Yanmule sarvatirhaaniYannagre sarvadevataaYanmadhye sarvavedaaschaTulasi taam namaamyaham"I bow to the Tulsi, at whose base are all the holy places, at whose top reside all the deities and in whose middleare all the Vedas."The Tulsi or Sacred Basil is one of the most sacred plants. There is a saying in Sanskrit: "Tulanaa naasti athaivatulsi" that which is incomparable in its qualities is the tulsi. It is the only pooja samagri, which can be washed andreused.Satyabhama once weighed Lord Krishna against all her legendary wealth. The scales did not balance until a lastsingle tulsi leaf was placed along with the wealth on the scale by Rukmini with devotion. Thus, tulsi played thevital role of demonstrating that even a small object offered with devotion is of greater value than all the wealth inthe world.The Tulsi leaf has great medicinal value and is used to cure various ailments, including the common cold. Tulsiseeds are good for male infertility and increase the viscosity of semen and sperm counts. It has detoxifyingproperties and is used in fasts including the Satynarayana Katha where a thousand tulsi leaves are added to thewater for pooja, and which is consumed later by everybody.Tulsi also symbolizes Goddess Lakshmi. Those who wish to be righteous and have a happy family life worshipthe tulsi. Tulsi is ‘married’ to Lord Vishnu with pomp and show like any other wedding. This ‘marriage’ issolemnized because according to a legend, the Lord blessed her to be His consort. Tulsi is worshipped in themonths of Magh and Kartik. Tulsi vivah is observed in the month of Kartik and is the symbolic marriage of LordVishnu in the form of a shaligram (sacred stone) and Tulsi. It indicates the importance of Tulsi for fertility. Tulsipooja is an important component of any marriage.Disclaimer: The views expressed in this write up are entirely my own.