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After Jalandhar's birth, when Jalandhar pressed Brahmaa Jee's neck so forcefully that he was about to cry, Brahmaa Jee bestowed him with a boon that nobody else than Shankar will be able to kill him. he named him Jalandhar. Jalandhar grew up tall and mighty and won all the kings of Earth and in due course married Vrindaa - the daughter of Kaalnemi. He became the king of all Daitya who were driven by gods out of the Heaven. Those Daitya requested him to be their leader and get the Heaven back for them.

So Jalandhar sent Raahu, his Minister, as his emissary to Indra and asked him to return the jewels of Saagar Manthan to him. But Indra refused to give those jewels back as Saagar had sheltered their enemies, so they had a right o churn the Saagar and had taken his jewels. Hearing this Jalandhar invaded Indra and fought with him in his Nandan Van. Whoever Devtaa were killed, their Guru Brihaspati Jee revived them with the Sanjeevanee herb grown on Drone Giri Parvat. Seeing this Jalandhar hurled Drone Giri into the sea, and Devtaa hid in the caves which were in golden mountain (Sumeru Parvat). They went to Vishnu to pray and Vishnu came to rescue them; but Vishnu could not do anything to Jalandhar because of the boon of Brahmaa Jee. Rather Jalandhar could wound Vishnu's Garud. Vishnu granted him a boon. In his boon he asked Vishnu to send Lakshmee to live with him on Earth. Vishnu had to grant this boon unwillingly and Jalandhar became the King of three Lok. Everything was going in order in his reign - rain fell in time, there was no famine, no poverty etc. Even the gods lived comfortably in his reign.

Naarad Jee Comes to Jalandhar
But Naarad Muni, the mischief maker,  was restless, so he went to Jalandhar's court. jalandhar welcomed him and asked the reason to come to him. Naarad Jee said - "I am coming from Kailaash Parvat. I have seen there Shiv, Paarvatee, Kaamdhenu cows, Kalp Vriksh which fulfills the wishes and masses of Chintaa Mani, so I wanted to know whether there is any other place where all these things are there?" By saying this Naarad Jee wanted to create hatred towards Shiv in his heart. Hearing this, Jalandhar got envy with Shiv, and he sent Raahu to him with the message that he should surrender his wife Paarvatee and wealth to him and he himself should live in a cremation ground smearing ashes in his whole body. Hearing this from Raahu, Shiv Jee filled with rage and a figure came out of his third eye - with a man's body and lion's face. That man ran to eat Raahu, but Shiv stopped him doing so he was only a herald. He then ordered him to eat his own arm and feet, and then to console him he appointed him as the gatekeeper of his temples. he named him Keertimukh (Fame faced). Shiv sent Raahu back with a curt answer.

Vishnu's Plot to Kill Jalandhar
Jalandhar came there to fight with Shiv. They fought on the slopes of Kailaash Parvat. But even Shiv could not kill him until his wife Vrindaa was faithful to him. Vishnu had known this secret, so He plotted his death. As Jalandhar was fighting with Shiv, his wife Vrindaa was sad in his absence, she went in the garden. there she met two demons who pursued her. She ran to save herself from them, the demons followed her, she came face to face a Rishi on whose feet she fell and asked him shelter. The Rishi burnt those demons into ashes in a fraction of second. Vrindaa asked the Rishi about her husband. At once two apes laid Jalandhar's head, two arms and two legs before them. Seeing her bhusband like this Vrindaa thought that her husband was dead. She requested the Rishi to revive him. The Rishi told her that he would try and in a moment both Rishi and Jalandhar's body pieces were disappeared and Jalandhar was standing by her. Vrindaa got very happy to see him alive. She threw herself into his arms and both embraced each other. They came back home.

After a few days she came to know that the man with whom she was living was not her husband Jalandhar, but was Vishnu who came there in disguise of Jalandhar. She filled with rage and she cursed Him that the two demons who had frightened her, in next Avataar will rob Him of His wife; and to recover His wife He will have to take help of apes who brought Jalandhar's body parts. Vrindaa then immolated herself. As Vrindaa's chastity was gone, it was easy for Shiv to kill Jalandhar. Devtaa went to their place, demons were sent to their place, but Vishnu did not come back from Vrindaa's palace. Whoever found Him, found Him mad with grief rolling in Vrindaa's ashes.

Paarvatee Breaks the Charm of Vrindaa
Seeing Vishnu's condition, Paarvatee Jee came and planted three seeds in Vrindaa's ashes. Those three seeds grew in three plants - Tulasee, Avalee and Maalatee. As they grew in big plants, Vishnu got freed from the charm of Vrindaa's beauty. For the same reason Vishnu loved all the three plants, but He loved Tulasee most, because He said that Tulasee was Vrindaa herself.

Vrindaa's Curse Comes True
For the Avataar, (1) Matsya Avataar (Fish Incarnation), (2) Koorm Avataar (Tortoise Incarnation), (3) Varaah Avataar (Boar Incarnation), (4) Narasinh Avataar (Lion-man Incarnation), (5) Vaaman Avataar (Dwarf Incarnation), (6) Parashuraam Avataar (Raam with Axe Incarnation) and (7) the Raam Avataar. In the Raam Avataar, the two demons who frightened Vrindaa were incarnated as Raavan and Kumbhkarn. Raavan took away Seetaa to Lankaa and to recover Her Raam had to take help of the two apes who brought Jalandhar's body parts. In this incarnation they became Hanumaan and his warriors.

In the 8th Avataar, Krishn Avataar, Tulasee plant took the form of Raadhaa and as such wedded Him on Kaarttik Shukla Dwaadashee, so we celebrate the wedding of Krishn and Raadhaa by celebrating Shaalgraam and Tulasee wedding on that day - the reconciliation of Vishnu with the demon-woman Vrindaa with whom He wronged. Good luck to that house in which Tulasee plant is watered and Vishnu is worshiped with Tulasee leaves. Unless the Tulasee plant is placed on the black Shaalgraam stone which is picked up from the bed of the Gandakee River, because it is regarded as the symbol of Vishnu.

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