9) Sri Tulasi-arati

by Candrasekhara Kavi

1
namo namah tulasi maharani,
vrnde maharani namo namah
namo re namo re meiya namo narayani

2
jako darase, parase agha-nasa-i
mahima beda-purane bakhani

3
jako patra, manjari komala
sri-pati-carana-kamale lapatani
dhanya tulasi meiya, purana tapa kiye,
Sri-salagrama-maha-patarani

4
dhupa, dipa, naivedya, arati,
phulana kiye varakha varakhani
chapanna bhoga, chatrisa byanjana,
bina tulasi prabhu eka nahi mani

5
siva-suka-narada, aura brahmadiko,
dhurata phirata maha-muni jnani
candrasekhara meiya, tera jasa gaowe
bhakati-dane dijiye maharani

TRANSLATION

(1) O Tulasi Maharani! O Vrnda! O mother of devotion! O Narayani, I offer my obeisances to you again and again.

(2) By seeing you or even by touching you, all sins are destroyed. Your glories are described in the Vedas and Puranas.

(3) Your leaves and soft manjaris are entwined at the lotus feet of Narayana, the Lord of Laksmi. O blessed mother Tulasi, you performed successful austerities and have thus become the chief consort and queen of Sri sgalagrama-sila.

(4) You engladden and shower your rain of mercy upon one who offers you some incense, a ghee lamp, naivedya, and arati. The Lord does not care for even one of fifty-six varieties of cooked food or thirty-six different curries offered without tulasi leaves.

(5) Lord Siva, Sukadeva Gosvami, Devarsi Narada, and all the jnanis and great munis, headed by Lord Brahma, are circumambulating you. O mother! O Maharani, Candrasekhara thus sings your glories. Please bestow upon him the gift of pure devotion.