Skandapurana 2.4.8
English (machine translation) 2.4.8
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Nārada said:
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Speak further, O lotus-seated one, for I have no satiety;
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by drinking the nectar of your speech, my thirst increases all the more. (1)
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Brahmā said:
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Having bathed at dawn and become purified, devoted to Viṣṇu in the month of Kārtika,
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worshiping the god Dāmodara with tender tulasī leaves,
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he attains liberation; no doubt should be entertained in this matter. (2)
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However, whoever, devoid of devotion, worships with gold and other riches—
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He does not accept his worship; no doubt should be entertained in this matter. (3)
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For all classes alike, this devotion is considered supreme;
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an act devoid of devotion does not bring pleasure to Viṣṇu. (4)
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Continually worshiped with devotion with even half a leaf of tulasī,
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the blessed Lord Hari personally becomes visible. (5)
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In ancient times Viṣṇudāsa, through devotion and the worship of tulasī,
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went swiftly to the world of Viṣṇu, while the Cola king obtained secondary rank. (6)
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Hear the māhātmya of tulasī, which destroys sin and increases merit,
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which was spoken by Viṣṇu of old to Ramā; that I now declare. (7)
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When the month of Kārtika arrives, worship of Hari with tulasī—
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the men who perform it with devotion go to the supreme abode. (8)
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Therefore, by every effort, with tender leaves of tulasī,
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the destroyer of all afflictions is to be worshiped with great devotion. (9)
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As far as a planted tulasī extends its roots,
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for that many thousands of yugas one is glorified in the world of Brahmā. (10)
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If one takes a bath in water combined with tulasī leaves,
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he is freed from all sins and rejoices in the abode of Viṣṇu. (11)
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And if one prepares a grove for planting [tulasī], O great sage,
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by that alone his sins are cleared away and he is fit for absorption into brahman. (12)
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In whose house, O brahmin, a tulasī grove stands,
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that house becomes a sacred ford; the attendants of Yama do not go there. (13)
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The tulasī grove removes all sins, yields merit, and grants desires;
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the excellent men who plant it never see the son of the Sun. (14)
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The person who wears sandal-paste mixed with tulasī wood,
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sin being committed does not touch his body in that way. (15)
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Where the shadow of a tulasī grove falls, O twice-born,
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a śrāddha should be performed there for the satisfaction of the ancestors. (16)
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On whom a tulasī leaf is seen upon the ear or on the head,
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Yama is not able to look at him, how much less his terrifying messengers? (17)
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Whoever, full of reverence, listens daily to the greatness of tulasī,
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his soul freed from all sin, goes to the world of Brahmā. (18)
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In this very context they cite this ancient legend
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concerning tulasī, O brahmin, which destroys sin through hearing. (19)
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Formerly, in the land of Kaśmīra, there were two brahmins,
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named Harimedhas and Sumedhas, wholly devoted to devotion to Viṣṇu, (20)
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endowed with compassion for all living beings, and knowers of the meaning of all truth.
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Once, those two best of twice-born men, intent on pilgrimage to sacred fords, (21)
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were traveling together, overpowered with fatigue in a wilderness;
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there those two subduers of foes saw a grove of tulasī. (22)
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Seeing that great grove of tulasī, Sumedhas among them,
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having then circumambulated it, bowed down full of devotion. (23)
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Seeing this, Harimedhas, with the highest joy,
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in order to learn the māhātmya of tulasī and its fruit again and again, said: (24)
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Harimedhas said:
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For what reason, O brahmin, when gods, sacred fords, and vows,
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and foremost brahmins are present, have you offered obeisance [here]? (25)
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Sumedhas said:
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Listen, fortunate brahmin; you have spoken well.
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The heat indeed oppresses both of us. Having gone to the presence of this banyan tree,
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and resorting to its shade, I will tell you according to the truth.
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Having spoken thus, Sumedhas, accompanied by Harimedhas,
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who knew righteousness, went to the banyan tree endowed with a large hollow.
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Resting there, that brahmin spoke indeed to Harimedhas:
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“Let the excellent story of Tulasī be heard, O tiger among brahmins,
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who arose in the ocean of milk through the grace of the Supreme Lord.
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Formerly, when Puraṃdara’s sovereignty was lost through the curse of Durvāsas,
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Brahmā and others, along with the gods and asuras, churned the ocean of milk.
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Airāvata, the wish-fulfilling tree, the Moon, and Kamalā;
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Uccaiḥśravas, the Kaustubha gem, and likewise Dhanvantari and Hari;
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and the myrobalan and other divine medicinal plants—
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these were born, O best among the twice-born, bestowing welfare upon the world.
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Then, holding in both hands the pot of nectar
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that grants agelessness and immortality—the supreme, beautiful vessel—
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Viṣṇu, seeing it with his mind, immediately attained supreme bliss.
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Tears of joy fell into that pot of nectar,
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and instantly Tulasī was born, circular in form,
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endowed with all auspicious marks, adorned with all ornaments.
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The gods, Brahmā and the rest, then gave Lakṣmī, who had arisen there, and Tulasī to Hari;
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and the blessed Lord Hari accepted [them].
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Thenceforth, Tulasī became exceedingly dear to the Lord of the worlds.
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She, the beloved, is worshipped like Viṣṇu by all the hosts of gods.
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Nārāyaṇa is the protector of the universe, and Tulasī is his beloved.
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Therefore obeisance was made to her by me, O brahmin.”
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As the high-souled Sumedhas was speaking thus,
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a great aerial chariot, radiant like the sun, was seen nearby.
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At that moment, O sage, the banyan tree fell before [them].
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And likewise from that tree two men emerged,
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illuminating all quarters with their splendour, resembling the sun.
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The two of them bowed down to Harimedhas and Sumedhas.
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Harimedhas and Sumedhas, seeing them, were overcome with fear.
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Filled with wonder, the two said to those two who resembled gods:
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Harimedhas and Sumedhas said:
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“Who are you two, who resemble gods and are all-auspicious,
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wearing garlands of fresh mandāra flowers, like immortals,
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worthy of our salutation and worship, having the form of celestials?”
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Thus addressed by the two brahmins, the two who had emerged from the tree said:
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“You two alone are our father, mother, and likewise teacher;
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and you two alone are our kinsmen and others, without doubt.”
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The elder one said:
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“I belong to the heavenly world, named Āstīka by name.
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Surrounded by a group of apsarases, once to the Nandana forest
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and to a mountain I went for pleasure, my mind attached to sensual objects.
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The celestial women dallied with me as they pleased.
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Garlands of jasmine and pearls fell from those women
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upon Romaśa while he was practising austerity. Seeing that, the sage was angered.
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‘This is not the fault of the women, who are indeed dependent upon others;
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this wicked-mannered one alone deserves a curse,’ he said.
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‘Having become a brahmarākṣasa, dwell in a banyan tree,’ [he said] to me.
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Propitiated then by me, he also granted an end to the curse:
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‘When you hear from a twice-born the māhātmya of the tulasī leaf
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and the name of Viṣṇu, you will immediately attain supreme liberation.’
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Thus cursed by the sage, extremely sorrowful for a long time,
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I was dwelling here in the banyan tree. By fate, surely through the sight of you,
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liberation from the brahmin’s curse has occurred. Listen to the story of the second one.
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Formerly, this best of sages was devoted to serving his guru.
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Having disregarded the command of his guru, he attained the state of a brahmarākṣasa.”
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"Now, by your favor, he is freed from the curse of the brahmin;
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and the fruit of a pilgrimage to sacred fords has indeed been accomplished here by you two.
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May increasingly higher merits increase day by day."
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Having said this and bowed repeatedly to those two excellent sages,
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having taken leave of them, those two went to their abode with supreme joy.
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Then those two foremost of sages, for the sake of a pilgrimage to sacred fords,
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praising the holy tulasī, departed, O foremost of sages.
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Thus, O Nārada, who indeed can describe the māhātmya of tulasī?
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Therefore, O Nārada, in this month of Kārtika which delights Hari,
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the worship of tulasī must be performed; no hesitation should be made here.
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Thus, my dear, the vows have been proclaimed, O best of sages;
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I shall explain the auxiliary rites as proclaimed by the Vālakhilyas.
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Thus ends the eighth chapter, titled 'Description of the Māhātmya of Tulasī', in the Kārtikamāsamāhātmya in the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa in eighty-one thousand verses.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit