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Historically bindis were used to represent one's marriage status, caste, &/or religious affiliation. In modernity, women
who wish to display their marriage status often use a streak of vermillion down the part of their hair, as bindis of all colors
and shapes are now commonly worn as an everyday adornment by many.
Bindi literally translates closely to "pleasant smelling marking". People mix/ed bindi in different ways. It most often
involved spices or other plant-derived powders mixed with sacred water or oil. This resulted in a fragrant cosmetic that was
then applied. Today there are many mass-produced bindis, some cream cosmetics similar to Western products, and some are
made of fabric and embellished with sequins, metallics and crystals. One can still obtain traditional bindi materials from
various Hindu spiritual supply stores. Sandalwood paste is readily available through Krishna sects, and kumkum (vermillion
powder), tumeric and vibhuti (sacred ash) can be ordered from other ritual supply sources.
Shaktas bindis are vermillion, which is said by some to represent the blood of the Goddess - which has been interprited
as the menstrual blood, or as blood from the animals sacrificed to Her. The dot is usually a bit larger than the red dots
that are used for decoration alone. A red streak can also be used, and some Shakta sects have also been known to use a swatstika,
and once the true meaning of this most ancient symbol is understood it becomes a very powerful symbol indeed.
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| Shree Maa & Swamiji - Universalist Shaktas of the Devi Mandir |
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| Shakta swatstika tilak |
Shaivites use vibuhti (ash from the sacred ritual fire fueled by cow dung) to make their bindis, creating horizontal
lines across the brow, and often sealed with a dot. Some sects use a crescent moon encircling a dot, and other similar designs.
As these symbols also have meaning to Wiccan and NeoPagans, they can become dually-powerful, representing the blended energies
of an IndoPagan ritual.
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| Various Saivite tilak collected from various sects |
Vaisnavas use sandalwood paste in a "U" shape going vertically up the forehead; a dot can also be used at the third-eye
point inside this U.
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| Various Vaisnava tilak collected from various sects |
However, as this is a blended IndoWiccan ritual, you are free to play around with the symbolism of the shapes and designs.
For instance, if you wanted the bindi to represent the blessings of the Goddess and God, you could use a slash of ash across
the forehead with a vermillion dot in the center of it - which is another traditional bindi in some traditions that recognize
the combined Shiva-Shakti powers.
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| Swami Satyananda Saraswati of the Devi Mandir |
Or you could do as I did once and make your own bindi powder using tumeric (very sacred to Ganesha) mixed with vermillion
(although I have used paprika before when it was the only red herb/spice that I had on hand at the time - a Witch is nothing
if not creatively practical). The oil base in my home-made bindi mixture was olive oil, as olive oil is an all-purpose
substitute for sacred oils in hoodoo, which I practice (and also the all-purpose annointing oil in Abrahamic faiths), but
you could obviously use a more Eastern oil, such as sandalwood or jasmine, rose, lotus, etc.
To incorporate bindi into a ritual, make sure you have properly prepared. If you premixed the vermillion or other powders
with oil (making sure to test the consistency before the ritual), it should be quick and easy to apply. You just dip one finger
into the mixture and wipe it onto the forehead. You could also use blessed water as opposed to oil if you so desire.
One note however, if you are offering the vermillion powder on the altar during this ritual (as is tradition in most
pujas), then you cannot use it as a blessing until after the ritual. But you could apply it afterwards as a type of prasad
- this happens in some traditional Hindu rituals. However, if you offer the vermillion in a ritual PRIOR to this ritual, then
you could use it at the beginning as a purifying/blessing marking, still as a form of prasad - this is equally as traditional,
as devotees save ash and vermillion from ritual to use for just these purposes.
Some further information on the usage of spiritual bindi or tilak in Hinduism:
Tilak Hindu caste marks of sandal paste, chalk powder or ashes, drawn on the forehead or other parts
of the body. Wood, metal coins or marigold buds are also used to make tilak paste. The use of a particular tilak design and
material depend on caste and sect.
The use of the tilak is believed to have started from Vedic times, when ashes from burnt offerings were used
to mark the forehead. Banbhatta's Kadambari, composed in the 7th century, refers to the trident-shaped sectarian mark
on the foreheads of Drdhadasyu and Jabali Rsi who were devotees of shiva. This
suggests that, at least from the 7th century, Saivites drew trident-shaped tilaks on their foreheads. The puranas, which date from the 10th-11th centuries, also refer to the Saivite practice of drawing
tilak marks on the forehead. The charyapada also mentions the
use of the tilak. It is believed that the tilak was introduced by the Saivites and then spread among other sects.
It may be assumed that the inspiration for different tilak designs came from the signs and symbols associated
with the deities. For instance, the trident-shaped tilak mark on the foreheads of Saivites resembles the mark on the forehead
of Shiva. The triple lines painted on the forehead of Vaisnavas are similar to the lines drawn on vishnu images in south India. The Shaktas, who worship the goddess Kali, paint a red dot on their foreheads,
emulating the red dot below the third eye of the goddess.
Tilak is not obligatory for everyone. Usually devoted Hindus paint the tilak on their foreheads before their
daily religious rites. For the Saivite, Sakta, Vaisnava, Saura and Ganapatya sects it is a regular rite. Vaisnavas, in particular,
draw tilak marks on twelve different points of the body associated with the twelve names of Vishnu after bathing. These twelve
names of the god and the corresponding twelve spots on the body are as follows: Keshaba on the forehead, Narayana on the stomach,
Madhava on the chest, Govinda on the throat, Vishnu on the right side, Madhusudana on the right arm, Trivikrama on the right
shoulder, Vamana on the left side, Shridhara on the left arm, Hrsikesha on the left shoulder, Padmanabha on the back and Damodara
on the waist. Tilak marks vary among the various sub-sects of the Vaisnavas. Some paint what looks like the English letter
V, some U, while others make single or multiple lines. They also paint Vishnu's shankha (conch), chakra (wheel)
and gada (mallet) on other parts of their body.
Tilak mark that Saivites paint on their foreheads is called tripundra. It is usually made of
three parallel lines; at times the lines are slightly curved, resembling a quarter moon. The tripundra is obligatory
for Saivites who believe that it is as auspicious as bathing in the Ganges and reciting the names of Vishnu and Shiva. Other
Saivite tilak designs include a half moon with a dot, and a wood-apple leaf or a pebble.
Tilak marks of the Saktas are similar to those of the Saivites. One or more dots are common, as are tripundra
marks, or slightly curved lines. Tilak marks vary for sub-sects like the Daksinachari, Bamachari, Mahakali and Saivite-Sakta.
The Saura and Ganapatya sects use comparatively fewer tilak marks. The mark of a Saura consists of two straight
horizontal lines between the eyebrows, with the bottom line being slightly shorter than the top line. The tilak mark of the
Ganapatyas resembles the English letter U, dissected by a line in the centre, somewhat like the flame of a candle.
The use of tilak marks reflects many social customs of the Hindus. The first among these is the caste system.
Although all Hindus are free to use the tilak, different Puranas and scriptures have prescribed different tilak marks for
different sects, such as vertical marks for Brahmins and horizontal marks for ksatriyas,
a half moon for vaishyas and a circular tilak for Sudras. These rules, however,
are not followed strictly nowadays.
There appears to be some links between the tilak and the worship of folk deities. For instance, the mark
painted on the walls of a South Indian household which worships Gangamma Devi is almost identical with the three-pronged
tilak of the Saivites. These similarities suggest that an admixture of Aryan and non-Aryan culture is reflected
in the use of tilaks.
[by Dulal Bhowmik, from BANGLAPEDIA ]
Some further information on the significance of bindi or tilak in Hinduism:
Tilak
By Swami Shivananda
Divine Life Society, Rishikesh
Tilak is a mark of auspiciousness. It is put on the forehead with sandal paste, sacred ashes or kumkum (red tumeric). The
devotees of Siva apply sacred ashes (Bhasma) on the forehead, the devotees of Vishnu apply sandal paste (Chandan), and the
worshippers of Devi or Shakti apply Kumkum, a red tumeric powder.
The scriptures say: "A forehead without a Tilak, a woman without a husband, a Mantra the meaning of which is not known
while doing Japa (recitation), the head that does not bend before holy personages, a heart without mercy, a house without
a well, a village without a temple, a country without a river, a society without a leader, wealth that is not given away in
charity, a preceptor without a disciple, a country without justice, a king without an able minister, a woman not obedient
to her husband, a well without water, a flower without smell, a soul devoid of holiness, a field without rains, an intellect
without clearness, a disciple who does not consider his preceptor as a form of God, a body devoid of health, a custom (Achar)
without purity, austerity devoid of fellow-feeling, speech in which truth is not the basis,
a country without good people,
work without wages, Sannyasa without renunciation, legs that have not performed pilgrimages, determination unaided by Viveka
or discrimination, a knife which is blunt, a cow that does not give milk, a spear without a point- all these are worthy of
condemnation. They exist for name’s sake only."
From this you can imagine the importance of Tilak or the sacred mark.
Tilak is applied at the Ajna Chakra, the space between the two eyebrows. It has a very cooling effect. Application of sandal
paste has great medicinal value, apart from the spiritual influence. Application of sandal paste will nullify the heating
effect when you concentrate and meditate at the Bhrumadhya. Tilak indicates the point at which the spiritual eye opens. Lord
Siva has a third eye at the Brumadhya. When he opens the third eye, the three worlds are destroyed.
So also, when the third eye of the Jiva is opened, the three kinds of afflictions – Adhyatmika, Adhidaivika and Adhibhautika-
are burnt to ashes. The three Karmas- Sanchita, Prarabdha and Agami,- and also all the sins committed in the countless previous
births, are burnt. When you apply the Tilak, you mentally imagine: "I am the one non-dual Brahman free from all duality. May
my eye of intuition open soon." You should remember this every time you apply a Tilak.
There are various methods of applying Tilak. Saivas apply three horizontal lines with the sacred ashes. The vaishnavas
apply three vertical lines (Tripundra) on the forehead. When they apply Tilak, they say: "O Lord, protect me from the evil
effects of the Trigunatmika Maya which has Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas as its binding cords."
Some Vaishnavas apply only one vertical line. Only the method of application differs, but the significance is the same
in both the Vaishnavas and the Saivas.
[from UNDERSTANDING HINDUISM]
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