Vaisnava Goddess as Plant: Tulasi in Text and Context

The Tulas plant (Ocimum sanctum) is viewed withinthe purview of Hinduism as a form of the goddessLak m , or a consort of the god Vi u. Thisdesignation seems to originate within the corpus ofPur ic texts composed in the Sanskrit language fromapproximately the 5th to 15th centuries CE. Thesanctity of the plant, and other forms of vegetation,resembles even earlier cults of Yak a and Yak , ornature spirit, worship.The adoration of the plantcontinues into modernity in various ways. This paperexamines the Tulas plant through the various mythsdescribing her sanctity, as well as how these mythsare interpreted by modern devotees of the plant.

Autorentext

John C. Carbone studied Hinduism in north India for several years
before
returning to the United States to earn a Bachelor and Master's
degree in the field of Asian Religions from Florida State
University. His focus has been
Vaishnava and Shaiva systems of worship and philosophy. He can be
reached at jaichaitanya@hotmail.com.

Klappentext

The Tulasi plant (Ocimum sanctum) is viewed within
the purview of Hinduism as a form of the goddess
Lak mi, or a consort of the god Vi u. This
designation seems to originate within the corpus of
Pura ic texts composed in the Sanskrit language from
approximately the 5th to 15th centuries CE. The
sanctity of the plant, and other forms of vegetation,
resembles even earlier cults of Yak a and Yak i, or
nature spirit, worship. The adoration of the plant
continues into modernity in various ways. This paper
examines the Tulasi plant through the various myths
describing her sanctity, as well as how these myths
are interpreted by modern devotees of the plant.