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Friday, January 22, 2010

Why do we wear marks on the forehead?


JAY SHREE POOJYASHREE SHREE AMMA
JAY MAHAN BRAHMASHREE GOPALAVALLIDASAR
JAY SHREE RADHEKRISHNA SATHSANG

Radhekrishna to our Readers,

We took up the fifth question of our question-answer series in the previous post which was “Why do we wear marks (tilak, pottu and the like) on the forehead?”

Let us know more about the same in this post.

The marks are put on the foreheads depending on the caste as we have already mentioned. But the marks are also worn depending upon which deity is worshipped by the person.

For example, Vishnu worshippers apply a chandan tilak of the shape of "U,” Shiva worshippers a tripundra of bhasma, Devi worshippers a red dot of kumkum and so on).

However you all must be wondering as to what is the reason in the first place for wearing a mark today? The caste system is no longer prevalent now? So what exactly is the hidden science behind this act? What is the scientific reason behind wearing any mark? If it is worn just to show which God one worships then it can be said that there is no science in it but only an emotional reason.

However dear readers, it is not so. As we have already told in the past articles, there is Science in each and every ritual of Hinduism. This act is no exception.

The tilak/ mark covers the spot between the eyebrows, which is the seat of memory and thinking. It is known as the Aajna Chakra in the language of Yoga. The tilak is applied with the prayer - "May I remember the Lord. May this pious feeling pervade all my activities. May I be righteous in my deeds.” Even when we temporarily forget this prayerful attitude the mark on another reminds us of our resolve. The tilak is thus a blessing of the Lord and a protection against wrong tendencies and forces.

The entire body emanates energy in the form of electromagnetic waves - the forehead and the subtle spot between the eyebrows especially so. That is why worry generates heat and causes a headache. The tilak and pottu cools the forehead, protects us and prevents energy loss. Sometimes the entire forehead is covered with chandan or bhasma.

It is observed nowadays that this ritual has lost its meaning and importance. We say this because people nowadays use plastic reusable "stick bindis". They are not very beneficial, even though they serve the purpose of decoration. Hopefully after reading this post, we can expect at least a few handful readers to put the old ritual back in practice.

Radhekrishna!

…concluded

Section II: Information about Indian herbs

In this post we will tell you about a very commonly used vegetable in day to day life by all of us. It is called as Gajar, Carrot in English and Daucus Carota in Latin.

1. The tuber is eaten either raw or cooked
2. It is also made into a halwa/pudding
3. It contains sugar, starch, iron, calcium and phosphorous
4. It also contains appreciable amounts of Vitamins A, B and C
5. It is a diuretic and aphrodisiac
6. Carrot has many other medicinal uses particularly for deficiency diseases

Radhekrishna

Sarvam Guruvaarpanam

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