Logos of India

NITYANANDAPARIVARA TILAK The Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, lacking a central authority since its very inception on account of its dynamic spread, has come to encompass a large diversity of practices and insights within the foundational framework of the Goswami's teachings. Traditional Gaudiya lineages are traced back to the companions of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu via a succession of mantra diksha initiations, otherwise commonly known as the guru-pranali. Nityananda (b 1474 CE), was a Vaishnava saint, famous as a primary religious figure within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Bengal, is presumed to be an avatar of Balarama. Nityananda was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's friend and disciple. They are often mentioned together as Gaura-Nitai (Gaura, ‘golden one’, referring to Chaitanya, Nitai being a shortened form of Nityananda) or Nimai-Nitai.   The followers of Nityananda are called the Nityananda Parivara and their tilaka sports the Gaudiya tilaka with a dot.

GAUDIYA VAISHNAVA SAMPRADHAYA TILAK The renaissance of Vaishnavism began in the early 1600s as Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534 CE) started his bhakti-movement in West Bengal in the district of Nadia. Sri Chaitanya practically founded his own tradition. In the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya the tilak is usually made out of mud from Vrindavan. In Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's line, chanting is given as the essential devotional (bhakti) activity to be performed in Kali Yuga in preference to fire sacrifices. As such, the black line made from the ash of the fire sacrifice is not included. In the Gaudiya line devotees generally approach Radha and Krishna through a servant such as Tulsidevi. To indicate this, the red dot representing Radha is replaced with a tulsi leaf offered at the base of Krishna's feet. In Gaudiya belief only through the mercy of Tulsi (or another pure devotee) can pure devotion to Radha and Krishna or Krishna and Balarama be awakened.

SAKTA TILAK Sakta or Shakta sect is the name of a Hindu sect, whose members worship the female principle of energy, which is the counterpart of the god Siva. The metaphysical ideas of Saktism are thus described by Sir Edward Gait, “Saktism is based on the worship of the active producing principle, Prakriti, as manifested in one or other of the goddess wives of Siva (Durga, Kali, Parvati) the female energy or Sakti of the primordial male, Purusha or Siva. Saktism reveres the Supreme as the Divine Mother, Sakti or Devi, in Her many forms, both gentle and fierce. Saktas use mantra, tantra, yantra, yoga and puja to invoke cosmic forces and awaken the kundalini power. The Sakta sect, when they avow themselves, mark either with a saffron or with turmeric and borax.

KABIRPANTHI TILAK The Kabir Panth is a philosophy and religious community of India, encompassing a wide spectrum of beliefs, traditions and practices based on the teachings of Kabir. Its adherents are of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh ancestry.   Kabir Panthis or ‘followers of the path of Kabir’ are spread across India and are also found in Indian communities in large numbers in across continents. The members of the Kabir Panth wear necklaces of beads made of tulasi wood. It is called a ‘kanthi’. Kabirpanthi householders are called ‘bhagats’. Kabirpanthi sect marks vary slightly in the different groups of Kabir Panth. In the case of the Chhattisgarh section, the mark is usually a single broad streak of white from the top of the forehead to the nose. It is made with a kind of paste in which sandal wood is mixed.

IYENGAR WOMAN TILAK Women of both Thenkalai and Vadakalai Iyengars of Sri Vaishnavism apply tilaka of ‘Srichurnam’ - red colour on the forehead with a white crescent at its bottom.

THENKALAI IYENGAR TILAK Thenkalai Iyengars are the followers of Sri Vaishnavism and follow the Tamil Prabandhams and asserts primacy to rituals in Tamil language. They are the followers of Ramanuja, Pillailokacharya and Manavala Mamuni. According to genetic studies, the Thenkalai gene frequencies are distinctly different from that of the Vadakalais. The Thenkalais reject the caste system. The sect seems to be liberal in its outlook and so shapes the doctrine of the system as to make them applicable to non-Brahmin castes. Traditionally, Thenkalais accept Prapatti as the only means to attain salvation. The various Thenkalai monasteries are – Vanamamalai Mutt and Sriperumpudur Mutt in Kanchipuram district and Tirukkoilur Mutt in Viluppuram district. In the tilak of Thenkalai the white lines flourishes down and touches the upper portion of the nose in between eyebrows.

VADAKALAI IYENGAR TILAK The Ramananujis are the followers of the first prominent Vishnuite reformer Ramanuj of Southern India in the eleventh or twelfth century. The Ramanujis address each other with the salutation ‘Dasoham’ or ‘I am your slave’. Ramanujis are also called Iyengars. Among the Iyengars following Sri Vaishnavism, there are two sects, namely Vadakalai and Tenkalai. The tilak or sect-mark of the Ramanujis - Vadakalai Iyengars, consists of two perpendicular white lines from the roots of the hair to the top of the eyebrows, with a connecting white line at the base and a third line either of red or yellow. It is widely believed that the two sects are distinctly different in origin.

CHATURBHUJI TILAK Chaturbhuji or four-armed is one of the many sects of Vaishnavism. Chaturbhuji is an epithet of Vishnu. The founder of this sect was taking part in a feast when his loin cloth came undone behind and the others said to him that as this had happened, he had become impure at the feast. He replied, "Let him to whom the ‘dhoti’ belongs tie it up" and immediately four arms sprang from his body, while two continued to take food, the other two tied up his loin cloth behind. Thus, it was recognised that the Chaturbhuji Vishnu had appeared in him and he was venerated. Chaturbhujis wear an all-white tilak in the form of fork with the bottom of the fork is extended to the bottom of the forehead.

NIMANANDI TILAK Bairagis, or Vairagis, are a sect of Hindu ascetics, eschewing colour or passion and detached from all worldly allurements. The sect is divided into four different orders, viz. Ramanandi, Visnusvami, Nimanandi and Madhavacharya. Ramanandi and Nimanandi orders are found in Punjab. Nimanandis are followers of the saint Nimanand. They are set to have been living in Bairagipura of Nagpur city for the last 300 years. Nimanandis wear all white ‘tilak’ a two-pronged fork with a black dot on their forehead, the shape signifying the figure of ‘Nar-singh’ - ‘man-lion’, described in Hindu literature to be the incarnation of God.

  BENDIWALE TILAK Vaishnavism consists of many minor sects, consisting of followers of saints and mendicants. One of them is ‘Bendiwale’ or those who wear a dot. Their founder began putting a red dot on his forehead between the two white lines in place of the long red line of the Ramanandis. His associates asked him why he had dared to alter his tilak or sect mark. He said that the goddess Janki had given him the dot and as a test he went and bathed in the river Sarju and rubbed his forehead with water and all the sect marks were rubbed out except the dot. His followers recognised the special intervention of the goddess and he founded the sect Bendiwale.

MADHAVA TILAK The Madhavas are Vaishnavas. They are known as Brahma Sampradayins. whose founder was Madhavacharya. He was born in 1200 AD. He was a great opponent of Sankaracharya‘s Advaita system of philosophy. He erected and consecrated the image of Lord Krishna at Udipi. Madhavas bear the impress of the symbols of Vishnu upon their breasts and shoulders which are stamped with a hot iron. Their marks on the foreheads consist of two perpendicular lines made with Gopichandana and joined at the root of the nose. They make a straight black line (using charcoal from incense offered to Krishna), which terminates in a round mark made with turmeric. The Madhavas are divided into two classes called the Vyasakutas and the Dasakutas.  Truthfulness, study of scriptures, generosity, kindness, faith and freedom from envy form the moral code of Madhavas. They virtue in thought, word and deed.

VALLABHACHARYA TILAK The tilak of Vallbhacharyas is said to consist of two white lines down the forehead, forming a half-circle at its base and a white dot between them. Vallabhacharya (1479–1531 CE) was a devotional philosopher, who founded the Pushti sect in India, following the philosophy of ‘Shuddha Advaita’ (Pure Non-dualism). He wrote a very important commentary called ‘Shri Bhashya’. The Vallabhacharya sect worships Krishna in his character of Bala Gopala.

RAMANANDI TILAK   Ramanandi, also called Ramavat, in Hinduism, a Vaishnavite (devotee of the God Vishnu) follower of Ramananda, a religious and social reformer of the 15th century. Ramanandis worship Vishnu’s avatar (incarnation) in Rama as the one true god. Although Ramananda had no particular wish to found a sect, he continues to inspire a great number of sectarian adherents, including ascetics ho have numerous North Indian monasteries. The Ramanandi movement owes its popularity to the saint Ramananda who lived in Varanasi in the 14th century and influenced such popular Indian saints like Tulsidas and Kabir among others. Ramanandis wear ‘tilak’ as a two-pronged white fork with a red upward tapering stroke in the middle.

URDHVA PUNDRA TILAK Urdhva Pundra tilak or ‘Udharva Marka’ is a yellow ‘U’ mark on the forehead made with sandalwood paste and a red dot in the centre usually made out of ‘kumkum’ (saffron) worn by members of the Swaminarayan ‘Sampradaya’. In this sandalwood yellow signifies the Swaminarayan's feet, while the red dot signifies Lakshmi. Females adore themselves only with the red dot and not the ‘U’ mark. The tilak or chandlo is worn on chest and arms chanting the ‘Vasudeva’, ‘Shankarsharna‘, ‘Pradyumna’ and ‘Aniruddha’. According to the Brahmanda Purana, the colours and manner of application of the tilak are significant: A black tilak will derive peace; a red tilak will bring obedience and control; a yellow one will bring wealth; one which is white will deliver devotion to Vishnu; a tilak of correct size, marked using one‘s fingers will offer the God’s support and blessing; a tilak in the centre of the forehead will bring youth and long life; the tilak made using the third fi...

TRIPUNDRA TILAK Tripundra - the saivite ‘tilak’ dates back to the Rig Vedic period. Vedic people used to smear several parts of the body with ashes, ghee, etc. after the conclusion of ‘homa’ or ‘yagna’, which used to be the principal religious ceremony. With the passage of time, the practice of making tilaks got further segmented with the growth of Shaivite and Vaishnavite cults and evolved a varied style and texture which marks their own identity. Among the followers of the Hindu Trinity, Shaivites stand prominent and they mark their body with ‘bhasma’ and Tripundra tilaks. Bhasma means besmearing the body with ashes and Tripundra tilak is a drawing mainly of three horizontal lines with a ‘bindi’ or dot in varied sizes, either superimposed or drawn above or below between the two eyebrows. They are made with ashes and sandal paste of varied colour temperatures, each associated with a particular sect. The ash or ‘Bhasma’ is prepared out of burnt cow dung. It is said that in cow’s...

SWASTIKA The Swastika is an extremely powerful symbol which is in use for over 3000 years. The image of swastika was used by many cultures around the world, including China, Japan, India and southern European countries. The symbol has many names: ‘wan’ in China, ‘flyflot’ in England, ‘hakenkeuz’ in Germany, ‘tertraskelion’ and ‘gammadion’ in Greece and ‘swastika’ in India. Native Americans also have long used the symbol of swastika. It is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. It remains widely used in Indian religions, specifically in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, primarily as a 'tantric' symbol to evoke 'Shakti' or the sacred symbol of good luck. The word 'swastika’ comes from the Sanskrit ‘svastika’ - ‘su’ meaning ‘good’, ‘asti’ meaning ‘to be’ and ‘ka’ as a suffix. It is the symbol which represents life, sun, power, strength and good luck.

DHARMA CHAKRA This ‘Dharma Chakra’ or ‘Wheel of the Law’ is depicted in the in the Sarnath Lion Capital made by the third century BC Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. The ‘chakra’ or wheel intends to show that there is life in movement and death in stagnation. It is this wheel which appears in the India’s national flag. The Dharma Chakra represents ‘dharma’, the Buddha’s teaching of the path of enlightenment. It is one of the oldest known Buddhist symbols found in Indian art, appearing with the first surviving post-Harappan Indian iconography. The wheel with twenty-four spokes represents the Twelve Laws of Dependent Origination and the Twelve Laws of Dependent Termination. These spokes were thought to represent twenty-four states of India, which were present when India was formed. The Dharma Chakra is one of the eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan Buddhism.

SRI YANTRA ‘Sri Yantra’ or ‘Sri Chakra’ is a ‘yantra’ formed by nine interlocking triangles that surround and radiate out from the central (‘bindu’) point, the junction point between the physical universe and its unmanifest source. It represents the goddess in her form of ‘Shri Lalitha’ or ‘Tripura Sundari’. Four of the triangles point upwards, representing ‘Shiva’ or the masculine. Five of these triangles point downwards, representing ‘Shakti’ or the feminine. Thus, the Sri Yantra also represents the union of masculine and feminine Divine. Because it is composed of nine triangles, it is known as the ‘Navayoni Chakra’. Together the nine triangles are interlaced in such a way as to form forty-three smaller triangles in a web symbolic of the entire cosmos or a womb symbolic of creation. Together they express ‘Advaita’ or non-duality philosophy. This is surrounded by a lotus of eight petals, a lotus of sixteen petals and an earth square resembling a temple with four doors.

PILLAIYAR CHUZHI It is a practice among Tamils to write 'Pillaiyar Chuzhi' before writing anything.  it is written with immense faith that writing this will help one complete the task without any obstacles and if at all any obstacle arises, it will be smoothly evened out by the grace of the Lord Ganesha. When ‘Jiva’ gets Godhood as Shiva it is called ‘involution’. Shiva is nothing but ‘Sath’ - existence or ‘Paramathma’. When he evolves into ‘Jiva’ with body, senses and ‘antahkaranam’ the process of evolution takes place. That thought is the starting point of 'Pillaiyar Chuzhi' in Tamil - of Shiva into a ‘Jiva’ Spiritually ‘Pillaiyar Chuzhi’ is the truncated form of the ‘pranava mantra’ ‘Aum’ which includes the three alphabets - akaram, ukaram , makaram in Sanskrit 'a','u','m '. ‘Aum’ is the ‘nada brahmam’, thefirst manifestation of ‘Brahman’ as sound.

AUM 'ॐ', 'Aum' or 'Om' is the most sacred syllable of Hinduism. It stands for 'Brahman' both as impersonal and personal God. The goal of life, which all the Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at and which men desire when they lead the life of continence, if told in brief: it is Om. This syllable Om is indeed Brahman. This syllable is the 'Highest'. Whosoever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires. The syllable consists of three phonemes ‘a’ Vaishvanara, ‘u’ Hiranyagarbha and ‘m’, Iswara, which symbolize the beginning, duration, and dissolution of the universe and the associated gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, respectively.