Tulasi Worship - Procedure

In the morning, after maìgala-äraté (and preferably also in the evening, before sandhyä-äraté), all the assembled devotees should attend tulasé worship and circumambulate Çrématé Tulasé-devé.

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First we offer obeisances to Tulasé-devé with the tulasé-praëäma-mantra, chanted three times:

(oà) våndäyai tulasé-devyai priyäyai keçavasya ca

kåñëa-bhakti-prade devi satyavatyai namo namaù

I offer my repeated obeisances unto Våndä, Çrématé Tulasé-devé, who is very dear to Lord Keçava. O goddess, you bestow devotional service to Kåñëa and you possess the highest truth.

Then we sing the tulasé-püjä-kértana while one devotee offers äraté to Tulasé-devi with incense, a ghee lamp and flowers. While offering the articles, the devotee offering tulasé-äraté should stand on a mat and ring a bell with his left hand. Each of the items may be distributed to the assembled devotees after they have been offered to Tulasé-devé.

Çré Tulasé-püjä-kértana

namo namaù tulasé kåñëa-preyasi namo namaù

rädhä-kåñëa-sevä päbo ei abiläñé

O Tulasé, beloved of Kåñëa, I bow before you again and again. My desire is to obtain the service of Çré Çré Rädhä and Kåñëa.

ye tomära çaraëa loy, tara väïchä pürëa hoy

kåpä kori' koro täre våndävana-väsi

Whoever takes shelter of you has his wishes fulfilled. Bestowing your mercy on him, you make him a resident of Våndävana.

mora ei abhiläña, viläsa kuïje dio väsa

nayana heribo sadä yugala-rüpa-räçi

My desire is that you will also give me a residence in the pleasure groves of Çré Våndävana-dhäma. Thus within my vision I will always behold the beautiful pastimes of Rädhä and Kåñëa.

ei nivedana dhara, sakhéra anugata koro

sevä-adhikära diye koro néja däsé

I beg you to make me a follower of the cowherd damsels of Vraja. Please give me the privilege of devotional service and make me your own maidservant.

déna kåñëa-däse koy, ei yena mora hoy

çré-rädhä-govinda-preme sadä yena bhäsi

This very fallen and lowly servant of Kåñëa prays, "May I always swim in the love of Çré Çré Rädhä and Govinda."

Çré Tulasé Pradakñiëa Mantra

When the song is finished, the assembled Vaiñëavas should circumambulate Tulasé-devé at least four times and offer her water by pouring some drops at her root (only during morning worship, not in the evening). While circumambulating, we chant,

yäni käni ca päpäni brahma-hatyädikäni ca

täni täni praëaçyanti pradakñiëaù pade pade

When a person circumambulates Çrématé Tulasé-devé, all the sins he may have committed are destroyed at every step, even the sin of killing a brähmaëa.