Devibhagavatapurana 9.24.28

9.24.28

śrībhagavānuvāca |
tapastvayā kṛtaṃ bhadre madarthe bhārate ciram |
tvadarthe śaṅkhacūḍaśca cakāra suciraṃ tapaḥ ||

O Honoured One! For a long time you performed tapasyâ in this Bhârata, to get Me. S’ankhachûda, too, performed tapasyâ for a long time to get you. By that tapas, S’ankhachûda got you as wife. Now it is highly incumbent to award you also with the fruit that you asked for. Therefore I have done this. Now quit your this terestrial body and assume a Divine Body and marry Me. O Râme! Be like Laksmî. This body of yours will be known by the name of Gandakî, a very virtuous, pure and pellucid stream in this holy land of Bhârata. Your hairs will be turned into sacred trees and as they will be born of you, you will be known by the name of Tulasî. All the three worlds will perform their Pûjâs with the leaves and flowers of this Tulasî. Therefore, O Fair-faced One! This Tulasî will be reckoned as the chief amongst all flowers and leaves. In Heavens, earth, and the nether regions, and before Me, O Fair One, you will reign as the chief amongst trees and flowers. In the region of Goloka, on the banks of the river Virajâ, in the Râsa circle (the celestial ball dance,) where all amorous sentiments are played in Vrindârana forest, in Bhândîra forest, in Champaka forest, in the beautiful Chandana (Sandal Forests and in the groves of Mâdhavî, Ketakî, Kunda, Mallikâ, and Mâlatî, in the sacred places you will live and bestow the highest religious merits. All the Tîrthas will reside at the bottom of the Tulasî tree and so religious merits will accrue to all. O Fair-faced One!

There I and all the Devas will wait in expectation of the falling of a Tulasî leaf. Anybody who will be initiated and installed with the Tulasî leaves water, will get all the fruits of being initiated in all the sacrifices. Whatever pleasure Hari gets when thousands and thousands of jars filled with water are offered to him, the same pleasure He will get when one Tulasî leaf will be offered to Him. Whatever fruits are acquired by giving Ayuta cows as presents, those will be also acquired by giving Tulasî leaves. Especially if one gives Tulasî leaves in the month of Kârtik, one gets the fruits same as above mentioned. If one drinks or gets the Tulasî leaf water at the momentous Time of Death, one becomes freed of all sins and is worshipped in the Visnu Loka. He who drinks daily the Tulasî leaf water certainly gets the fruit of one lakh horse sacrifices. He who plucks or culls the Tulasî leaf by his own hand and holding it on his body, quits his life in a Tîrath, goes to Visnu Loka. Whoever holds in his neck the garland made up of Tulasî wood, gets certainly the fruit of horse sacrifices at every step. He who does not keep his word, holding the Tulasî leaf in his hand, goes to the Kâlasûtra Hell as long as the Sun and Moon last. He who gives false evidence in the presence of the Tulasî leaf, goes to the Kumbhîpâka Hell for the life-periods of fourteen Indras.

He who drinks or gets a bit of the Tulasî leaf water at the time of death, certainly goes to Vaikuntha, ascending on a car made up of jewels. Those who pluck or cull the Tulasî leaves in the Full Moon night, on the twelfth lunar day, on the passing of the sun from one sign to another, the mid-day, or on the twilights, on the night, while applying oil on their bodies, on the impurity periods, and while putting on night dresses, verily eat off the Nârâyana’s head. O Chaste One! The Tulasî leaf kept in the night, is considered sacred. It is considered good in S’râddha, vow ceremony, in the making over of any gift, in the installation of any image or in worshipping any Deva. Again, the Tulasî leaf fallen on the ground or fallen in water or offered to Visnu, if washed out can be used in holy and other purposes. Thus, O Good One! You will remain as tree in this earth and will remain in Goloka as the Presiding Deity thereof and will enjoy daily the sport with Krisna. And also you will be the Presiding Deity of the river Gandakî and thus bestow religious merits in Bhârata; you will be the wife of the Salt Ocean, which is My part. You are very chaste; in Vaikuntha you will enjoy me as Râma lives with Me. And as for Me, I will be turned into stone by your curse; I will remain in India close to the bank of the river Gandakî.

Millions and millions of insects with their sharp teeth will make rings, (the convolutions in the S’âlagrâma or sacred stones), on the cavities of the mountains there, representing Me. Of these stones, those that have one door (entrance hole), four convolutions, adorned by the garland of wild flowers (having a mark like this) and which look like fresh rain-cloud, are called Laksmî Nârâyana Mûrtis (forms). And those that have one door, four convolutions and look like fresh rain-clouds but no garlands are called Laksmî Jânardana Chakras (discus). Those that have two doors, four convolutions, and decked with mark like cow’s hoof and void of the garland mark are called Raghunâtha chakras. Those that are very small in size, with two Chakras and look like fresh rain clouds and void of the garland marks are named Vâmana Chakras. Those that that are very small in size, with two Chakras and the garland mark added, know then to be the S’rîdhara Chakras. These always bring in prosperity to the household. Those that are big, circular, void of garland mark, with two circular Chakras, are known as Dâmodara forms. Those that are mediocre in size, with two Chakras and marked as if struck by an arrow, having marks of arrows and bow-cases are known as Rana-Râmas. Those that are middling, with seven Chakras, having marks of an umbrella and ornaments, are called Râjarâjes’varas. They bestow the royal Laksmî to persons.

Those that have twice seven chakras, and are big, looking like fresh rain-clouds are named Anantas. They bestow four fold fruits (Dharma, wealth, desire and liberation). Those that are in their forms like a ring, with two chakras, beautiful, looking like rain-clouds, having cow-hoof marks and of mediocre size are named Madhusûdanas. Those that have one Chakra are called Sudars’anas. Those that have their Chakras hidden are called Gadâdharas. Those that have two Chakras, looking horse-faced, are known as Hayagrîvas. O Chaste One! Those that have their mouths very wide and extended, with two Chakras, and very terrible, are known as Narasimhas. They excite Vairâgyas to all who serve them. Those that have two Chakras, mouths extended and with garland marks (elliptical marks) are called Laksmî Nrisinghas. They always bless the householders who worship them. Those that have two Chakras near their doors (faces), that look even and beautiful, and with marks manifested are known as Vâsudevas. They yield all sorts of fruits. Those that have their Chakras fine and their forms like fresh rain-clouds and have many fine hole marks within their wide gaping facets are called Pradyumnas. They yield happiness to every householder. Those that have their faces of two Chakras stuck together and their backs capacious, are known as Sankarsanas. They always bring in happiness to the householders. Those that look yellow, round and very beautiful are Anirudhas.

The sages say, they give happiness to the householder. Where there is the S’âlagrâma stone there exists S’rî Hari Himself; and where there is Hari, Laksmî and all the Tîrthas dwell there. Worshipping S’âlagrâm S’ilâ, destroys the Brahmahatyâ (killing a Brâhmin) and any other sin whatsoever. In worshipping the S’âlagrâma stone looking like an umbrella, kingdoms are obtained; in worshipping circular S’ilâs, great prosperity is obtained; in worshipping cart-shaped stones, miseries arise; and in worshipping stones, whose ends look like spears (S’ûlas), death inevitably follows. Those whose facets are distorted, bring in poverty; and yellow stones bring in various evils and afflictions. Those whose Chakras look broken, bring in diseases; and those whose Chakras are rent asunder bring in death certainly. Observing vows, making gifts, installing images, doing S’râddhas, worshipping the Devas, all these become highly exalted, if done before the S'âlagrâma S’ilâ. One acquires the merits of bathing in all the Tîrthas and in being initiated in all the sacrifices, if one worships the Sâlagrâma S’ilâ. What more than this, that the merits acquired by all the sacrifices, all the Tîrthas, all vows, all austerities and reading all the Vedas are all acquired by duly worshipping by the holy S’âlagrâma S’ilâ.

He who performs his Abhis’eka ceremony always with S’âlagrâma water (being sprinkled with S’âlagrâma water at the initiation and Installation ceremonies), acquires the religious merits of performing all sorts of gifts and circumambulating the whole earth. All the Devas are, no doubt, pleased with him who thus worships daily the S’âlagrâma. What more than this, that all the Tîrthas want to have his touch. He becomes a Jîvanmukta (liberated while living) and becomes very holy; ultimately he goes to the region of S’rî Hari and remains in Hari’s service there and dwells with him for countless Prakritic dissolutions. Every sin, like Brahmâ Hatyâ, flies away from him as serpents do at the sight of Garuda. The Devî Vasundharâ (the Earth) becomes purified by the touch of the dust of his feat. At his birth, all his predecessors (a lakh in number), are saved. He who gets the S’âlagrâma S’ilâ water during the time of his death, he is freed of all his sins and goes to the Visnu Loka and gets Nirvâna; he becomes freed entirely from the effects of Karma and he gets, no doubt, dissolved and diluted for ever in (the feet of) Visnu. He who tells lies, holding S’âlagrâma in his hands, goes to the Kumbhîpâka Hell for the life-period of Brahmâ. If one does not keep his word, uttered with the S’âlagrâma stone in his hand, one goes to the Asipatra Hell for one lakh manvantaras.

He who worships the S’âlagrâma stone without offering Tulasî leaves on it or separates the Tulasî leaves from the stone, will have to suffer separation from his wife in his next birth. So if one does not offer the Tulasî leaves in the conchshell, for seven births he remains without his wife and he becomes diseased. He who preserves the S’âlagrâma stone, the Tulasî and the conchshell, in one place, becomes very learned and becomes dear to Nârâyana. Look! He who casts his semen once in his wife, suffers intense pain, no doubt, at each other’s separation. So you become dear to S’ankhachûda for one Manvantara. Now, what wonder! That you will suffer pain, at his bereavement. O Nârada! Thus saying, S’rî Hari desisted. Tulasî quitted her mortal coil and assumed a divine form, began to remain in the breast of S’rî Hari like S’rî Laksmî Devî. Hari also went with her to Vaikuntha. Thus Laksmî, Sarasvatî, Gangâ, and Tulasî, all the four came so very dear to Hari and are recognised as Îs’varîs. On the other hand, the mortal coil of Tulasî, no sooner quitted by Tulasî, became transformed into the river Gandakî. Bhagavân Hari, too, became also converted into a holy mountain, on the banks thereof, yielding religious merits to the people. The insects cut and fashion many pieces out of that mountain. Of them, those that fall into the river, yield fruits undoubtedly. And those pieces that fall on the ground become yellow coloured; they are not at all fit for worship. O Nârada!

Thus I have spoken to you everything. What more do you want to hear now? Say. Here ends the Twenty-fourth Chapter of the Ninth Book on the glory of Tulasî in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.