Haribodhani Ekadashi and Tulasi Bibaha

It is believed that Lord Vishnu, who has been fast asleep since Harishyani Ekadashi, wakes up today. Haribodhini Ekadashi is an important Ekadashi, this Ekadashi is also called the biggest Ekadashi or Thuli Ekadashi, because of its glory. This Ekadashi shares an intrinsic attachment with the Tulsi/ Basil plant.

Tulsi (Basil) worship is of great importance in Vedic Sanatan Sanskar. For thousands of years, the Sanatan practitioners have been getting up in the morning, pouring water on Tulsi, and bowing down to their daily routine. Basil plants and leaves are important in every Sanatan Sanskar from birth to death. The practice of eating meals only by adding basil leaves and offering them to God is still prevalent in many homes and traditions. It is customary to use the Tulsi Moth (Tulsi idol or Tulsi home) near the courtyard as a sacred place for marriage ceremonies and even death.

In the Padma Purana, the importance of Tulsi is associated with the asceticism of Binda Devi who came to earth to find Lord Vishnu as her husband. Similarly, the divine qualities of the basil plant are explained in the 19th section of 3 of 5 of Srimaddha Bhagwat Geeta.

Formally planted on Harishyani Ekadashi, the basil plant is now matured on Haribodhini Ekadashi. Today, Tulsi is ritually chanted and worshiped at home, and there is a tradition of marrying the Tulsi planted on Ashadh Shukla Ekadashi to the Peepal tree.

देवी त्वं निर्मिता पूर्वमर्चितासि मुनीश्वरैः ।
नमो नमस्ते तुलसी पापं हर हरिप्रिये ।।

Known as Kartik Shukla Ekadashi i.e. Haribodhani, Thuli Ekadashi, or Tulsi Vivah, this day is especially celebrated with the worship of Lord Vishnu.

According to the Sanatan Dharma, Lord Vishnu first woke up four months after Ashadh Shukla Ekadashi. On this holy day, Lord Vishnu first heard the prayer of Tulsi and woke up from the effect of the same prayer. It is a symbolic marriage to depict the holy unification of Lord Vishnu and mother Lakshmi.

May the world learn from Sanatan rituals, we value plants and also symbolically marry them to acknowledge the role of plants and their contribution to our existence.

Mat we know the unification and solidarity from the combination of Peepal and Tulsi and the anecdotes of Vishnu and Lakshmi.

Suyog Dhakal