Devi
Tulsi nama-mantra
ॐ तुलस्यै नमः
Oṁ Tulasyai Namaḥ
Simple reading: Om tu-las-yai na-mah
About this mantra
Salutation to Tulsi Devi — the holy basil kept in a pot at the threshold, and the one goddess most Hindu homes tend every day. Tradition names her Vishnupriya, Vishnu's beloved, and her pot is the courtyard's own shrine.
Meaning
Om, salutations to Tulsi. The name is heard as 'the incomparable one' — a goddess who chose the form of a courtyard plant, holy enough that a single leaf completes Vishnu's worship. Her mantra accompanies the humblest daily acts, and that is its meaning: the divine consents to be tended.
When to recite it
At the tulsi's morning watering and evening lamp; Tulsi Vivah and the month of Kartik are her festival season, and Ekadashi offerings begin with her leaf, taken with this respect.
Word by word
- ॐoṁ
- the primordial sound
- तुलस्यैtulasyai
- to Tulsi, beloved of Vishnu
- नमःnamaḥ
- I bow, salutations
Source: Traditional nāma-mantra