The Glory of Tulasi, Incense and the Lamp

Verse 1 (skanda.2.141.1)

।। ब्रह्मोवाच।। ।। श्रीमत्तुलसिमाहात्म्यं यथावद्वर्णय प्रभो ।। यस्याः सन्निधिमात्रेण प्रीतिर्भवति तेऽधिका

brahmovāca śrīmattulasimāhātmyaṁ yathāvadvarṇaya prabho yasyāḥ sannidhimātreṇa prītirbhavati te'dhikā

Brahma said: Describe, O Lord, the glory of the glorious Tulasi truly, by whose mere presence your affection grows even greater.

Verse 2 (skanda.2.141.2)

।। श्रीभगवानुवाच ।। ।। मणिकांचनपुष्पाणि तथा मुक्तामयानि च ।। तुलसीपत्रदानस्य कलां नार्हंति षोडशीम्

śrībhagavānuvāca maṇikāṁcanapuṣpāṇi tathā muktāmayāni ca tulasīpatradānasya kalāṁ nārhaṁti ṣoḍaśīm

The Blessed Lord said: Flowers of jewels and gold, and even those made of pearls, are not worth even a sixteenth part of the gift of a single tulasi leaf.

Verse 3 (skanda.2.141.3)

तुलसीमंजरीभिर्यः कुर्याद्वै मम पूजनम् ।। न स गर्भगृहं यायान्मुक्तिभागी भवेन्नरः

tulasīmaṁjarībhiryaḥ kuryādvai mama pūjanam na sa garbhagṛhaṁ yāyānmuktibhāgī bhavennaraḥ

Whoever worships me with tulasi manjaris need never enter the womb again — that man becomes a partaker of liberation.

Verse 4 (skanda.2.141.4)

आरोप्य तुलसीं वत्स पूजयेत्तद्दलैश्च माम् ।। दिवि संमोदमानः स श्वेतद्वीपे च मे गृहे

āropya tulasīṁ vatsa pūjayettaddalaiśca mām divi saṁmodamānaḥ sa śvetadvīpe ca me gṛhe

O son, having planted tulasi and worshipping me with its leaves, he rejoices in heaven, in Shvetadvipa, in my very own abode.

Verse 5 (skanda.2.141.5)

श्रीमत्तुलस्यार्चयते सकृद्धि मां पत्रैः सुगन्धैर्विमलैरखंडितैः ।। यस्तस्य पापं पटसंस्थितं तदा निरीक्षयित्वा परिमार्जयेद्यमः

śrīmattulasyārcayate sakṛddhi māṁ patraiḥ sugandhairvimalairakhaṁḍitaiḥ yastasya pāpaṁ paṭasaṁsthitaṁ tadā nirīkṣayitvā parimārjayedyamaḥ

Whoever worships the glorious Tulasi even once with fragrant, spotless, unbroken leaves — Yama, examining his sin recorded on the ledger, wipes it away.

Verse 6 (skanda.2.141.6)

तुलसी न येषां मम पूजनार्थं संपादितैकादशिपुण्यवासरे ।। धिग्यौवनं जीवितमर्थसन्ततिस्तेषां सुखं नेह च दृश्यते परे

tulasī na yeṣāṁ mama pūjanārthaṁ saṁpāditaikādaśipuṇyavāsare dhigyauvanaṁ jīvitamarthasantatisteṣāṁ sukhaṁ neha ca dṛśyate pare

Those for whom tulasi is not gathered for my worship on the sacred day of Ekadashi — a curse upon their youth, their life, their wealth, and their progeny; their happiness is seen neither here nor in the world beyond.

Verse 7 (skanda.2.141.7)

लिंगमभ्यर्चितं दृष्ट्वा सहोमासे च मामकम् ।। तुलसीपत्रनिकरैर्मुच्यते ब्रह्महत्यया

liṁgamabhyarcitaṁ dṛṣṭvā sahomāse ca māmakam tulasīpatranikarairmucyate brahmahatyayā

Whoever beholds my linga worshipped with heaps of tulasi leaves in the month of Sahoma is freed even from the sin of killing a brahmin.

Verse 8 (skanda.2.141.8)

नित्यमभ्यर्चयेद्यो वै तुलस्या मां रमेश्वरम् ।। महापापानि नश्यंति किं पुनश्चोपपातकम्

nityamabhyarcayedyo vai tulasyā māṁ rameśvaram mahāpāpāni naśyaṁti kiṁ punaścopapātakam

Whoever daily worships me, the Lord of Lakshmi, with tulasi — his great sins are destroyed, how much more, then, his lesser ones.

Verse 9 (skanda.2.141.9)

वर्ज्यं पर्युषितं पुष्पं वर्ज्यं पर्युषितं जलम् ।। न वर्ज्यं तुलसीपत्रं न वर्ज्यं जाह्नवीजलम्

varjyaṁ paryuṣitaṁ puṣpaṁ varjyaṁ paryuṣitaṁ jalam na varjyaṁ tulasīpatraṁ na varjyaṁ jāhnavījalam

A stale flower is to be avoided, stale water is to be avoided; but the tulasi leaf is never to be avoided, nor is Ganga water ever to be avoided.

Verse 10 (skanda.2.141.10)

तावद्गर्जंति पुष्पाणि मालत्यादीनि भोः सुत ।। यावन्न प्राप्यते पुण्या तुलसी मम वल्लभा

tāvadgarjaṁti puṣpāṇi mālatyādīni bhoḥ suta yāvanna prāpyate puṇyā tulasī mama vallabhā

O son, flowers such as malati boast of themselves only so long as the sacred tulasi, dear to me, has not been obtained.

Verse 11 (skanda.2.141.11)

सकृदभ्यर्चयेद्यो मां बिल्वपत्रेण मानवः ।। मुक्तिभागी निरातंको मम पार्श्वगतो भवेत्

sakṛdabhyarcayedyo māṁ bilvapatreṇa mānavaḥ muktibhāgī nirātaṁko mama pārśvagato bhavet

Whatever man worships me even once with a bilva leaf becomes a partaker of liberation, free from affliction, ever abiding at my side.

Verse 12 (skanda.2.141.12)

बिल्वपत्राच्छमीपत्राज्जातीपत्रात्सरोरुहात् ।। वल्लभं तुलसीपत्रं कौस्तुभादधिकं मम

bilvapatrācchamīpatrājjātīpatrātsaroruhāt vallabhaṁ tulasīpatraṁ kaustubhādadhikaṁ mama

More dear to me than the bilva leaf, the shami leaf, the jati leaf, or the lotus is the tulasi leaf — dearer even than the Kaustubha jewel.

Verse 13 (skanda.2.141.13)

अभिन्नपत्रा तुलसी हृद्या मंजरिसंयुता ।। क्षीरोदार्णवसंभूता पद्मेवेयं सदा मम

abhinnapatrā tulasī hṛdyā maṁjarisaṁyutā kṣīrodārṇavasaṁbhūtā padmeveyaṁ sadā mama

Tulasi, with unbroken leaves, delightful, joined with its manjari clusters, born from the Ocean of Milk, is to me ever as dear as Lakshmi herself.

Verse 14 (skanda.2.141.14)

अकृष्णाऽप्यथवा कृष्णा तुलसी मम वल्लभा ।। सिता वाऽप्यसिता वापि द्वादशी वल्लभा यथा ।

akṛṣṇā'pyathavā kṛṣṇā tulasī mama vallabhā sitā vā'pyasitā vāpi dvādaśī vallabhā yathā

Whether not dark or dark in variety, tulasi is ever dear to me; whether of the bright or the dark, it is as dear as the Dvadashi tithi is in either fortnight.

Verse 15 (skanda.2.141.15)

गृहीत्वा तुलसीपत्रं भक्त्या यो मां समर्चयेत् ।। अर्चितं तेन सकलं सदेवासुरमानुषम् ।।

gṛhītvā tulasīpatraṁ bhaktyā yo māṁ samarcayet arcitaṁ tena sakalaṁ sadevāsuramānuṣam

Whoever, taking a tulasi leaf, worships me with devotion — by him the whole world, together with gods, demons and men, is worshipped.

Verse 16 (skanda.2.141.16)

तावद्गर्जंति रत्नानि कौस्तुभादीन्यनन्तशः ।। यावन्न प्राप्यते कृष्ण तुलसीकृष्णमंजरी

tāvadgarjaṁti ratnāni kaustubhādīnyanantaśaḥ yāvanna prāpyate kṛṣṇa tulasīkṛṣṇamaṁjarī

Jewels such as the Kaustubha boast of themselves endlessly only so long as the dark tulasi manjari has not been obtained.

Verse 17 (skanda.2.141.17)

कृष्णं कृष्णतुलस्या हि यो भक्त्या पूजयेन्नरः ।। स याति भुवनं शुभ्रं यत्र विष्णुः श्रिया सह

kṛṣṇaṁ kṛṣṇatulasyā hi yo bhaktyā pūjayennaraḥ sa yāti bhuvanaṁ śubhraṁ yatra viṣṇuḥ śriyā saha

Whoever, with devotion, worships the dark Lord with dark tulasi goes to that radiant world where Vishnu dwells together with Shri.

Verse 18 (skanda.2.141.18)

ममाऽर्चनार्थं भिक्षूणां यच्छंति तुलसीदलम् ।। अन्येषामपि भक्तानां यांति ते पदमव्ययम्

mamā'rcanārthaṁ bhikṣūṇāṁ yacchaṁti tulasīdalam anyeṣāmapi bhaktānāṁ yāṁti te padamavyayam

Whoever gives tulasi leaves to mendicants for my worship, and also to other devotees, they too go to the imperishable abode.

Verse 19 (skanda.2.141.19)

तुलसी कृष्णगौरा या तया यो मां समर्चयेत् ।। नरो याति तनुं त्यक्त्वा वैष्णवीं शाश्वतीं गतिम्

tulasī kṛṣṇagaurā yā tayā yo māṁ samarcayet naro yāti tanuṁ tyaktvā vaiṣṇavīṁ śāśvatīṁ gatim

Whoever worships me with the dark-and-fair variety of tulasi, upon leaving the body, attains the eternal Vaishnava state.

Verse 20 (skanda.2.141.20)

।। ब्रह्मोवाच ।। ।। धूपदानस्य माहात्म्यं दीपस्याऽपि च केशव ।। यत्फलं लभते मर्त्यस्तन्मे ब्रूहि यथार्थतः

brahmovāca dhūpadānasya māhātmyaṁ dīpasyā'pi ca keśava yatphalaṁ labhate martyastanme brūhi yathārthataḥ

Brahma said: O Keshava, the glory of the gift of incense, and likewise of the gift of the lamp — whatever fruit a mortal obtains — tell me that truly.

Verse 21 (skanda.2.141.21)

।। श्रीभगवानुवाच ।। ।। शृणु पुत्र प्रवक्ष्यामि धूपदानस्य यत्फलम् ।। दीपदानस्य माहात्म्यं मम प्रीतिकरं परम्

śrībhagavānuvāca śṛṇu putra pravakṣyāmi dhūpadānasya yatphalam dīpadānasya māhātmyaṁ mama prītikaraṁ param

The Blessed Lord said: Listen, son, I shall declare the fruit of the gift of incense, and the glory of the gift of the lamp, which is most pleasing to me.

Verse 22 (skanda.2.141.22)

अगुरुं च सकर्पूरं दिव्यचंदनसौरभम् ।। दत्त्वा मां वै सहोमासे कुलानां तारयेच्छतम्

aguruṁ ca sakarpūraṁ divyacaṁdanasaurabham dattvā māṁ vai sahomāse kulānāṁ tārayecchatam

Whoever offers me, in the month of Sahoma, agaru together with camphor and fragrant with divine sandal, ferries across a hundred generations of his family.

Verse 23 (skanda.2.141.23)

कृष्णागुरुसमुत्थेन धूपेन च ममाऽलयम् ।। धूपयेद्वैष्णवो यस्तु स मुक्तो नरकाऽर्णवात्

kṛṣṇāgurusamutthena dhūpena ca mamā'layam dhūpayedvaiṣṇavo yastu sa mukto narakā'rṇavāt

Whatever Vaishnava perfumes my temple with incense made of dark agaru is freed from the very ocean of hell.

Verse 24 (skanda.2.141.24)

माहिषं गुग्गुलं यस्तु आज्ययुक्तं सशर्करम् ।। धूपं ददाति यो वै मां तस्येच्छां प्रददाम्यहम्

māhiṣaṁ guggulaṁ yastu ājyayuktaṁ saśarkaram dhūpaṁ dadāti yo vai māṁ tasyecchāṁ pradadāmyaham

Whoever offers me incense of buffalo-guggulu joined with ghee and sugar — I grant him his desire.

Verse 25 (skanda.2.141.25)

गुग्गुलो हंत्यशेषाणि अरिष्टानि च धूपितः ।। कामान्नानाविधांश्चैव अगुरुः संप्रयच्छति

guggulo haṁtyaśeṣāṇi ariṣṭāni ca dhūpitaḥ kāmānnānāvidhāṁścaiva aguruḥ saṁprayacchati

Guggulu, when burnt as incense, destroys all manner of misfortunes; agaru bestows desires of various kinds.

Verse 26 (skanda.2.141.26)

देहं गेहं पुनात्येव धूपस्त्वगुरुसंभवः ।। नाशयेद्यक्षरक्षांसि धूपः सर्जरसोद्भवः

dehaṁ gehaṁ punātyeva dhūpastvagurusaṁbhavaḥ nāśayedyakṣarakṣāṁsi dhūpaḥ sarjarasodbhavaḥ

Incense born of agaru purifies both body and house; incense born of resin destroys yakshas and rakshasas.

Verse 27 (skanda.2.141.27)

जातिपुष्पमथैला च गुग्गुलश्च हरीतकी ।। कूटः सर्जरसश्चैव गुडःसैलाच्छडस्तथा ।। नखयुक्तानि चैतानि दशांगो धूप उच्यते

jātipuṣpamathailā ca guggulaśca harītakī kūṭaḥ sarjarasaścaiva guḍaḥsailācchaḍastathā nakhayuktāni caitāni daśāṁgo dhūpa ucyate

Jati flower, cardamom, guggulu, and myrobalan; kutha root, resin, jaggery, and cinnamon bark, together with nakha shell — this is called the ten-ingredient incense.

Verse 28 (skanda.2.141.28)

धूपं दशांगं यदि चेत्करोति मासे सहे मे अतिवल्लभे च ।। ददामि कामानतिदुर्लभानपि बलं च पुष्टिं सुतदारभक्तिम्

dhūpaṁ daśāṁgaṁ yadi cetkaroti māse sahe me ativallabhe ca dadāmi kāmānatidurlabhānapi balaṁ ca puṣṭiṁ sutadārabhaktim

If one offers the ten-ingredient incense in the month of Saha, exceedingly dear to me, I grant him even the most difficult-to-obtain desires, along with strength, nourishment, and devotion of sons and wife.

Verse 29 (skanda.2.141.29)

मुस्ताधूपे मानुषाणां प्रियत्वं मांगल्यकं वश्यकरं गुडस्य ।। कुर्यात्सहोमासि ममाग्रतो यो विहाय पापानि स मां समाप्नुयात्

mustādhūpe mānuṣāṇāṁ priyatvaṁ māṁgalyakaṁ vaśyakaraṁ guḍasya kuryātsahomāsi mamāgrato yo vihāya pāpāni sa māṁ samāpnuyāt

Incense of musta grants popularity among men and auspiciousness, and incense of jaggery grants the power to subjugate; whoever performs this before me in the month of Sahoma, having abandoned all sin, attains me.

Verse 30 (skanda.2.141.30)

न भयं विद्यते तस्य दिव्यभौमांतरिक्षजम् ।। मम धूपावशेषेण यस्यांऽगं परिमार्जितम्

na bhayaṁ vidyate tasya divyabhaumāṁtarikṣajam mama dhūpāvaśeṣeṇa yasyāṁ'gaṁ parimārjitam

He whose limbs are anointed with the remains of incense offered to me has no fear whatsoever — celestial, earthly, or atmospheric.

Verse 31 (skanda.2.141.31)

न चापद्विद्यते तस्य भवंति संपदोऽखिलाः ।। धूपे कृते सहोमासे ममाग्रे श्रद्धयाऽनिशम्

na cāpadvidyate tasya bhavaṁti saṁpado'khilāḥ dhūpe kṛte sahomāse mamāgre śraddhayā'niśam

Whoever offers incense before me with faith, unceasingly, in the month of Sahoma, has no calamity, and all manner of prosperity is his.

Verse 32 (skanda.2.141.32)

धूपः सुरूपतां धत्ते धूपः पावनमुत्तमम् ।। वनस्पतिरसो दिव्यः परमः पावनः शुचिः

dhūpaḥ surūpatāṁ dhatte dhūpaḥ pāvanamuttamam vanaspatiraso divyaḥ paramaḥ pāvanaḥ śuciḥ

Incense bestows beauty of form; incense is the supreme means of purification; it is the divine essence of forest trees, most purifying and pure.

Verse 33 (skanda.2.141.33)

अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि दीपमाहात्म्यमुत्तमम् ।। यस्मिन्कृते नरो याति वैकुण्ठं नात्र संशयः

ataḥ paraṁ pravakṣyāmi dīpamāhātmyamuttamam yasminkṛte naro yāti vaikuṇṭhaṁ nātra saṁśayaḥ

Beyond this I shall now declare the supreme glory of the lamp, by whose offering a man goes to Vaikuntha — there is no doubt in this.

Verse 34 (skanda.2.141.34)

बहुवर्तिसमायुक्तं घृतपूरसमन्वितम् ।। कुर्यादारार्तिकं यो वै कल्पकोटिं दिवं वसेत्

bahuvartisamāyuktaṁ ghṛtapūrasamanvitam kuryādārārtikaṁ yo vai kalpakoṭiṁ divaṁ vaset

Whoever performs the arati with many wicks, filled with abundant ghee, dwells in heaven for a crore of kalpas.

Verse 35 (skanda.2.141.35)

नीराजनं तु यः पश्येत्सहोमासे ममाऽग्रतः ।। सप्तजन्म भवेद्विप्रो ह्यंते च परमं पदम्

nīrājanaṁ tu yaḥ paśyetsahomāse mamā'grataḥ saptajanma bhavedvipro hyaṁte ca paramaṁ padam

Whoever beholds the arati before me in the month of Sahoma becomes a brahmin for seven births, and at the end attains the supreme state.

Verse 36 (skanda.2.141.36)

कर्पूरेण तु यः कुर्याद्भक्त्या चैव ममाग्रतः ।। आरार्तिकं द्विजश्रेष्ठ प्रविशेन्मामनंतकम्

karpūreṇa tu yaḥ kuryādbhaktyā caiva mamāgrataḥ ārārtikaṁ dvijaśreṣṭha praviśenmāmanaṁtakam

O best of the twice-born, whoever performs the arati before me with camphor and with devotion enters into me, the endless one.

Verse 37 (skanda.2.141.37)

मन्त्रहीनं क्रियाहीनं यत्कृतं पूजनं मम ।। सर्वं संपूर्णतामेति कृते नीराजने सुत

mantrahīnaṁ kriyāhīnaṁ yatkṛtaṁ pūjanaṁ mama sarvaṁ saṁpūrṇatāmeti kṛte nīrājane suta

O son, worship of me performed without mantra, without proper ritual, becomes complete in every way once the arati is performed.

Verse 38 (skanda.2.141.38)

यः करोति सहोमासे कर्पूरेण च दीपकम् ।। अश्वमेधमवाप्नोति कुलं चैव समुद्धरेत्

yaḥ karoti sahomāse karpūreṇa ca dīpakam aśvamedhamavāpnoti kulaṁ caiva samuddharet

Whoever offers the lamp with camphor in the month of Sahoma obtains the fruit of an Ashvamedha sacrifice, and uplifts his lineage.

Verse 39 (skanda.2.141.39)

ममाऽग्रे वै द्विजानां च दीपं दद्याच्चतुष्पथे ।। मेधावी ज्ञानसंपन्नश्चक्षुष्माञ्जायते नरः

mamā'gre vai dvijānāṁ ca dīpaṁ dadyāccatuṣpathe medhāvī jñānasaṁpannaścakṣuṣmāñjāyate naraḥ

Whoever gives a lamp before me, and before brahmins, at a crossroads, becomes a man endowed with intelligence, knowledge, and clear sight.

Verse 40 (skanda.2.141.40)

घृतेन वाऽथ तैलेन दीपं प्रज्वालयेन्नरः ।। सहोमासे ममाऽग्रे च तस्य पुण्यफलं शृणु

ghṛtena vā'tha tailena dīpaṁ prajvālayennaraḥ sahomāse mamā'gre ca tasya puṇyaphalaṁ śṛṇu

Whatever man, in the month of Sahoma, kindles a lamp with ghee or with oil before me — hear the fruit of his merit:

Verse 41 (skanda.2.141.41)

विहाय सकलं पापं सहस्रादित्यसन्निभः ।। ज्योतिष्मता विमानेन मम लोके महीयते

vihāya sakalaṁ pāpaṁ sahasrādityasannibhaḥ jyotiṣmatā vimānena mama loke mahīyate

Having abandoned all sin, radiant as a thousand suns, he is exalted in my world, borne in a luminous celestial car.

Verse 42 (skanda.2.141.42)

तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन दीपं दद्याद्विचक्षणः ।। तं च दत्त्वा विहिंसेद्यः स पतेन्नरके धुवम्

tasmātsarvaprayatnena dīpaṁ dadyādvicakṣaṇaḥ taṁ ca dattvā vihiṁsedyaḥ sa patennarake dhuvam

Therefore the discerning one should give a lamp with every effort; but whoever, having given it, then damages it out of malice, surely falls into hell.

Verse 43 (skanda.2.141.43)

दीपं यो वै हरेत्पापी लोभाद्द्वेषाद्द्विजोत्तम ।। तद्दीपहरणात्सोऽपि मूकोंऽधश्च प्रजायते

dīpaṁ yo vai haretpāpī lobhāddveṣāddvijottama taddīpaharaṇātso'pi mūkoṁ'dhaśca prajāyate

O best of the twice-born, whatever sinner steals a lamp out of greed or hatred, by that theft of the lamp is born mute and blind.