CHICAGO: The Hindu Mandir of Lake County in Grayslake, a Northside suburb of Chicago, celebrated Tulsi Vivah , a ceremonial marriage of the Tulsi plant (holy basil that represents purity) to Hindu God Vishnu or his Avatar as Krishna on October 31 (the day of ” Dev Ekadashi” – 11th day of Hindu month of Kartik Shuklapaksha) on a grand scale
More than 200 devotees were present to be part of this celebration. The bridegroom side carried Lord Krishna’s statue with “Shaligram” stone into the Shrine as Varpaksha. Then temple priests performed Gotraachar followed by Hasth-meelap of Varpaksha with Kannyapaksha of female devotees who came in with Tulsi and other deities.
It is believed by Hindus that Tulsi is an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu who is often referred to as “Vishnu Priya – the beloved of Vishnu”. This Tulsi Vivah signifies the end of the Monsoon and the beginning of the Hindu wedding season in India.
Pt. Anil Joshi, Ramachari, and Yogesh Pandya performed first Abhishekam and Vivah Vidhividhan with all the Vedic rituals, mantras, Saptapadi, offering of Mangal Sutra and Sindoor and Bidayi of the bride to Groom’s abode. Rita Anand Patel and Kamlesh Desai sang melodious “Saat Phere” songs. Devotees not only decked themselves with the Indian traditional colorful dresses but also brought nice new clothes for the deities with elegant jewelry, Shringar samagri, flowers, and various sweets.
Pt. Anil Joshi related the significance of performing Tulsi Vivah on the right auspicious muhurtham. He stated that it brings happiness, prosperity and wealth to the family; removes obstacles that delay marriage and helps to get a good husband. Childless couples who perform Tulsi’s Kanyadaan will soon be blessed with kids.
Joshi Ji also said that Tulsi plant, created by Lord Vishnu out of the ashes of Brinda, has not only spiritually uplifting qualities but also possess extraordinary powers of healing especially cardiac diseases and purifies blood along with healing many other diseases and ailments.
Lord Shiva also created Amla and Babri plants at the same time that nourish the heart and respiratory system and heal diabetes respectively. Later, temple management thanked devotees and volunteers for attending this celebration even on a working and Halloween Day in large numbers and making this event a grand success.
Geetha Patil
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