Types of Tulasi Plant and Should its growth be controlled?
“Hare Krishna Prabhuji. How many types of Tulasi plants are there? What to do if plenty of tulasi plants have grown at the terrace?”
REPLY:
Tulasi plant on terrace. That is a good sign. Let them grow. Just keep the tulasi pots and water them daily.
Decades back, I was longing for Tulasi plant in my home for offering to the Lord daily. I was getting plants from other devotees’ house as the soil in my house was not fertile.
But, when I found that some animals had eaten the tulasi plant in the pot in my home, I immediately purchased the plant from the shop to continue Tulasi puja.
(Is Taking Onion and Garlic while Chanting with Tulasi beads permitted? READ HERE!)
I think that this moved the Lord that I am purchasing Tulasi plant for money again and again.
In the next 10 days, for my surprise, I found more than 15 tulasi plants in the surrounding empty space of my home. That was the happiest week in my life, as our soil never allowed tulasi plant to grow earlier. Now, the Lord blessed me with plenty of tulasi plants without the need to purchase it.”
So, if tulasi grows in your house, that means, the Lord has blessed you with that. So, keep them there.
However, if the plants grow on the floor of buildings directly, it will weaken the building. So, when a plant grows, pluck it and replace it in a pot filled with good soil and keep those pots at the open terrace itself.
But, don’t pluck and throw away. That is like sending back the lakshmi coming to your house.
Feel happy for the growth of Tulasi in your home abundantly. Because, I have struggled a lot to grow tulasi plant in my garden. Now, I have no problem for Tulasi till I die. I can even give to any other devotees.
Tulasi is not just a plant. She is Vrinda, the Priya Sakhi of Lord Krishna. No puja is complete without Tulasi. No offering is effective without a leaf of tulasi. Remember that.
(WEAPONS TO BEAT MAYA – TILAKA, TULASI BEADS AND PRASADAM! READ HERE!)
TYPES OF TULASI
There are FIVE main types of Tulasi Plant in which Ram Tulasi and Shyam Tulasi are the major varieties. Both these two varieties are used in the service to Krishna. In addition to their spiritual significance, these Tulasi varieties have many medicinal qualities also:
(1) RAM TULASI:
The leaves of Ram Tulsi are lighter in color, which has earned it the name `Gori` – the fair one. So, the name ‘Ram’ used.
(2) SHYAM (or) KRISHNA TULASI:
Shyam or Krishna Tulsi, is darker in color and hence this name, as Krishna is also dark colored. This tulasi is more effective as a destroyer of kapha (phlegm). Consequently it is used for medicinal uses, as its aroma and its juice possess the property of being more `sharp`.
Basically, Ram and Shyam Tulasis are called so because they are in the colours of Ram and Shyam, though there are stories.
(HOW TO GROW, MAINTAIN AND PLUCK THE TULASI PLANT? READ HERE!)
(3) VANA TULASI:
Also known as `kutherak`. It`s stronger aroma and its capacity to neutralise poisons is greater. This variety is used in treating toxaemia, leucoderma, eye diseases and obstetric diseases.
(4) MARUVAK TULASI:
The juice of this Tulsi is beneficial in cuts, wounds or bruises, and also bites of poisonous animals.
(5) BABARI (or) BABURI TULASI:
Tender shoots have a penetrating odour. In the Unani system, the seeds of Tulsi are referred to as ‘Tukhm Rehan’ and is said to make a man strong. All varities of Tulsi share the quality of strong odour, antibiotic and anthelmintic properties.
These are the five types of tulasi plant.
And, in our practice, Ekadasi and Dvadasi must be avoided to water tulasi plant and also to pluck Tulasi leaves. Watering and plucking can be done on all other days.
(Is using Tulasi based cosmetics INNOCENTLY also an offense? READ HERE!)