Tulasi for medicine is an offense?

[Guest guest]

PAMHO

I am interested in the study of herbs. I know Tulasi is used in herbal medicine in the east and known for the healing properties. My parents say it is an offense to Tulasi Devi to use her for anything but offering to Krishna. Does anyone know anything. Is it really an offense? Any evidence from sastra or maybe Prabhupada said something about he use of Tulasi. Thank you. Hare Krsihna.

 

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna.

 

Tulsi can be offered to Lord Krishna and then eaten, so it's ok as long you first offer it.

[Guest guest]

One should not eat Tulasi like a vegatable salad. She is for Krsna and Vishnu Tattva only. A leaf or two after being offered to Krishna is prasadam. Prabhupada did not like using Tulasi for other purposes.

 

One should not make a business out of Tulasi and use her like some type of medicinal herb. Careful!

[Guest guest]

My understanding is Srila Prabhupada did not allow the use of Tulasi for medical purposes. But I could be wrong about that.

 

 

[Yogkriya]

What can be so offensive in that?

Tulasi leaves can be taken after being offered to the Lord and it can be used in healing terms too. Don't we take charanamrata and prasad as spiritually healing gift from the Lord? What is wrong in taking it as a healing herb for our bodies that are to be used in service for the Lord too??

[Guest guest]

If in reality we are offering Tulasi to Krishna but in the back of our minds we are thinking we will use (exploit) Tulasi for health reasons it becomes an offense. Using Krishna's pure servant to further our exploitation in the world is an offense. There are plenty of herbs that can be used instead of Tulasi. A couple of leaves of Tulasi to the sick, as prasadam, is not an offense but if we begin to exploit Tulasi for our own purposes it is an offense.

 

In Ayur Veda there are many medicines with Tulasi as a component but the Vaishnavas never buy or use any of them.

 

Please don't exploit Tulasi.

 

 

 

[Yogkriya]

okay! /images/graemlins/smile.gif we will not exploit Tulasi Alladin bhai.

[Guest guest]

There is a difference between 'exploiting' and beneficial usage though. There is still no harm in having Tulasi in having as a herbal health aid. There are other offenses that one should be more careful about not making.

[Guest guest]

the problem arises when tulasi is exploited to heal the meat-eaters and sinners from disease.

 

There should be nothing wrong with offering tulasi to Krishna then using it to heal the devotees. The devotees in turn will continue to serve tulasi devi and Krishna, while the meat-eaters will continue to kill and enjoy.

[Guest guest]

Recently in a trip to Bharat I noticed that many people are chewing tobacco & pan mix. One day out of curiosity I read the ingredients and saw Tulsi being used in one of the packets.

 

I mention this because once you start packaging her as a product, even if first offered to Krsna, you are taking away her purpose which is not to intoxicate or restore health but to grant pure devotional service to sincere devotees of the Lord.

 

Personally I would not use her in that way, afterall, what sickness could be so great?

[Guest guest]

No acarya ever advocated the use of Tulasi for any other purpose than Vishnu Tattva and Krishna. It is simple if you use Tulasi for other purposes it is offense.

 

When doctors told Prabhupada to use Tulasi for his illness the only thing he would allow was to put a Tulasi garland around his neck from the diety and even then the garland was not offered to the deity with the idea of using it later for Prabhupada.

 

If one uses Tulasi, exploits Tulasi the reaction will be bad healt or some other calamity. SImple Tulasi is for Krsnas pleasure.