Making Fire-offering to Tulsi Plant

Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

Nepalese Hindus perform fire worship to tulsi plant on the eleventh day called ‘Hari-bodhini ekadashi’ of the bright fortnight in Kartik in the Vikram calendar. By this time the Tulsi plant has matured and yielded the seeds. They have planted tulsi plants four months ago on the eleventh day called ‘Hari-shayani ekadashi’. Hindus believe that during this four-month period, Lord Vishnu incarnates in tulsi plants for the people on earth to make offerings to the lord, as he goes to the world of the most virtuous king called Bali Raja to keep him company. Nepalis visit the shrines and temples to Lord Vishnu addressed as Narayan across Nepal to pray to Lord Narayan for peace and prosperity and express their happiness to the return of Lord Vishnu to the human world from the world of Bali Raja.

Tulsi plants have medicinal values, too. So, people must have considered it as a divine plant. Some people boil tulsi plants in water and give the water to the person with fever.

On the eleventh day called ‘Hari-bodhini ekadashi’, Nepalese Hindus perform fire worship to the tulsi plants they have kept for the last four months. They believe that Lord Vishnu has been dwelling in it for four months, leaves it on this day and comes back to the human world. So, they perform the last rites to the plants and complete the four-month devotion to the lord in tulsi plants. Then, they collect seeds from the tulsi plants and dry the leaves and keep them for the future medicinal purposes.

On this day, Nepalese Hindus believe that Lord Vishnu completes his mission to the world of the most virtuous king called Bali Raja for keeping him company. Lord Vishnu has committed to the obligation of keeping him company to Bali Raja at his place in his world for four months after Vishnu has pushed him down to the world of ghosts and spirits fro saving the throne of heavenly King Indra.

A legend has it that once a very virtuous king has lived in the Hindu world. He has made everybody happy giving whatever s/he wanted. He has earned so much merits he has been eligible for replacing the heavenly king called Indra. So, the Indra’s throne has been shaking because of the Bali Raja’s meritorious acts in the Hindu world.

Worrying about Bali Raja replacing her son Indra in the heavenly throne, the mother went to Baikuntha where Lord Vishnu has been dwelling with his two spouses such as Lakshmi and Sarasvati.

Lord Vishnu is one of the Hindu trinity such as Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra. Brahma is the creator of the Hindu world, Vishnu is the administrator and Rudra is the undertaker. So, Vishnu needs to maintain law and order.

Lord Vishnu greeted the mother of Indra with smile, as Lord Vishnu has already known the purpose of her visit through his transcendental knowledge. Lord Vishnu is omnipotent and omnipresent so he knows everything happening anywhere in the three Hindu worlds such as the world of deities, world of humans and the world of ghosts and different spirits.

Lord Vishnu said, “Why did you take trouble to visit us?”

Indra’s mother replied, “ I came with a great problem of my son that only you could solve it.”

Lord Vishnu said, “What is that?”

Indra’s mother replied, “A king called Bali Raja has been doing all sorts of virtuous things earning and accumulating tremendous merits in the Hindu world. He would soon be the heavenly king driving my son Indra out of the heavenly throne. So, I am here to request you to finish Bali Raja off. You are the only one that could do so. Please save Indra from falling.”

Lord Vishnu said, “It is not a big deal. I will do it for you and for your son Indra. Bali Raja would never rise to the heaven from his mundane world. Be sure and live peacefully.”

After giving Indra’s mother his word for finishing off Bali Raja, Lord Vishnu took the form of a dwarf Brahmin and came down to the Hindu world and walked to the place where Bali Raja has been performing some sorts of worship.

Watching a dwarf Brahmin coming forward, Bali Raja said, “What do you need a dwarf?”

Dwarf Brahmin said, “I need a plot of land that will be just enough for me to take three steps on.”

Bali Raja said, “What a Brahmin, you just want such a tiny piece of land?”

Brahmin said, “Yes, indeed I need that much of land not more.”

Counselors of Bali Raja said, “Your majesty, be careful to give anything to this Brahmin, he does not look like a regular Brahmin.”

Bali Raja brushed the counselors’ advice off and said to the Dwarf Brahmin, “You get the land that will be enough for you to make three steps on?

Then, the dwarf Brahmin started off increasing his size and became so large, his single foot covered the heaven; another foot covered the earth and asked Bali Raja for space for his third foot to step on.

For keeping his word given to the dwarf Brahmin, Bali Raja gave his own head for the third foot of the dwarf turned to the stupendous figure to step on.

When the stupendous Brahmin put his third foot on the head of Bali Raja, the weight of the third foot pushed Bali Raja down to the world of ghosts and different spirits. Thus, Bali Raja went down with the foot of the Brahmin on his head ending his life and meritorious acts in the Hindu world.

After completing his mission for ending the meritorious acts of Bali Raja, the stupendous Brahmin changed back into his original form of Vishnu.

Seeing Vishnu before him, Bali Raja said, “You tricked me down to the dark world of ghosts and different spirits, I cannot live alone here; why don’t you keep me company here?”

Vishnu said, “ I will keep you company for four months.”

Since then Vishnu has to go to Bali Raja and keep him company for four months every year. So, during this period, Vishnu incarnates in tulsi plants for humans to make offerings to tulsi plants in his name.

So, on ‘Hari-bodhini ekadashi’ Vishnu will be back to his heavenly abode called ‘Baikuntha’ from the world of Bali Raja and live with his spouses in his abode again after completing his duty to be with Bali Raja in the dark world of ghosts and spirits.

So, Nepalese Hindus make the final offerings to Vishnu in tulsi plants on ‘Hari-bodhini ekadashi’ and end the four-month long period of Vishnu worship in tulsi plants. For four months Nepalese Hindus have been making offerings to tulsi plants believing that Vishnu dwells in it. They also put up a light enclosed in a glass box for giving light to Vishnu keeping Bali Raja company in the dark world of ghosts and spirits for four months.

On ‘Hari-bodhini ekadashi’, hundreds of thousands of Hindus visit the shrines and temples to Lord Vishnu addressed as Narayan across Nepal, and pray to the lord for peace and prosperity. Many Nepalis visit one of the ancient temples to Narayan at Changu in the Kathmandu valley. That Narayan has been famous by the name of Changu Narayan.

Similarly, thousands of Nepalis visit the shrine to Jalasnarayan popularly known as Buddhanilkantha in the northern part of Kathmandu. About four-meter long Jalasnarayan carved in black stone lies on his back on the plaited serpents carved in black stone, too; their hood protects the head of Jalasnarayan. Jalasnarayan lying on the plaited serpents floats on the water of the pond.

Note: this year ‘Hari-bodhini ekadashi’ is on October 29, 2009.