Tulsi Vivah

Synopsis

Rajkumari Vrunda lives in a palatial home with her mom and dad. One day while hunting she is molested by thugs, and Samrat Jalandhar comes to her aid. He rescues her and accompanies her to her parents’ home and asks them for her hand in marriage, to which they agree. The marriage takes place with great pomp and ceremony. After the marriage their life is virtually perfect. Then one day, Jalandhar gets a visit from a Sage who tells him that there is war going between the Devas (Gods) and Danavs (Demons), and that Bhagwan Vishnu has been siding with the Devas. Curious to find out more, Jalandhar journeys to his father, Sagar (Ocean), who tells that he had attempted to make peace between the Devas and the Danavs by offering them sweet nectar of life, but Bhagwan Vishnu had taken the shape of a beautiful woman, Mohini, and made sure that only the Devas got the nectar. Jalandhar is angered at this, and declares war against Bhagwan Vishnu and the Devas. Vrunda begs him not to go, as Vishnu is all powerful. When he insists on going, she prays to the Gods and puts a flowered garland (full of blessings) around his neck to ensure his safety. Jalandhar defeats Indra Dev and comes home victorious, along with Indraloks apsaras (beautiful women) and Indrani herself. The enraged Devas appeal to Bhagwan Vishnu, who agrees to do battle with Jalandhar, but again Jalandhar triumphs, and thus becomes Bhagwan Jalandhar. The worried Devas approach Bhagwan Shiv, who refuses to get involved in any war with anyone. In the meantime, Jalandhar gets angry with Vrunda for worshiping Vishnu and cuts her tongue off so as to prevent her from praying. She goes to pray to Vishnu, and he reinstates her tongue. This angers Jalandhar all the more, and in penance Vrunda blinds herself, and is placed in a dungeon surrounded by a wall of fire. Jalandhar now wants the most beautiful woman in the world, and he is told that there is no one more beautiful than Bhagwan Shiva’s wife, Parvati. He accordingly sends word for Parvati to come to him. This angers Shiv and he goes to battle Jalandhar. Once again Jalandhar triumphs, and is all set to have Parvati for his own. Parvati and the other Devas now approach Bhagwan Shri Brahma for a solution. In the meantime, Vrunda regains her eyesight, and to her delight finds that Jalandhar has changed, and they spend a lot of time together. Days later, the severed head of Jalandhar comes into their palace, and accuses Vrunda of infidelity. Vrunda is astounded as she has always been true to her husband, but then there was the severed head floating in the air, and there was her husband standing next to her. She soon finds out that the person standing next to her is Bhagwan Vishnu who had assumed the form of Jalandhar, the real Jalandhar had been defeated by Bhagwan Shiv in battle, and his head severed from his body. Now Bhagwan Vishnu and the Devas have to content with Vrunda’s wrath – and she wills Vishnu to become of stone for pulling wool over her eyes, and then she turns her wrath on the rest of the Devas. Will anyone or anything be able to stop Vrunda?