Tulsi Stotram
तुलसी स्तोत्रम्
What is the Tulsi Stotram and when is it recited?
Tulsi Stotram The Tulsi Stotram is a fifteen-verse Sanskrit hymn attributed to the sage Pundarika, praising Tulsi Devi as Vishnu's beloved and the protector of the world. It is recited during daily tulsi puja and especially on Tulsi Vivah and Dev Uthani Ekadashi, when Tulsi is ceremonially married to Vishnu's Shaligram form.
Tulsi, the holy basil plant grown in almost every Hindu household courtyard, is worshipped as a living form of Vrinda Devi and the closest companion of Lord Vishnu. The Tulsi Stotram gathered here is a fifteen-verse Sanskrit hymn traditionally credited to the sage Pundarika, who is said to have sung it daily while offering fresh tulsi leaves to Vishnu. Families recite it during the morning puja, at the Tulsi Vivah ceremony in the month of Kartik, and on Dev Uthani Ekadashi, when the plant is formally married to Vishnu. Tulsi also has a modest, well-documented place in everyday Ayurvedic home use, most often as a leaf steeped in tea, though this page keeps its focus on the hymn rather than any health claim. Each verse below carries its Sanskrit text, a plain transliteration, and a short, original note on what it means.
Tulsi Stotram Lyrics in Sanskrit and Transliteration
Text and transliteration follow the fifteen-verse recension of the Tulsi Stotram attributed to the sage Pundarika, cross-checked across several independently published Sanskrit sources. Tap any verse to read its meaning.
Jagaddhatri namastubhyam vishnoshcha priyavallabhe
yato brahmadayo devah srishtisthityantakarinah
जगद्धात्रि नमस्तुभ्यं विष्णोश्च प्रियवल्लभे
यतो ब्रह्मादयो देवाः सृष्टिस्थित्यन्तकारिणः
Meaning
This opening verse bows to Tulasi as Jagaddhatri, the bearer of the world and Vishnu's beloved, crediting her as the hidden power behind Brahma and the other gods being able to create, sustain and dissolve the universe.
Namastulasi kalyani namo vishnupriye shubhe
namo mokshaprade devi namah sampatpradayike
नमस्तुलसि कल्याणि नमो विष्णुप्रिये शुभे
नमो मोक्षप्रदे देवि नमः सम्पत्प्रदायिके
Meaning
A string of four salutations calling Tulasi auspicious, dear to Vishnu, the giver of liberation, and the giver of prosperity – naming her power in a single, direct breath.
Tulasi patu mam nityam sarvapadbhyo’pi sarvada
kirtitapi smrita vapi pavitrayati manavam
तुलसी पातु मां नित्यं सर्वापद्भ्यो’पि सर्वदा
कीर्तितापि स्मृता वापि पवित्रयति मानवम्
Meaning
A request that Tulasi protect the devotee daily from every kind of trouble, adding that simply speaking her name aloud or calling her to mind is enough to purify a person.
Namami shirasa devim tulasim vilasattanum
yam drishtva papino martya muchyante sarvakilbishat
नमामि शिरसा देवीं तुलसीं विलसत्तनुम्
यां दृष्ट्वा पापिनो मर्त्या मुच्यन्ते सर्वकिल्बिषात्
Meaning
The devotee bows the head to Tulasi's radiant form, since the verse holds that even sinners are freed from their wrongdoing simply by the sight of her.
Tulasya rakshitam sarvam jagadetachcharacharam
ya vinihanti papani drishtva va papibhirnaraih
तुलस्या रक्षितं सर्वं जगदेतच्चराचरम्
या विनिहन्ति पापानि दृष्ट्वा वा पापिभिर्नरैः
Meaning
Describes Tulasi as the protector of the whole moving and unmoving world, and says that even when sinful people merely look upon her, their sins are destroyed.
Namastulasyatitaram yasyai baddhvanjalim kalau
kalayanti sukham sarvam striyo vaishyastathaapare
नमस्तुलस्यतितरां यस्यै बद्ध्वांजलिं कलौ
कलयन्ति सुखं सर्वं स्त्रियो वैश्यास्तथा’परे
Meaning
Salutes Tulasi again with folded hands, noting that in this age women, merchants and other householders who bow before her attain comfort and wellbeing in their lives.
Tulasya naparam kinchid daivatam jagatitale
yatha pavitrito loko vishnusangena vaishnavah
तुलस्या नापरं किंचिद् दैवतं जगतीतले
यथा पवित्रितो लोको विष्णुसङ्गेन वैष्णवः
Meaning
States that no deity on earth stands equal to Tulasi, comparing the purification a Vaishnava gains through closeness to Vishnu with the purification gained through her.
Tulasyah pallavam vishnoh shirasyaropitam kalau
aropayati sarvani shreyamsi varamastake
तुलस्याः पल्लवं विष्णोः शिरस्यारोपितं कलौ
आरोपयति सर्वाणि श्रेयांसि वरमस्तके
Meaning
Notes that placing a single tulsi leaf on Vishnu's head in this age is enough to place every blessing on the head of the one who offers it.
Tulasyam sakala deva vasanti satatam yatah
atastamarchayelloke sarvan devan samarchayan
तुलस्यां सकला देवा वसन्ति सततं यतः
अतस्तामर्चयेल्लोके सर्वान् देवान् समर्चयन्
Meaning
Says every god continually dwells within Tulasi, so worshipping her in this world amounts to worshipping every deity at the same time.
Namastulasi sarvajne purushottamavallabhe
pahi mam sarvapapebhyah sarvasampatpradayike
नमस्तुलसि सर्वज्ञे पुरुषोत्तमवल्लभे
पाहि मां सर्वपापेभ्यः सर्वसम्पत्प्रदायिके
Meaning
Closes the opening set of salutations by naming Tulasi all-knowing and beloved of Purushottama, and asking her directly to guard the devotee from every sin while granting every kind of prosperity.
Iti stotram pura gitam pundarikena dhimata
vishnumarchayata nityam shobhanaistulasidalaih
इति स्तोत्रं पुरा गीतं पुण्डरीकेण धीमता
विष्णुमर्चयता नित्यं शोभनैस्तुलसीदलैः
Meaning
The hymn's own signature line, recording that it was sung long ago by the wise sage Pundarika as he worshipped Vishnu every day with beautiful, fresh tulsi leaves.
Tulasi shrirmahalakshmirvidyavidya yashasvini
dharmya dharmanana devi devidevamanahpriya
तुलसी श्रीर्महालक्ष्मीर्विद्याविद्या यशस्विनी
धर्म्या धर्मानना देवी देवीदेवमनःप्रिया
Meaning
Opens a litany of Tulasi's other names – Shri, Mahalakshmi, Vidya, Avidya, Yashasvini, Dharmya, Dharmanana – presenting her as dear to the heart of both the Goddess and the God.
Lakshmipriyasakhi devi dyaurbhumirachala chala
shodashaitani namani tulasyah kirtayannarah
लक्ष्मीप्रियसखी देवी द्यौर्भूमिरचला चला
षोडशैतानि नामानि तुलस्याः कीर्तयन्नरः
Meaning
Continues the name litany – Lakshmi's dear friend, Dyau, Bhumi, the unmoving and the moving – and states that a person who recites these sixteen names of Tulasi with devotion earns great merit.
Labhate sutaram bhaktimante vishnupadam labhet
tulasi bhurmahalakshmih padmini shrihripriya
लभते सुतरां भक्तिमन्ते विष्णुपदं लभेत्
तुलसी भूर्महालक्ष्मीः पद्मिनी श्रीर्हरिप्रिया
Meaning
The phalashruti proper: the reciter gains steady devotion and, in the end, reaches the abode of Vishnu, and the verse closes the name-list with Tulasi as Bhu, Mahalakshmi, Padmini, Shri and Haripriya.
Tulasi shrisakhi shubhe papaharini punyade
namaste naradanute narayanamanahpriye
तुलसि श्रीसखि शुभे पापहारिणि पुण्यदे
नमस्ते नारदनुते नारायणमनःप्रिये
Meaning
The closing salutation: Tulasi, auspicious friend of Shri, remover of sin and giver of merit, praised by the sage Narada and dearest to the heart of Narayana – salutations to you.
Meaning of the Tulsi Stotram
The Tulsi Stotram moves through three clear movements. The opening ten verses are direct salutations, calling Tulasi by name and asking for her protection from calamity and sin, and stating plainly that no deity on earth stands equal to her. Verse 11 is the hymn’s own signature line, recording that it was composed by the sage Pundarika, who sang it daily while offering tulsi leaves to Vishnu. The closing four verses recite sixteen of Tulasi’s names, including Shri, Mahalakshmi, Bhumi and Padmini, and promise that whoever chants them with devotion gains steady faith in Vishnu and, in time, his abode.
The idea that carries through the whole hymn is that Tulasi is not a minor or separate deity but an aspect of the Goddess herself, present in every leaf placed on Vishnu’s image. That is the reason a single tulsi leaf is treated as a complete offering in Vaishnava worship, and why households keep a tulsi plant in the courtyard, water it every morning, and light a lamp beside it each evening.
How and When to Chant the Tulsi Stotram
- – Wash your hands and approach the tulsi plant in the morning after bathing, before eating anything.
- – Sprinkle a little water at the base of the plant and light a small oil lamp or incense stick beside it.
- – Stand or sit facing the plant, join your palms, and recite the Tulsi Stotram slowly, verse by verse.
- – Walk around the plant clockwise (pradakshina) a few times while chanting or right after finishing the stotram.
- – If it is your family's custom, offer a pinch of turmeric or vermilion at the base, then gently pick one or two leaves for the day's puja, never after dark.
- – On Tulsi Vivah, decorate the plant with a small canopy, bangles and a dupatta, and recite the stotram as part of the wedding rite alongside a Shaligram or Vishnu image.
- – Close by bowing once more and touching the plant's soil to your forehead before leaving.
Benefits of Reciting the Tulsi Stotram
The stotram states its own promised fruit in verses 13-14: steady devotion to Vishnu and, over time, his abode. Beyond that direct claim, households that keep up the daily practice describe a few consistent, more everyday benefits.
- : A settled, unhurried start to the day, since the recitation is short enough to fit into the morning puja without rushing it.
- : A felt connection to Vaishnava tradition, since the hymn places Tulasi alongside Lakshmi and Vishnu in a single line of names.
- : A simple entry point into Tulsi Vivah for families who want to mark the festival at home without a priest.
- : A reason to actually tend the plant, since the stotram treats every leaf offered to Vishnu as a form of worship in itself.
- : A modest reminder of tulsi's everyday household role, from its leaves used in tea to its place as a courtyard plant, alongside its devotional standing.
- : A text short enough for children to learn by heart, which is why it is often the first stotram taught at home.
Origin of the Tulsi Stotram
The stotram names its own author in verse 11: the sage Pundarika, said to have composed and sung it daily while worshipping Vishnu with fresh tulsi leaves. It belongs to the wider body of Puranic Tulasi-mahatmya literature, the group of Sanskrit passages spread across the Puranas that establish tulsi’s standing as an incarnation of the Goddess and Vishnu’s inseparable companion. Several independently published Sanskrit collections carry this same fifteen-verse text under the title Tulasi Stotram, which makes it the most widely circulated hymn to Tulasi Devi still recited today – distinct from the shorter Tulasi Namashtaka, a separate verse that only lists eight of her names.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Tulsi Vivah?
Tulsi Vivah falls in the Hindu month of Kartik (October-November), on Dev Uthani Ekadashi or, in some regional traditions, on Kartik Purnima. The exact date shifts each year with the lunar calendar, so check a local panchang.
Who composed the Tulsi Stotram?
The hymn credits the sage Pundarika, who is described in its own eleventh verse as having sung it daily while worshipping Vishnu with tulsi leaves.
How many verses does the Tulsi Stotram have?
This recension has fifteen verses: ten opening salutations, one verse naming its author, and four closing verses that list sixteen names of Tulasi along with the fruit of reciting them.
Is the Tulsi Stotram the same as the Tulsi Ashtakam?
Not quite. 'Tulsi Ashtakam' is sometimes used loosely for Tulasi hymns in general, but the only genuine eight-part text is the separate Tulasi Namashtaka, a short verse that lists eight of Tulasi's names. This page uses the longer, far more widely recited fifteen-verse Tulsi Stotram.
Can women and children recite this stotram?
Yes. Verse six of the hymn itself specifically mentions women and other householders among those who gain comfort from bowing to Tulasi, and the stotram is commonly taught to children as a short daily prayer.
What is the difference between Tulsi Stotram and Tulsi Aarti?
The stotram is a set of Sanskrit verses praising Tulasi's qualities and names, usually recited standing or sitting before the plant. An aarti is a shorter song sung while waving a lit lamp before the deity or plant; many households recite the stotram first and follow it with an aarti.
Do I need a priest to recite the Tulsi Stotram at home?
No. The daily recitation is a household prayer meant for personal or family worship. A priest is more commonly involved only for the formal Tulsi Vivah wedding rite, and even that is often performed by family members alone.
What does verse 11 mean?
Verse 11 records the hymn's own origin, stating that it was sung long ago by the wise sage Pundarika as he worshipped Vishnu every day with beautiful tulsi leaves.
। तुलसी श्री सखि शुभे ।