THE SALAGRAMA STONE 649
to son, and are regarded as precious heirlooms which must never pass out of the family. It is written in the Atharva-
Veda that any Brahmin ' s house in which there is no salagrama is to be considered as impure as a cemetery, and the food which is prepared in it as unclean as a dog ' s vomit.
Though the salagrama is looked upon as one of the metamorphoses of Vishnu, it partakes at the same time of the essence of all the other deities, and through it puja can be offered to all of them. There is nothing more efficacious for the remission of sins, no matter how grievous they may be, than to possess some water in which the salagrama has been washed. Forgiveness of sins may even be obtained by simply touching the water which has been thus sanctified.
Hewho always keeps such water in hishouse ensuresthereby perpetual wealth; and if he goes further and drinks it, he will not only obtain forgiveness of his sins, but he will also secure his happiness in this world, will always do what is right, and after death will at once enjoy the delights of Swarga. But before drinking this marvellous water he must not forget to address the following prayer to Vishnu
:
'
Narayana, you arethe ruler of the world; it isyour pleasure to confer blessings on all created beings. I drink this water in which your sacred feet have been washed; I drink it that I may be cleansed from my sins; vouchsafe to pardon me, who am the greatest of sinners.'
The Tulasi.
The tulasi { Ocymum sanctum) plant is to be found everywhere in sandy and uncultivated places. It is a species resembling the basil that grows in Europe. Brahmins
consider it to be the wife of Vishnu, and revere it accordingly.
'
Nothing on earth can equal the virtues of the tulasi ' say they: Tulasi-tulana- nasty, ataeva tulasi. Puja must be offered daily to it. When a Brahmin is dying one of these
plants is fetched and placed on a pedestal. After puja has there been offered to it, a bit of its root is placed in the mouth of the dying man, and the leaves are placed on his face, eyes, ears, and chest; he is then sprinkled from head to foot with a tulasi twig which has been dipped in water. While this y3