Why is a diya lighted before Tulsi plant in evenings? And how doing it right can have profound benefits | The Times of India

Both in scriptures and in stories, there are many tales about what people received when they lit up a diya near the Tusli plant. And, one of the most famous ones is of a woman who removed all her sins by just lighting the diya once!
The story says that years ago there was a woman who was married to a sage but her own acts were not very saint-ly. Her behaviour and etiquettes never fit into that of her husband’s and over time she was banished to the forests. One day, she fell extremely sick and had no one to care for her and tend to her. That is when she seeked refuge in an ashram along with other women. While she continued to live there, she never took part in any of the rituals that were followed by the other women. One fine day, she saw some girls praying to and lighting a diya near the Tulsi plant. And then in the evening she did the same. Unfortunately, on the same day, she had a painful pain in her body and died. When Yamraj’s men came to pick her, Vishnu ji intervened that she would not go to ‘Narak’. When asked why, Lord Vishnu replied that because she had lit up a diya near Tulsi, her sins were now erased and she would find a spot in heaven.