The story of Tulsi as narrated in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana and echoed in the Devi Bhagavata Purana is one of the most influential legends in Vaishnava tradition. It explains why the Tulsi plant is considered sacred, why Lord Vishnu is worshipped in the form of Shaligram stones, and why no Vaishnava ritual is deemed complete without Tulsi leaves. Yet, when read closely and textually, this narrative presents a deeply troubling moral paradox involving deception, violation of trust, and the exploitation of a woman’s chastity for cosmic ends.
According to the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Tulsi’s fall from Goloka is not merely the result of abstract jealousy but arises from a concrete incident involving Lord Vishnu himself. Tulsi was originally a Gopi in Goloka, deeply devoted and intimately associated with Vishnu (Krishna). One day, Radha witnessed Vishnu and Tulsi in a compromised and intimate posture, close enough to suggest exclusive affection that violated Radha’s primacy in Goloka.
Enraged by what she perceived as betrayal, Radha cursed Tulsi to be born on Earth as a mortal woman and to suffer separation, marriage, and hardship. This curse marks the beginning of Tulsi’s earthly destiny and establishes her suffering as the consequence of divine rivalry rather than personal wrongdoing.
When Radha confronted Vishnu in fury, Sudama (later Shankhachuda) intervened and reprimanded Radha, questioning the justice of her anger toward Vishnu. This act of opposition further inflamed Radha, who then cursed Sudama as well, condemning him to be born as an Asura. Thus, both Tulsi and Sudama are exiled from Goloka through a single chain of events rooted in intimacy, jealousy, and power imbalance among divine figures.
This dual curse is central to the later narrative: Tulsi and Sudama are destined to reunite on Earth as Tulsi and Shankhachuda, where their earthly relationship becomes instrumental in the cosmic crisis that follows.
Born on Earth as the daughter of King Dharmadhvaja (or Kushadhvaja), Tulsi grew into a woman renowned for her unmatched beauty and unwavering chastity. With the singular desire to marry Lord Vishnu, she undertook severe penance for thousands of years in Badarikashrama.
Instead of granting her wish directly, Lord Brahma appeared and informed Tulsi that she must first marry Shankhachuda, a powerful Asura king. Shankhachuda himself was said to be the reincarnation of Sudama, another being cursed from Goloka.
Tulsi accepted this fate obediently. As Shankhachuda’s wife, her absolute chastity (pativrata) became the cornerstone of his invincibility. Combined with the Vishnu Kavacha he wore, Shankhachuda became undefeatable—even by the gods.
As Shankhachuda’s power grew, the gods were threatened. Lord Shiva engaged him in battle but was unable to kill him as long as Tulsi’s chastity remained intact. The problem, therefore, was not martial strength but Tulsi’s virtue.
At this point, the narrative takes a morally decisive turn.
To resolve the crisis, Lord Vishnu resorted to deception. First, he disguised himself as a Brahmin and tricked Shankhachuda into surrendering his protective amulet. Then, Vishnu assumed the exact form of Shankhachuda and entered Tulsi’s palace.
Believing him to be her husband, Tulsi unknowingly accepted Vishnu, resulting in the momentary loss of her chastity. Immediately thereafter, Shiva was able to kill Shankhachuda.
Crucially, Tulsi’s consent was obtained through impersonation, not knowledge. The texts are explicit that she was deceived.
Upon realizing what had happened, Tulsi was devastated and enraged. She cursed Vishnu to become stone, accusing him of being “stone-hearted.” Vishnu accepted the curse without protest and manifested as Shaligram stones, found in the Gandaki River.
In return, Vishnu granted Tulsi several boons:
This decree permanently bound Vishnu’s worship to Tulsi, and the ritual of Tulsi Vivah commemorates this forced, paradoxical union.
When stripped of devotional gloss, this narrative raises profound ethical concerns:
Rather than depicting divine morality as superior, the story presents gods operating within ethical ambiguity, using means that would be condemned in human society.
When Shankhachuda rose to power, his dominance threatened the gods themselves. Lord Shiva confronted him in battle, yet the Purana explicitly states that Shiva could not kill the demon, not due to lack of strength, but because Shankhachuda’s invincibility was protected by Tulsi’s absolute chastity.
As long as Tulsi remained pativrata, Shiva was rendered powerless, revealing a significant theological limitation: even a great god like Shiva could not overcome a moral-spiritual shield rooted in a woman’s virtue. This incapacity forced divine dependence on Vishnu’s intervention through deception, rather than righteous combat, underscoring that the cosmic order was restored not by valor but by subterfuge.
This episode subtly but clearly places Shiva within the bounds of cause-and-effect, contradicting later claims of his absolute omnipotence or independence from material law.
The Tulsi–Vishnu narrative, as preserved in the Brahma Vaivarta and Devi Bhagavata Puranas, is foundational to Vaishnava ritual practice. However, it simultaneously exposes a deep tension between power and morality, divine purpose and personal violation.
Tulsi emerges not merely as a sacred symbol, but as a tragic figure—obedient, chaste, and ultimately deceived. Her story invites readers to critically examine whether divinity, as portrayed in these texts, represents moral perfection or mirrors the same contradictions found in human conduct.