According to the Puranas, Lord Vishnu, Rama and Krishna are pleased by offering Tulsi ji to Lord Vishnu and accept the prasad. But the use of Tulsi in Ganesha’s bhog is forbidden. Lord Ganesha gets angry by offering Tulsi to Lord Ganesha.
“People believe that Wednesday is dedicated entirely to Lord Ganesha. Worshiping Lord Ganesha on this day fulfills all wishes. In Hinduism, people worship Lord Ganesha first. People worship Lord Ganesha before initiating any auspicious work. People believe that Lord Ganesha removes all troubles and obstacles from his devotees’ lives, which is why he is also known as Vighnaharta. But, do you know the reason behind considering it taboo to use Tulsi in Lord Ganesha’s worship? Let us explore the reason behind it.”
Why Tulsi is not offered in the worship of Ganesh ji?
According to mythology, Tulsi, the daughter of King Dharmatmaj, went on a pilgrimage with the desire of marriage. During the pilgrimage, Tulsi saw that Ganesha was doing penance on the banks of the Ganges. According to this story, Lord Ganesha was engrossed in penance. His body was covered with sandalwood paste. There was a garland of gems around his neck.
Pitamber of silk was wrapped around the waist. He was doing penance sitting on a throne. Seeing the beautiful form of Lord Ganesha, Tulsi was attracted to him. Expressing his desire to marry her, he broke his penance. Lord Ganesha became enraged by this and called this act of Tulsi inauspicious.
Knowing the intention of Tulsi, he said that I am a Brahmachari. He turned down his marriage proposal.
Upon hearing this, Tulsi became angry and directed a curse towards Lord Ganesha, declaring that he would experience not one, but two marriages. In response to Tulsi’s curse, Lord Ganesha also pronounced a curse upon him, decreeing that Tulsi would be wedded to a demon.
After uttering these curses, Tulsi realized his mistake and offered his apologies to Ganesh ji. In reply, Ganesh ji acknowledged Tulsi’s apology. Despite being the beloved of Lord Vishnu and Krishna, Ganesh ji stated that while people would attain salvation by worshiping Tulsi in the Kali Yuga, incorporating Tulsi into his own worship would be deemed inauspicious.
Since that time, Tulsi has not been included in the worship of Lord Ganesha.