Shri Tulsi Namashtakam: Eight Sacred Names of Tulsi — Meaning & Benefits
Shri Tulsi Namashtakam - Sanskrit Text
॥ श्रीतुलसीनामाष्टकस्तोत्रम् ॥
वृन्दा वृन्दावनी विश्वपूजिता विश्वपावनी ।
पुष्पसारा नन्दिनी च तुलसी कृष्णजीवनी ॥
एतन्नामाष्टकं चैव स्तोत्रं नामार्थसंयुतम् ।
यः पठेत्तां समभ्यर्च्य सोऽश्वमेधफलं लभेत् ॥
॥ अथ अष्टनामावलिः ॥
वृन्दायै नमः ।
वृन्दावन्यै नमः ।
विश्वपूजितायै नमः ।
विश्वपावन्यै नमः ।
पुष्पसारायै नमः ।
नन्दिन्यै नमः ।
तुलस्यै नमः ।
कृष्णजीवन्यै नमः ॥
Transliteration (Roman/IAST)
Vṛndā Vṛndāvanī Viśvapūjitā Viśvapāvanī,
Puṣpasārā Nandinī ca Tulasī Kṛṣṇajīvanī.
Etan-nāmāṣṭakaṁ caiva stotraṁ nāmārtha-saṁyutam,
yaḥ paṭhet tāṁ samabhyarcya so’śvamedha-phalaṁ labhet.
Vṛndāyai namaḥ · Vṛndāvanyai namaḥ · Viśvapūjitāyai namaḥ · Viśvapāvanyai namaḥ · Puṣpasārāyai namaḥ · Nandinyai namaḥ · Tulasyai namaḥ · Kṛṣṇajīvanyai namaḥ.
Meaning
The eight sacred names of Tulsi are: Vrinda (she of the sacred grove), Vrindavani (born or dear to Vrindavan), Vishvapujita (worshipped by the whole world), Vishvapavani (purifier of the world), Pushpasara (essence of all flowers), Nandini (the joy-giver), Tulasi (the incomparable one), and Krishnajivani (the very life of Krishna). The verse adds that one who recites these eight names after worshipping the Tulsi plant gains the merit of an Ashvamedha (horse-sacrifice).
About this Stotra
The Tulsi Namashtakam is a short octet of names drawn from the Puranic tradition that venerates the holy basil (Ocimum sanctum) as a goddess and as the most beloved of Sri Krishna and Vishnu. Each name is both a description and an invocation; recited as a namavali (“garland of names”) with the dative “namaḥ” (“salutations to”), it turns the simple act of watering or circumambulating the Tulsi plant into a complete act of worship. Tulsi is grown in the courtyard of countless Hindu homes and is considered an embodiment of the goddess Vrinda.
Significance & Spiritual Benefits
Tulsi is regarded as supremely purifying: her leaves are essential to the worship of Vishnu and Krishna, and water touched by Tulsi is treated as sanctifying. Reciting the eight names while tending the plant is said to cleanse the home of negativity, bring peace and prosperity, and please Sri Krishna directly, since Tulsi is called “Krishna-jivani,” his very life. The closing promise of Ashvamedha merit signals the extraordinary spiritual value the tradition attaches to even this brief, accessible practice.
Astrological Relevance
Tulsi worship is strongly associated with Vishnu and therefore supports a weak or afflicted Jupiter (Guru), the planet of wisdom, dharma and devotion. Because the Tulsi plant is also linked to Budha (Mercury) as a sacred herb and to the purity of Shukra (Venus) in the home, daily care of Tulsi is a gentle, household-level remedy for domestic harmony and prosperity. Lighting a lamp at the Tulsi at dusk is a classic remedy prescribed for relief during difficult Ketu and Saturn periods and to invite Lakshmi’s grace.
How to Chant (Vidhi)
After a morning bath, water the Tulsi plant, offer a lamp, flowers and a little sandalwood, and circumambulate it. Recite the verse of eight names, then the namavali (“Vrindayai namaḥ…”) with folded hands. Many devotees repeat the eight names with each clockwise round of the plant. Conclude by taking a Tulsi leaf in devotion (never by biting; leaves are plucked respectfully and not chewed by some traditions).
Best Day & Time
Daily worship at dawn and the lighting of a lamp at dusk are traditional. Tuesdays, Ekadashi, Kartik month, and the festival of Tulsi Vivah are especially sacred for Tulsi worship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Tulsi worshipped as a goddess?
Puranic tradition identifies Tulsi with the goddess Vrinda, a great devotee blessed to be eternally dear to Vishnu. The plant is thus treated as a living form of the goddess and the most beloved offering in Vishnu and Krishna worship.
What merit does reciting the eight names bring?
The stotra itself states that one who worships Tulsi and recites these eight names gains the merit of an Ashvamedha sacrifice — a poetic way of saying the practice carries immense purifying and auspicious power.
Can the names be chanted without the plant?
Yes; while tending the plant is ideal, the eight names may be chanted as a namavali before an image of Tulsi or Krishna. The devotion behind the recitation is what matters most.
Eight names, one sacred plant: Tulsi as a living act of worship
The Shri Tulsi Namashtakam is a hymn of a very particular kind - not a prayer to a distant deity but a reverent addressing of a living plant that stands in the courtyard of virtually every traditional Hindu home. The eight names celebrated in this stotra - among them Vrinda, Vrindavani and Vishvapujita - are not merely poetic epithets. Each encodes a dimension of Tulsi's sacred identity: her intimate association with Vrindavana, the forest of Krishna's divine play; her status as the plant worshipped by the entire cosmos; her role as purifier and as the living embodiment of the goddess Lakshmi in herbaceous form. In the bhakti tradition, particularly in Vaishnava households, watering Tulsi, circumambulating her and reciting her names is a daily act of devotion that makes the home itself a site of pilgrimage.
In the Jyotish tradition, Tulsi worship is closely connected with Guru (Jupiter), and regular recitation of the Namashtakam is traditionally recommended as part of Jupiter-strengthening sadhana - particularly for devotees whose charts show weakened Jupiter or whose family life, devotion or dharmic clarity feels diminished. The Ekadashi tithi of each fortnight, sacred to Vishnu and particularly associated with Tulsi, is the pre-eminent time for this recitation. Devotees believe that naming Tulsi with awareness and gratitude - far from being a superstition - is a recognition that the sacred pervades the natural world, and that daily contact with that recognition transforms the quality of ordinary life.