The Tulsi wedding signifies the end of the monsoon and the beginning of the wedding season in Hinduism. The ceremonial festival is performed anytime between Prabodhini Ekadashi (the eleventh or twelfth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu month of Kartik) and Kartik Poornima (the full moon of the month).
Decorate your Tulsi on her Vivah:
People decorate their plants in various ways. From traditional method of simply coloring the pot with white vibhooti to latest trend of adorning the tulsi plant in saree and jewellery as goddess, tulsi is decorated in many ways.
Have a look at how I got my tulsi ready. Firstly I started cleaning the tulsi pot (usually refered as tulsi katte) with sand paper. Then I applied some acrylic paint follwed by simple rangoli . To this, I made a simple clay art of peacock feather with a flute representing the accessory of Lord Krishna to complete Krishna Tulasi. Decoarated the background with few strands of cotton vastramala known as “Gejje Vastra”.
Significance:
Tulsi Vivah celebrates the marriage of Tulsi and the Shaligram or the Shri Krishna avatar of Lord Vishnu. Therefore, on this day, devotees perform the marriage ceremony and recreate the wedding of the two deities.
Mythology:
There is a legend associated with Tulsi Vivah that explains why this festival is significant. During her previous birth, Tulsi was a woman named Vrinda (Brinda), who was married to a demon named Jalandhar (a great devotee of Lord Vishnu). But he had grown so greedy and vengeful that he waged wars and created ruckus in the Devaloka. Even Lord Shiva wondered how Jalandhar could be eliminated. Once, Vrinda promised her husband that she would do pray for his victory until he would return home. However, she was oblivious about the plan of the Gods. Out of exasperation, Lord Vishnu visited Vrinda’s abode in the disguise of Jalandhar. Soon after seeing him, Vrinda touched his feet to take his blessings, and as a result, her Sankalpa (pledge) broke. Jalandhar lost all his powers on the battlefield, and Lord Shiva severed his head to bring an end to his tyranny.
However, when Vrinda learnt about the truth, her anger knew no bounds. She cursed Lord Vishnu by saying that he would turn into a stone and also get separated from his wife. Hence, Lord Vishnu appeared as a stone in his Shaligram avatar and got separated from his consort, Sita in the Rama Avatar. After cursing the Lord, Vrinda drowned in the ocean, but since he blessed her, her soul was established in a Tulsi plant. Moreover, she was blessed with the boon of becoming the wife of Lord Vishnu in her next birth. Hence, the significance of the Tulsi Vivah.
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