How to keep a Tulasi at home
Keeping a Tulasi at home is simpler than you may think and results in great spiritual benefits.
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This is a short video with very simple tips on how to keep a Tulasi at home. With these tips, you can maintain a Tulasi in any climate, without any expensive arrangement.
Transcript:
Hare Krishna! Today I’m going to speak a little about how to keep a Tulasi plant at home. But first, I’d like to share a short story that helps us understand why having Tulasi in the house is so valuable.
There was once a hunter named Mrigari. He was extremely merciless. He didn’t simply kill animals the way a normal hunter might—he tortured them. He would shoot arrows into non-vital parts of their bodies, so the animals would suffer for hours or even days before finally dying. In this way, he lived by causing unbearable pain to others, and he became heavily sinful.
One day Narada Muni appeared before him and told him, “You cannot go on like this. If you continue, you will have to suffer severe reactions.” Narada Muni even showed him the kind of hellish suffering he would face for such cruelty. Seeing this, Mrigari’s heart changed. He became repentant and asked, “What can I do to be saved from these reactions?”
In a way, this is similar to our own situation. All of us have done wrong things in the past, and now we are trying to find a new direction: how to leave the old life behind and sincerely walk on the spiritual path. So this story applies to us, too.
Narada Muni instructed Mrigari: “Build a small cottage on the banks of the Ganga, plant Tulasi, chant in front of her, and water her every day. Simply by doing this, you will become purified.” Mrigari followed these instructions, and within a relatively short time, he became transformed, his heart became soft, his consciousness became clean, and he developed devotional qualities. People from nearby villages began visiting him and bringing him bhoga, and he no longer needed to struggle for maintenance. He simply chanted and took care of Tulasi, and by this simple service, he became elevated.
We also hear about great devotees like Haridasa Thakura, who would chant near Tulasi and serve her with care. This service is deeply helpful for our spiritual practice. Having Tulasi at home and taking care of her supports our chanting, purifies the heart, and brings a special kind of mercy into the house.
Now, the main difficulty is that, unless you live in a climate like India, most places in the world are not naturally ideal for Tulasi. In many countries, it’s too cold in winter, too dry, or the conditions just don’t match what Tulasi needs. So many devotees feel discouraged and think it’s impossible.
But I want to explain a very simple method by which you can keep Tulasi at home almost anywhere, even in very cold places. And don’t think, “I need to be a pure devotee before I can have Tulasi.” Tulasi doesn’t come to demand perfection from us; she comes to give mercy and help us become purified. The main qualification is simply that we try our best to care for her properly.
Here is a practical arrangement that works very well: use a closet or a small enclosed space. Most of us have some kind of closet at home. You can remove a shelf or two to create an open space, and then you can place Tulasi inside.
The key point is light. Tulasi needs a lot of light. If you don’t have enough sunlight, or if it’s too cold outside, you can provide light artificially. And it doesn’t have to be complicated. You can use regular household bulbs; they don’t have to be special plant lights.
For example, you can start with about six bulbs, something like 9 to 12 watts each, arranged around the plant. A mix of warm (yellow) and cool (white) light is nice, but even all white light can work. The main point is: give plenty of light.
You can place the lights on top or on the sides:
If the light is mostly on top, Tulasi will grow upward quickly, which may become inconvenient if your space is limited.
If the light is on the sides, Tulasi will grow more outward and bushy, and won’t become too tall.
You can also combine both top and side lighting if you have the space.
When we got this Tulasi plant, she was very weak, almost dying, just a thin stem and a couple of small leaves. But with this simple light arrangement, after about three months she became healthy and full of leaves. So this method really works.
The next important factor is temperature. That’s why it’s helpful to keep a small thermometer nearby. Tulasi does best when it’s above 20°C during the day. If you close the closet and keep the lights on, the temperature inside usually rises a bit, often staying around 21–24°C, which is good. At night, it can drop a little below 20°C, and Tulasi can tolerate that, as long as she is warm enough during the day and receiving enough light.
Another advantage of strong light is that it helps control excess moisture and reduces the chance of fungus, which is one of the most common reasons Tulasi plants get sick. With proper light, airflow, and careful watering, this problem becomes much less likely.
As Tulasi grows, you may need to remove another shelf to give her more space, and you’ll also need to transplant her into progressively bigger pots over time.
So that’s the basic idea: a simple closet space, plenty of regular light bulbs, and a temperature that stays reasonably warm. With this straightforward setup, you can keep Tulasi at home almost anywhere and receive the benefit of serving her daily—watering her, caring for her, and chanting near her.
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