Location: Sydney
Letter to: Govinda Dasi

You are the pioneer of pushing forward Tulasi worship in the Western world and I can understand that proportionally as your Tulasi plants are growing, your devotion and love is also growing. Please continue in this way.

Date: Unknown
Location: Unknown 
Letter to: Jagad-mohini Dasi

…whether we may prune the leaves of Tulasi, no, there is no question of pruning. But you can take for worshiping Krishna leaves from the Tulasi. First utilize the dead leaves or leaves which have fallen down, and if more leaves are required for worshiping Krishna, you may take them from Tulasi plant in this way: First approach Tulasi Devi and offer your obeisances, requesting her that for worshiping Krishna you want to take some leaves. Then if she allows you may take. There is no question of pruning in the manner of gardeners just to make nice beautiful plant for ornamental purposes. And if there are any dead branches, these may be made into beads, like neck beads, and if they are large branches you can make japa beads.

Date: Dec. 6, 1973
Location: Los Angeles
Letter to: Kirtida Kanyaka

I understand that you are especially devoted to the care of Tulasi Devi. Formerly our Govinda Dasi introduced this Tulasi worship to our society and I was very much pleased to see it. Now she has temporarily gone away so you must take charge of caring for Tulasi Devi in Hawaii. The more you devote yourself to her service, the more you will understand and relish Krishna Consciousness.

Date: Jan. 6, 1972
Location: Bombay
Letter to: Radha-vallabha das

I am very glad to know that you are seriously taking to Srimati Tulasi Devi worship. Tulasi Devi 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 Purana, one of which is: “Tulasi 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 Tulasi tree in the above-mentioned ways lives eternally in the Vaikuntha world.” So from this verse, we can understand how pure is the service which Tulasi offers to Sri Krishna. So we should always endeavor after becoming a servant of Tulasi Devi.

I do not know who has taught you that part of a Tulasi plant may be cut off and then replanted? From the Tulasi plant, you can cut off only leaves for offering them to Krishna, never for cutting and planting. That is an offense. The manjaris (seeds) can be offered in water and it makes the water fragrant and tasteful. And the manjaris can be planted for growing new Tulasi plants.

Yes, the prayer you have enclosed is bona fide. Tulasi Devi 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.