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Re: tilak - dot on forehead
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To: alt-hindu@cis.ohio-state.edu
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Subject: Re: tilak - dot on forehead
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From: susarla@owlnet.rice.edu (Hari Krishna Susarla)
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Date: Wed, 12 Jul 95 02:35:54 GMT
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From news@larry.rice.edu Tue Jul 11 23: 25:40 1995
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Newsgroups: alt.hindu
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Organization: Rice University, Houston, Texas
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References: <3tuj8r$7dp@babbage.ece.uc.edu>
In article <3tuj8r$7dp@babbage.ece.uc.edu>,
Steven A Smith <ssmith@galileo.csun.edu> wrote:
>Hi.
>
>My name is Steve Smith. I was chatting with a few friends via U'NI net 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.
>
>Hope you can satisfy my curiosity, or at least point me in the right
direction.
>
The Vaisnava tilak is two parallel, vertical lines in the middle of the
forehead with a leaf-shaped part below the lines. This has two meanings that I
know of:
1) The parallel lines represent Brahma and Shiva, with Vishnu belonging in
the middle.
2) (the one I like) The parallel lines, which meet at the bottom, represent
the lotus foot of Krishna (or Vishnu), and the leaf-shaped part is a tulasi
leaf which represents the devotee, who is always situated at the Lord's lotus
feet.
Haribol,
-- HKS
