|
Tulsi japa mala beads from Vrindavana, India.
Tulsi beads are not cheap as Srimati Tulsi Devi appears as a small bush. So her branches are generally not very thick. Therefore to manufacture very large tulsi beads the beads have to be collected from many, many tulsi plants as the only place you can find wood thick enough to make very big beads is at the very base of the trunk of the tulsi plant.
If you are just starting in Krishna consciousness and are not yet strictly following the four regulative principles [no illicit sex life, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication] and you are not yet determined enough to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily, then it is better than you do not chant on tulsi beads.
We have much less expensive non-tulsi japa malas which will serve the purpose of keeping track of the number of rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra you have chanted.
Generally tulsi beads are given at the time of initiation but if you are seriously following the four regulative principles and chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily you can chant on tulsi beads. Otherwise it is better to purchase a japa mala made from some other wood.
Srimati Tulsi Devi is a pure devotee of Krishna and when we are chanting on Tulsi beads we are associating with a pure devotee of Krishna. So out of respect for Tulsi Devi we shoud not chant on Tulsi beads if we are not serious about following the regulative principles.
Of course we should chant Hare Krishna, but we should get a japa mala made from some other wood.
|
