Tulasi Leaf offered with Love weighs more than Gold
Krishna’s wife, Queen Satyabhama, was stunningly beautiful, came from immense wealth, was skilled in warfare, and proud of her intelligence.
In her heart, she believed she was superior to the other wives—especially Krishna’s principal queen, Rukmini.
Palace politics thrived… the wives were either on Team Rukmini or Team Satyabhama.
One day, the mischievous sage Narada arrived—with a divine plan to settle this silent rivalry.
He cleverly tricked Satyabhama into donating Krishna to him in charity.
To win Him back, Narada demanded Krishna’s weight in gold.
Satyabhama was confident. The practice of Tulabhāra was well-known, and with her endless treasures, it seemed easy.
A grand scale was brought in.
Krishna sat on one side… smiling.
On the other, Satyabhama began loading piles of gold—bracelets, necklaces, rings, bars from the treasury…
But the scale didn’t budge.
Krishna sat, still heavier than all the riches of the palace.
Everyone watched in disbelief. How could a man weigh more than mountains of gold?
Panicked and humbled, Satyabhama turned to Rukmini.
Rukmini walked forward… and placed a single tulasi leaf on the scale—an offering of her pure love.
To everyone's shock, the scale balanced perfectly. It didn't look like it was anywhere near balancing just a minute ago.
The gold hadn't done it. But love had.
The message through the divine mischief was clear:
It is the love of the heart that tips the scale—always.
Wealth, intelligence, skill, even courage… are all secondary.
Source:
- Devi Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Book 4, Chapter 25