Sītā and the Tulasī Leaf

This episode comes from the Rājya Khaṇḍa of the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Chapter 22. It tells of two small slips by Sītā and how Rāma turned them into a lesson. In the first, Sītā smelled a lotus flower before offering it to Rāma. In the second, on Dvādaśī (the twelfth day of the lunar fortnight), she broke a Tulasī leaf by accident while walking around the plant. Nārada came to Ayodhyā and would not eat the food she served. He set one condition for her purification: the broken leaf must join the plant again by the power of her pātivratya (her faithfulness to her husband). The episode ends with the leaf rejoining, great rejoicing, and Rāma’s words that all this was a lesson in pātivratya-dharma for all women.

The lotus

Chapter 22 begins by looking back to an earlier day that Rāma had noticed but had not mentioned to Sītā. Baskets of gifts had been sent by Bhūrikīrti Mahārāja. They held grapes and other fruits and flowers, among them beautiful lotus flowers. They were brought to Sītā’s rooms. Sītā opened one basket, took out a lotus flower, and smelled its scent again and again before she had offered any of it to Rāma.

Rāma saw this through his divine awareness. He decided to say nothing at once. He shared the gifts among all in the household and gave Sītā a large share. But he said to himself: “This act of Sītā, smelling the scent of a lotus before her husband has enjoyed it, is a small breach of pātivratya. Women will follow the path that Sītā takes. I must correct this.”

His way of correcting was indirect and long. It worked through the Tulasī episode that followed.

The Tulasī leaf on Dvādaśī

On Ekādaśī (the eleventh day of the fortnight), Sītā kept the full fast as her vrata. On Dvādaśī, after her bath, she went to the bṛndāvana (the Tulasī grove) to worship and to walk around the Tulasī plant.

As she walked, she was weak from the Ekādaśī fast, and she stumbled slightly. In stumbling, the hem of her garment brushed the Tulasī plant and snapped off a leaf, which fell to the ground.

Sītā knew at once what had happened. She knew the strict rule. Tulasī must never be plucked on these days and times:

• Dvādaśī
• Saṅkrānti (the days when the sun moves to a new sign)
• Chaturdaśī
• every day at the morning and evening sandhyā
• Tuesday
• the late afternoon
• during a solar or lunar eclipse
• during births and deaths in the family

To pluck Tulasī at these times is like cutting off the head of Bhagavān Vishṇu himself. Even one leaf plucked in this way brings pāpa (sin) equal to brahma-hatyā (the great pāpa of killing a brāhmaṇa). Sītā understood how serious this was, and she was afraid.

She picked up the fallen leaf with care, bowed to it, and placed it gently back in the bṛndāvana. She finished her walk around the plant, prayed to Tulasī again and again, and went back to the palace to be with Rāma.

Nārada comes

At that moment Nārada came to Ayodhyā with his vīṇā in his hand. He sang a great kīrtana aloud:

Pālayamāṃ dīnam Rāghava — pālayamāṃ dīnam

The meaning is: “Protect the helpless one, O Rāghava, protect the helpless one!” He sang the words “pālayamāṃ dīnaṃ” again and again with great joy in the sweetest voice. The text calls it a pañcadaśāksharī mantra of great power to purify.

Rāma went out to receive Nārada with full honour. He rose from his seat, gave pādya (water for the feet), offered a seat, gave a cow as a gift, honoured him with sandal paste, and worshipped him. Then Rāma set a golden plate before Nārada and signed to Sītā to serve the meal.

Sītā, adorned with ornaments and anklets that made music as she moved, began to serve the food. But Nārada stopped her and said: “Rāma! I will not eat the food served by this Sītā.”

Rāma acted as if he knew nothing. He asked with concern: “Muni, why do you refuse the food that Sītā offers? What has she done?”

Nārada’s charge

Nārada said: “Rāma, do you not know? Your Sītā has done a wrong. On Dvādaśī she plucked a Tulasī leaf. Go and see for yourself at the bṛndāvana.”

He then spelled out the rule. To pluck Tulasī on Dvādaśī, to pluck the āmalaka (gooseberry) tree in the month of Kārtika, to pluck Tulasī at the forbidden times in any month: all these bring the wrongdoer to a dreadful naraka. Even for men, one leaf plucked at the wrong time equals brahma-hatyā. For women the pāpa is greater still. For this reason, he said, he would not eat food served by Sītā.

Sītā heard this and was struck with distress. Rāma looked at Nārada and said quietly: “Muni, you are the one who must purify her, either by a vara (a boon) or by a vrata (a vow). I fold my hands before you and ask again and again: please make her pure.”

The test of pātivratya

Nārada gave the conditions for her purification. He said: “The śāstras record no prāyaśchitta (act of making amends) for plucking Tulasī on Dvādaśī. Brahma-hatyā and other great pāpas have set acts of amends, but for this one I have found none. There is only one way. If Sītā, by the power of her pātivratya, can join the broken Tulasī leaf to the plant again in front of all of us, her pāpa will be removed at once. That is the only path.”

Sītā answered with confidence: “O son of Brahmā, I will do it. Watch.” She put the food vessels back in their place and went to the bṛndāvana with the whole assembly. With her went Ūrmilā, Māṇḍavī, Śrutakīrti, Campikā, Sumatī, and other women. Lakshmaṇa and the brothers went, and Kuśa and Lava, and all who were present.

Standing before the Tulasī plant, Sītā bowed and prayed: “O auspicious Tulasī, hear my words. If my pātivratya is whole, let this leaf join itself to you again!”

But the leaf did not move.

Nārada’s private word

The devas, gandharvas, yakshas, nāgas, kinnaras, and ṛshis had all come to see this great test. Sītā stood before the Tulasī plant that did not answer, and her face was troubled.

Nārada saw her distress. He took Sītā aside quietly and explained: “Sītā, I will tell you why the leaf did not move. A pativratā (a faithful wife) must never smell the scent of a flower that has not first been offered to her husband. Once before, you smelled the lotus before you offered it to Rāma. That slip is the reason why the power of your pātivratya did not fully answer just now. Rāma arranged this whole chain of events by his own will to teach you this lesson, and through you to teach all women. In all else your pātivratya is complete and untouched.”

He told her: “Go to the bṛndāvana again. This time say: ‘Except for smelling that scent, that one slip, my pātivratya is unbroken. If this is true, let the leaf join itself again.’ With this limited statement, the leaf will rejoin.”

The leaf rejoins

Sītā went back to the Tulasī plant with the whole assembly around her. In a clear voice, before all the devas, ṛshis, and people, she said:

“Except for smelling the scent of the padma (lotus), my pātivratya is whole. If this is true, let this Tulasī leaf join itself again. If it is not true, let it not join.”

At once, before the eyes of all, the leaf went back to the Tulasī plant and fused with it perfectly, as if it had never been parted. Divine drums sounded. Heavenly women rained flowers on Sītā and Rāma from their vimānas. The brāhmaṇas cried “Jaya! Jaya!” It was a scene of great rejoicing across the worlds.

Rāma came forward and embraced Sītā with joy. He said: “O Sītā, Padmākshī, I corrected you in this way to teach all women the dharma of pātivratya. A faithful wife must never take any pleasure of the senses before she has offered it to her husband. This is the heart of it. All women on earth must practise pātivratya with awareness and by their own will. That is why I arranged this lesson for you, and not from any wish to cause you pain.”

He then spoke to her warmly, and she was comforted.

Nārada’s meal

Now that Sītā was pure, Nārada took the meal she served. All the ṛshis and devas who had gathered were fed as well. After the meal, tāmbūla (betel leaf) was served. Nārada made a final stotra for Rāma before the whole assembly and then took his leave in joy.

Sources

• Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Rājya Khaṇḍa, Chapter 22