Tulasi Picking Mantra and Prayers

Here, we present the Tulasi picking mantra, for picking leaves and manjaris, along with some verses for praying for forgiveness and offering obeisances. We hope these verses will help you delve deeper into your service to Srimati Tulasi Devi, thereby attracting her blessings to serve Guru, Gauranga and Radha Krishna.

Mantra for picking Tulasi leaves and manjaris:

oṁ tulasy amṛta-janmāsī
sadā tvaṁ keśava-priyā
keśavārthaṁ cinomi tvāṁ
varadā bhava-śobhane

Oh Tulasi, you were born from nectar. You are always very dear to Lord Kesava. Now, in order to worship Lord Kesava, I am collecting your leaves and manjaris. Please bestow your benediction on me. (Hari-bhakti-vliasa 7.347, siting the Skanda Purana (verse number unknown), also found in the Padma Purana 1.61.12)

A prayer for forgiveness:

cayanodbhava-duḥkhaṁ ca 
yad hṛdi tava vartate 
tat kṣamasva jagan-mātaḥ 
vṛndā-devī namo ’stu te

Oh Tulasi-Devi, I offer my respectful obeisances unto you. Kindly forgive me if I have caused you pain by picking your leaves and manjaris, Oh mother of the universe.

Some nice verses for offering Obeisances:

vṛndāyai tulasī-devyai priyāyai keśavasya ca
viṣṇu-bhakti-prade devī satya vatyai namo namaḥ

I offer my repeated obeisances unto Vrinda, Srimati Tulasi Devi, who is very dear to Lord Kesava. O goddess, you bestow devotional service to Lord Visnu and possess the highest truth.

mahā-prasāda-jananī
sarva-saubhāgya-vardhinī
ādhi-vyādhi-haro nityaṁ
tulasī tvaṁ namo’stu te

O mother of great mercy, the bestower of all good fortune, who always removes anxiety and torment; Tulasī, I offer obeisance unto you. (Hari-bhakti-vilasa  9.102)

bhaktyā vihīnā aparādha-lakṣaiḥ
kṣiptāś ca kāmādi-taraṅga-madhye
kṛpāmayi tvām śaraṇaṁ prapannā
vṛnde namas te caraṇāravindam

O Vrinda devi, I offer my respectful obeisances to your lotus feet. Those who are devoid of devotion to Lord Hari, and who are thrown by their offenses into the waves of lust and other inauspicious qualities, may take shelter of you. (Sri Vrndadevy-astakam Verse 8)

Days Tulasi leaves should not be picked

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))

To learn more about why Tulasi Devi should not be picked on dvadasi, read our article The Inner Reason: Why We Don’t Pick Tulasi Leaves On Dvadasi

We welcome you to check out our article and video about how to pick Tulasi Devi and how to help her grow more bushy.

Check out our other foundational articles on watering, lighting, nutrients, bugs, temperature, humidity and soil to learn how to take care of the Tulasi plant. If you don’t already have a plant, get some seeds here, and watch our video on how to grow them.

Look over this article to learn how to diagnose your Tulasi plant when she’s sick and feel free to contact us with any questions. If you want to deepen your knowledge about the Tulasi plant from ancient Vedic wisdom, check out this amazing book, and our articles from sastra.

Bibliography

• Gosvami, Sanatana. Sri Hari-bhakti-vilasa Volume Two, Vilasas 6-10 (Bhumipati Dasa trans.) Vrindavan: Rasbihari Lal & Sons, 2005. Print.