The term "holy basil" refers to a tiny shrub-like plant.
For followers (bhakta) of the deity Vishnu, the tulsi plant
is a manifestation of Vishnu’s wife Lakshmi, who is cursed to take birth as a
plant.
Lakshmi sits with Vishnu's wives, the goddesses Ganga and
Saraswati, according to legend.
When Saraswati protests this immorality, Ganga makes
seductive looks at Vishnu, and a brawl ensues.
By the end of it, Ganga and Saraswati had cursed each other
to be born as rivers on this planet.
Vishnu is cursed to be born as a stone (the shala gram),
while Lakshmi is cursed to be born as a plant because she only tries to mediate
the conflict.
As a result, this plant is a manifestation of Lakshmi, and
pious Vaishnavas worship tulsi as an act of devotion.
Vishnu holds the plant in high regard, and it is believed
that all parts of the plant are purifying.
Tulsi wood, whether ground into a paste to mark one's body,
taken as prasad (food presented to a god as an act of devotion), or used for
tools or sacrificial fire, is extremely meritorious.
