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Re: tilak - dot on forehead
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To: alt-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Subject: Re: tilak - dot on forehead
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From: anamika@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu (Anamika Bharadwaj)
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Date: 1 Aug 1995 22:45:27 GMT
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From news@uwm.edu Tue Aug 1 18: 40:37 1995
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Newsgroups: alt.hindu
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Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
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References: <3vlvcd$90a@babbage.ece.uc.edu>
Raymond Crawford (dasa@ozemail.com.au) wrote:
: patel@crhc.uiuc.edu (Janak H. Patel) wrote:
: >Lokeswara Rao <lokes@selway.umt.edu> writes:
: >
: >>On 11 Jul 1995, Steven A Smith wrote:
: >
: >> and the subject of tilak came up. We were wondering
: >>> what the meaning of it was and what it's origin iss? The uusual sources
: >> (dictionary - encyclopedia) say its a dot on the
: >>> forehead, but don't explain the "why" of it.
: >
: >
: >>On a woman, a red dot signifies she is married.
: >
: >I don't know when this ritual started and what the Hindu mythical
: >story behind this? Anyone?
: >
: In Iskcon culture, to distinguish, or perhaps segregate, a married woman from
: an unmarried one, Prabhupada instituted the red dot. In India, the bindi is
: worn by either married women, or both, depending on the region.
: R
Here is the meaning and reason why women or men put Bindi,Bottuor namam
BOTTU - KUMKUMA - TILAKAM - NAMAM
-----------------------------------
What is this red mark on your forehead?
What does it stand for?
Why do you put it on?
Are you bleeding?
Those are some of the questions asked by non-Hindus out of curiosity.
Hindus also ask some of those fundamental questions themselves.
It seems they do not have answers for them or they may get partially
satisfactory answers. We ignore this topic as if we have the answers.
According to Brown "boTTu" means "a drop" as in "neeTi boTTu".
But the Bottu we refer to is that "kumkuma boTTu" or "tilakam boTTu".
Brown explains that "nudiTi boTTu" in the following line --
"A sectarian mark on the forehead, white, yellow, black, or scarlet,
long or round."
-----------
Hinduism has several tokens of imitation or provisions
or signs or indicative gestures which are strictly followed by the
practising Hindus. These externally visible indicative gestures are one
way highly essential in the Hindu society and do some good. Some of
these indicative gestures of Hinduism appear as useless customs but if
one applies his/her deep sense of understanding, it will be clear that
they are highly benificial to the individual and society, ultimately.
Another important aspect of adhering to these indicative gestures is the
scientific side.
A commonly seen "nuduTipai tilakamu" (a mark or beauty
spot, made on the forehead with black, scarlet, or gold paint) indicates
auspiciousness (good omen, happiness, prosperity, good fortune, welfare
and overall it is mamgaLam). People wear camdanam (sandalwood powder)
or viBooti (ash or calcium salts) or kumkuma (a plant dye mixed with
turmeric powder) as boTTu on the forehead. Shivites wear viBooti boTTu.
Vishanvites wear camdanam boTTu. Worshipers of Devi and Sakti wear
kumkuma boTTu. Shiva loves the burial ground (SmaSa'nam) and the ash is
the only one available there. In fact, our mythology depicts Shiva as
one who applies the ash all over his body. Probably this viBooti (ash)
has a cooling effect. Shiva is a radiant God with full of energey. In
order to cool himself down, he puts on the viBooti. In fact Shiva is the
source of all energies. Going back to the science of viBooti, viBooti
is nothing but either anhydrous calcium chloride or calcium sulfate.
The ash one finds in the burial ground is wood ash mixed with calcium
salts from the bones. In hot summers Indians sweat a lot and this
viBooti na'mam or coating on the forehead will absorb the moisture from
the sweat and cools the person. On the otherhand Vishnumoorty's
camdanam boTTu signifies the peaceful nature of maha'vishNu. camdanam
has also body cooling properties. Ugranarasimhamoorty of Simhachalam is
cooled year around by applying a thick plaster of camdanam all over the
idol and once a year the camdanam that was applied for the entire past
year will be removed (done during the camdana ya'tra festival). The
master gland of the human body which regulates the homeostasis and
time-keeping is the pineal gland which is also known as the third eye,
located exactly behind where Hindus wear the boTTu (nuduru). There may
be a direct effect of the compounds present in viBooti or kumkuma or
camdanam on the pineal gland in Hindus (positive effects like
maintaining the psychological balance). The blood red kumkuma of Sakti
or Devi worshipers clearly indicates the omnipotent nature of the Godess
they worship. a'Dadi a'diSakti - the saying becomes more powerful when
the woman wears a kumkuma on her forehead.
Is this boTTu only restricted to married women? No.
Even men put on this boTTu - camdanam or viBooti or kumkuma. Married
women (while husband is alive) wear the kumkuma boTTu (prosperity).
This is another indicative gesture of Hindu culture. tilakam is a
liquid form of red paint that is sold in the market (It is some
synthetic dye dissolved in organic solvents. Some times it causes severe
irritation of the skin). Vermilion (simdhooramu or imgiliikamu) is also
a well-known agent used as boTTu (simdhooram is nothing but red lead.
Red lead is a heavy metal and is extremely neurotoxic. Who knows what
it does at low doses to the brain and nervous system? Are there any
benificial effects or red lead simdhooram while applied on forehead as
boTTu?). Kings used to mix musk (from deer; for scent and fragrance)
with vermilion and put it on the forehead as boTTu - adding musk is the
sign of aristrocracy. Can not Hindu widows wear kumkuma or any kind of
boTTu? Why not! They can wear kumkuma boTTu. Our religion does not
forbid Hindu widows from not putting on the kumkuma boTTu on the
forehead. Remember one thing - boTTu is not an essential item of Vedas
or dharma Sa'stra's. The post-vedic ta'mtric period brought boTTu into
Hindu religion and culture.
Sivananda Saraswati says "a'~na' cakram is located
exactly in the center in between the eyebrows and the tilakam should be
put there. This sort application on the a'~na' cakram has tremendous
cooling effect. In addition to spiritual fulfilment, camdanam has other
benificial effects as boTTu."
Concentration (between the eyebrows - Bhroo) causes
enoromous energy dissipation and camdanam is supposed to cool the heat.
Tilakam indicates the hidden eye of the human. Shiva has the third eye
located in between the eyebrows (Bhroo) and when he opens that third eye
all the locas will be destroyed. If Shiva's third eye is closed, all
the bondages will be destroyed (the sins will be destroyed). If one
wears the tilakam boTTu on the forehead he or she feels "I am the
Brahma; I am not different from Brahma and I am a liberated soul."
There are different ways and procedures of putting on the
boTTu (tilakam). Shivites draw 3 viBooti lines horizontally on the
forehead (aDDa na'ma'lu). Vishnavites wear 3 perpendicular na'ma's
(also vRutta'ka'ra tripumDam). Vishnavites also pray to Vishnu saying
"Please rescue us from the bad elements" while applying the niluvu
na'ma'lu. The pamgana'ma'lu is well known na'madha'raNa in Andhra.
There may be differences in the application of nama'lu but there are no
differences between Shivism and Vishnavism. The Vishnava boTTu is also
called "soga boTTu" or "niluvu boTTu". The Shivite boTTu is called
"niluvu boTTu". ta'Li boTTu is another boTTu (mamgaLa sootram) that
Andhra married women adore. gaTTi boTTu is nothing but a zero in
Telugu. nEti boTTu is a drop of ghee.
One finds the following in Hinduism:
1) A forehead without boTTu
2) A mamtra japa without knowing the meaning
3) A head that does not pay respects to great souls
4) A heart without compassion
5) A house without a well
6) A village without a temple
7) A country without a river
8) A society without a leader
9) A wealth without offering donations
10) A teacher without a student
11) A king without an efficient minister
12) A country without justice
13) A wife who does not respect the husband
14) A well without water
15) A flower without fragrance
16) A soul without purity
17) A land without rainfall
18) A wisdom without clear thought
19) A student who does not respect the teacher
20) A body striken with diseases
21) A tradition without purity
22) Praying to God and not being considerative
23) A talk without truth
24) A land without good people
25) A job without salary
26) A hermit without doing sacrifices
27) A pair of feet without experiencing piligrimage
28) A decission without wisdom
29) A knife without sharpness
30) A cow which does not give milk
31) A fishing pole without hook
Should be ignored and relinquished. Look at this list and
decide where boTTu stands.
amga'ru is a black boTTu made out of saggu biyyamu or biyyamu. The
saggu biyyamu or biyyamu are charred and converted into a black
(charcoal colored) paste. Infants are decorated with amga'ru on their
foreheads. This is supposed to protect the infants from the disTi.
Like everything else now one can get a variety of stickon boTTus. They
are different shapes and in different colors. They match with the dress
and shoes. They come in packages. You wear one and throw it. Over the
years, boTTu has become an ornament and an ingredient of the makeup.
The kumkam boTTu is prepared with turmeric, alum and lime juice. Some
times certain natural dyes (seeds with dyes) are also added while making
the powder. Safron is well known as kumkumaoojiTTa. Occassionally
scents are also added to kumkuma. If wives do kumkuma pooja, the Devi
will bless the whole family with good health and a lot of wealth.
Whatever the boTTu is made up of, the girl looks beautiful with the
boTTu on! kalakalla'Dina kaLa!!!
: ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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