Goddess Tulsi: Her Divine Story, Tulsi Vivah Festival, and the Sacred Importance of Daily Worship

Who is Goddess Tulsi?

According to the Vedas and Puranas, Tulsi means the one who cannot be measured or compared. Goddess Tulasi is a principal ‘ansha’ (avatar) of Devi Prakriti or Adishakti. 

She is also known as Vrinda, Vaishnavi, Vishnu Vallabha, Haripriya, and Vishnu Tulasi.

Goddess Tulsi

According to the Sri Devi Bhagavata Purana,

King Vrishadhvaja was a devotee of Lord Shiva; he banned worship of all other deities except for that of his patron god. The agitated Lord Surya cursed him that he would be abandoned by Lakshmi. On hearing this, Lord Shiva got angry and pursued Surya, who fled, finally seeking shelter with Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu said to them that a manvantara had passed on earth. Vrishadhvaja and his heir-son were all dead, and his grandchildren—Dharmadhvaja and Kushadhvaja—were now worshipping Lakshmi to gain her favour. 

Goddess Lakshmi rewarded their efforts by being born as their daughters, Tulasi to Dharmadhvaja, and Vedavati to Kushadhvaja.

Birth of Goddess Tulasi

King Dharmadhvaja’s wife, Madhavi, gave birth to Tulsi on Kartik Purnima at an auspicious time. Tulasi was as radiant as a thousand suns, her eyes were as beautiful as lotus flowers, her palms and feet were red, signifying divinity, and all her body parts were radiating warmth in the cold climate, and everyone was mesmerised by her smile.

King Dharmadhvaja invited sages to bless their daughter and donated a huge sum of money, clothes, food and cows to them and everyone in his kingdom.

As soon as the sages saw the child, they collectively called her Tulasi, who grew up to become as divine as Mother Nature herself.

Goddess Tulsi’s penance

Goddess Tulsi performs a penance

As Devi Tulasi turned sixteen, she left her palace for a penance in Badrinath to gain Lord Vishnu as her husband.

She performed a severe penance of one lakh years. During summer, she would sit in a ring of fire, and in winter, she would wear wet clothes and sit in the middle of the storm and torrential rain. Devi Tulasi gave up food and water; she stood straight on one leg to please Lord Brahma.

 Pleased by her devotion towards Lord Vishnu and satisfied by her penance, Lord Brahma appeared and asked Devi Tulasi her wish.

Devi Tulasi replied,

“Hai Lord Brahma, I was a gopi in Goloka in my previous birth and was dear to Lord Krishna. One day, mesmerised by the melody played by Lord Krishna, I got drawn to him and sat next to him on the seat of Sri Radha. Watching me so close to Krishna, Sri Radha got angry and cursed me to be born on earth as a human. I broke down in tears, and Lord Krishna pacified me and said that on earth I will be first married to his ansha Swaroop and later his complete Swaroop of Lord Vishnu”.

Lord Brahma said,

“Lord Krishna’s ansha Swaroop has already taken birth on earth. He was a gopa in the Goloka named Sudama. He used to watch and follow you, developing deep feelings for you. When Sri Radha cursed you, he lost his temper and got cursed to be born on earth as an asura named Shankachuda. Although he was born into an Asura lineage, he is still an ardent devotee of Sri Hari Narayana. Just like you, he also remembers everything from his past life”.

Lord Brahma gave Devi Tulasi a mantra, a kavach, a Stotra and a method to please Sri Radha to get rid of the curse and strengthen herself. Devi Tulasi performed the pooja, and Sri Radha blessed her, making her a “siddha” goddess.

On the other hand, Shankhacuda, a mighty daitya, also performed a severe penance that pleased Lord Brahma. He was granted the Vishnukavach (the armour of Vishnu) and was blessed with another boon: If the Vishnukavach was on his body, no one could slay him.

Goddess Tulsi marries Demon Shankhachuda

Devi Tulsi and Shankachuda did a “gandharva vivah” in Badrinath under the guidance of Lord Brahma and left for their palace.

Asura Shankachuda defeated the devtas and took their kingdom and powers.
All devtas, including Indra, Surya, Vayu, Kuber, etc., went to Lord Brahma for a solution, who took them to Lord Shiva and from there they went to Vaikuntha. Lord Vishnu consoled all devtas and granted his trishul to Lord Shiva. Lord Vishnu said that he will take the form of a brahmin and take the Vishnukavach from Shankachuda, later break the devotion of Devi Tulasi by manifesting as Shankachuda in front of her.

Lord Shiva’s battle with Shankachuda

From Vaikuntha, Lord Shiva went to the banks of the river Bhadrasheela and sat under a Banyan tree. Lord Kartikeya, Goddess Bhadrakali, Nandi, Veerbhadra and all the devtas assembled with their arms for the battle.

Lord Shiva sent Pushpadant to deliver his message to Shankachuda, to return everything to the devtas or face him in the battle. Shankachuda chose war.

The next morning, Shankachuda bid farewell to his beloved wife Tulasi and left for the battle with his army.

Before the war, Shankachuda bowed down before Lord Shiva, Goddess Bhadrakali and Lord Kartikeya and said that he is undefeatable. Lord Shiva smiled and ordered his army, led by Lord Kartikeya, to kill Shankachuda. The demon king also counterattacked Lord Shiva’s army.

A great war began, many asuras died, devtas got tired and injured, but Shankachuda remained undefeated. Goddess Bhadrakali entered the war and killed, ate and destroyed Shankachuda’s whole army. She then directly fought Shankachuda, both using celestial weapons, but Shankachuda remained unharmed due to the Vishnukavach. Lord Shiva asked Goddess Bhadrakali to return, as the time had come for Lord Vishnu to take the kavach.

Suddenly, Lord Vishnu in the form of an old brahmin appeared on the battlefield and asked the demon king for his kavach. Shankachuda smiled as he understood that it was Sri Narayana, and he happily donated his kavach to him.

After taking the Kavach, Lord Vishnu went to Devi Tulasi, who was praying for her husband’s victory. Shankachuda (Lord Vishnu) called Devi Tulasi and went in front of her. As soon as Devi Tulasi saw her husband, she stopped her pooja, and on the battlefield, Lord Shiva threw the trident at Shankachuda.

Seeing the trident, Shankachuda dropped his weapons and sat on the ground, chanting Lord Krishna’s name, and as the trident struck him, he turned into ashes, leaving behind his skeleton, and his soul returned to the Goloka.

From the skeleton of Shankachuda, the Shankha (conch shells) species originated, which are blown in every pooja and auspicious work.

The curse of Devi Tulsi

When Lord Vishnu went to Devi Tulasi in the form of Shankachuda, Devi Tulasi stopped her pooja and welcomed her husband with flowers and sweets.

 The two sported, and ceased when Tulasi realised that he was an imposter. Devi Tulasi asked the imposter to reveal his identity.

Lord Vishnu appeared in his original form, and, heartbroken, Devi Tulasi cursed him, saying, “Hai Narayan! You tricked me and killed my husband; you are neither kind nor merciful. Your heart is like that of a stone. I curse you that you too will turn into a stone.”

Goddess Tulsi curses Lord Vishnu

Lord Vishnu accepted the curse and said, “You have been doing penance for a long time to get me as your husband. Your husband Shankachuda was the chief of my gopas, Sudama. It is time for him to go back to Goloka, getting himself released from the curse. By this time, Shiva would have killed him, and he would have gone to Goloka as Sudama. You can now abandon your body and come with me to Vaikuṇṭha to enjoy life as my wife. Your body will decay and become a holy river named Gaṇḍakī, and I, in the form of a stone Shaligram, will be found in your banks. Your hair will become the Tulasī plant, the leaves of which will be held sacred in all three worlds.”

Hearing these words, Devi Tulasi turned into River Gandaki (found in Nepal) and into a plant. 

She then left for Vaikuntha with Lord Vishnu. 

Tulasi Vivah

Tulsi Vivah Puja

A ceremony known as Tulsi Vivaha is performed between Prabodhini Ekadashi (eleventh lunar day of the waxing moon of Kartika) to Kartik Poornima (full moon in Kartika), usually on the eleventh or the twelfth lunar day. 

It is the ceremonial wedding of the tulsi plant to Lord Vishnu, in the form of his image, Shaligrama, or a Krishna idol/ image. Both the bride and the groom are ritually worshipped and then married as per traditional wedding rituals. 

It marks the end of the four-month chaturmasya period, which corresponds to the monsoon and is considered inauspicious for weddings and other rituals, so the day inaugurates the annual marriage season in India.

🌿 Tulsi Vivah 2026 – Date, Puja Vidhi & Significance

Tulsi Vivah 2026 will be celebrated on Sunday, 22 November 2026 (Kartik Shukla Dwadashi). 

🌿 How Tulsi Vivah is performed

In many Hindu homes, the ceremony resembles a traditional wedding.

Typical rituals include:

1. Tulsi plant (Tulsi Vrindavan) is decorated with a saree, flowers, and ornaments.

2. Shaligram or Vishnu idol is placed near the plant.

3. A mandap is made using sugarcane sticks and flowers.

4. The wedding rituals are performed with mantras, garlands, and a small havan.

5. Devotees sing bhajans and perform aarti.

Prasad often includes sweets like laddus, sugarcane, and fruits. 

🌿 Spiritual Significance

Tulsi Vivah symbolises:

• Divine union of devotion and God

• Purity and sacredness of marital fidelity

• Blessings for marriage, prosperity, and harmony in the family

Worshipping Tulsi on this day is believed to remove sins and bring the blessings of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi.

The Significance of the Tulsi Plant

In the Srimad Bhagavatam, the significance of the Tulasi over other plants is described as: Although flowering plants like the mandāra, kunda, kurabaka, utpala, campaka, arṇa, punnāga, nāgakeśara, bakula, lily and pārijāta are full of transcendental fragrance, they are still conscious of the austerities performed by Tulsi, for Tulsi is given special preference by the Lord, who garlands Himself with tulasi leaves.

The tulsi plant is regarded as a threshold point between heaven and earth. 

A traditional prayer narrates that Lord Brahma resides in its branches, all Hindu pilgrimage centres reside in its roots, the Ganges flows within its roots, all deities are in its stem and its leaves, and that the most sacred Hindu texts, the Vedas, are found in the upper part of its branches.

Goddess Tulsi adorns Lord Vishnu’s feet and is known as ‘Vishnu Vallabha.’ Any ‘sankalpa’ (proposal), worship, or meditation of Lord Vishnu or Krishna is incomplete without Tulsi leaves. 

To reach Lord Vishnu or Krishna, Goddess Tulsi must be invoked, and her leaves must be used in prayers. Devi Tulsi, in plant form, is reputed as ‘Kalpa Vrishka’ (tree that grants wishes). 

Goddess Tulsi is a bestower of boons, a giver of spiritual knowledge and prosperity, and purifies the sins of her devotees.

Goddess Tulsi

🌿 Importance of Daily Tulsi Pooja

Daily worship of Tulsi holds deep spiritual and cultural importance in the Hindu tradition. Tulsi is considered the earthly manifestation of Goddess Lakshmi and is especially dear to Lord Vishnu. Offering water, lighting a diya, and chanting prayers before the Tulsi plant each morning is believed to purify the home, remove negative energies, and attract prosperity and divine protection. Devotees believe that regular Tulsi pooja brings peace, good health, marital harmony, and spiritual growth. It also strengthens devotion (bhakti) and creates a positive, sacred atmosphere in the household.

🌿 Tulsi Mantra

🌸 1️⃣ Tulsi Pranam Mantra

ॐ तुलस्यै नमः।
Om Tulasyaī Namah

Meaning: I bow to Goddess Tulsi.

🌸 2️⃣ Tulsi Stuti Mantra

तुलसी श्रीसखी शुभे पापहारिणि पुण्यदे।
नमस्ते नारदनुते नारायणमनःप्रिये॥

Meaning: O Tulsi, beloved of Lord Narayana, remover of sins and giver of merit, I bow to you.

🌸 3️⃣ Tulsi Vandana Mantra

वृन्दायै तुलसीदेव्यै प्रियायै केशवस्य च।
विष्णुभक्तिप्रदे देवि सत्यवत्यै नमो नमः॥

Meaning: O Goddess Tulsi (Vrinda), beloved of Lord Vishnu (Keshava), bestower of devotion, I offer my repeated salutations.

🌿 How to Chant the Goddess Tulsi Mantra

• Best chanted in the morning after bathing

• Light a diya near the Tulsi plant

• Offer water and flowers

• Chant 11, 21, or 108 times

• Avoid plucking Tulsi leaves on Sundays and Ekadashi

Regular chanting of Tulsi Mantra is believed to bring peace, prosperity, protection, and devotion to Lord Vishnu into the home.

FAQ Section 

1. Is Tulsi a goddess?

Yes, Tulsi is worshipped as a manifestation of Goddess Lakshmi and is considered sacred in Hinduism.

2. Why is Tulsi important in Hindu homes?

Tulsi symbolises purity, devotion, and protection, and is believed to bring positive energy.

3. What is Tulsi Vivah?

Tulsi Vivah is the ceremonial marriage of Tulsi with Lord Vishnu in the form of Shaligram.

4. Can we worship Tulsi daily?

Yes, daily worship of Tulsi is considered highly auspicious.