On the auspicious occasion of Dev Uthani Ekadashi, here's the story behind Tulsi and Shaligram's wedding, which happened after a woman named Vrinda cursed Lord Vishu.
One of the most important festivals in Hinduism, Tulsi Vivah is known by a series of different names, such as Tulsi Maduve, Tulsi Kalyanam, and many others across the country. For the unversed, Tulsi Vivah signifies the end of the monsoon season in Hinduism and is considered as the beginning of the auspicious wedding season.
The Hindus celebrate the Tulsi Vivah festival every year on Shukla Paksha Ekadashi. In 2023, the auspicious day falls on November 24. As per multiple reports, Tulsi Vivah will commence on November 24, 2023. The Dwadashi Tithi will begin at 09:01 PM and end at 7:06 PM.
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According to the Hindu culture, once there was a demon named Jalandhar, who became so powerful that he started terrorising even the Gods. Due to his wife, Vrinda’s unwavering virtue and devotion towards Lord Vishnu, Jalandhar used to win almost every battle. After Jalandhar achieved immortality, all the Gods went to Lord Vishnu and requested him to break Vrinda’s chastity.
However, in the beginning, Lord Vishnu denied fooling Vrinda as she was his great devotee. But after seeing the menace that Jalandhar created, Lord Vishnu agreed and hoaxed himself as the Demon king, Jalandhar and went to meet his wife, Vrinda. The doting wife, who was unaware of Lord Vishnu’s tricks, thought that it was her husband, Jalandhar.
Thus, as soon as Lord Vishnu appeared in front of Vrinda, the latter touched his feet and welcomed him back. The moment Vrinda touched Lord Vishnu’s feet, her chastity was broken, and her husband, Jalandhar, lost against the Gods. Soon Jalandhar’s chopped head fell in Vrinda’s palace, and Lord Vishnu turned into his real self, leaving Vrinda absolutely shocked.
It was a heartbreaking moment for Vrinda, as it was because of Lord Vishnu’s trick her chastity broke that led to her husband, Jalandhar’s demise. The enraged Vrinda wasted cursed Lord Vishnu to turn into a Shaligram stone. Due to Vrinda’s purity, the curse worked, and Lord Vishnu turned into a stone.
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However, it was Lord Vishnu’s wife, Goddess Lakshmi, who requested Vrinda to lift the curse. Vrinda, who was a big devotee of Lord Vishnu, forgave him and lifted the curse. Seeing Vrinda’s kind gesture, Lord Vishnu blessed Vrinda to become Tulsi and promised her that he would marry her as Shaligram.
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Despite Lord Vishnu’s blessing, Vrinda was heartbroken by her husband, Jalandhar’s death and self-immolated herself with his chopped head. As per Lord Vishnu’s blessings, Vrinda rose through the ashes in the form of a plant called Tulsi, and on Devuthani Ekadashi, she got married to Lord Vishnu’s Shaligram avatar. Hence, since then, Tulsi Vivah has been celebrated globally by Hindus in temples to celebrate the union of Tulsi and Shaligram, who is also considered as Lord Krishna.
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