Dear friends,
After a long time, here I am back to MS land with more 'Why' bugs!
"Bod hane channagilla, kumkuma itko" in Kannada translates into,"Bare forehead isn't good.Wear a bindi".
I always felt it weird to wear a bindi on jeans. I wondered why people even wore it.
I personally felt I look good with one...but other than the aesthetics...was there anything else to it??
In school it was compulsory for us to wear bindi, considering the mentality of our management.
One of our teachers told us why it was so and I looked for more...
1. Vedic/ Scientific reason-----
Vedic science always has appropriate reasons to everything it states.
[the below is sourced form Wikipedia]
The area between the eyebrows, the sixth chakra known as the 'agna' meaning 'command', is the seat of concealed wisdom. It is the centre point wherein all experience is gathered in total concentration. According to the tantriccult, when during meditation the latent energy ('kundalini') rises from the base of the spine towards the head, this 'agna' is the probable outlet for this potent energy. The red 'kumkum' between the eyebrows is said to retain energy in the human body and control the various levels of concentration. It is also the central point of the base of the creation itself — symbolising auspiciousness and good fortune.
That understood, I began pondering over the fact that, not only women but men also follow the "red dot" on the forehead.
In north India, wearing a "tilak" is both auspicious and traditional.
The vermillion is said to bring joy and spread more joy due to the beauty it adds to the face:))
Anup in one of our conversations, said, "...Indian females have the least cases of brain haemorrhage in the world. Arya Samaj Pandit told me so. He gave me a scientific explanation for all ceremonies. All parts of the body need exercise including our eyes, ears and all nerves. Indian females when they put on bindis press the nerve going to the brain from their forehead ----- observe it. Thats a regualar exercise of those nerves."[hope u dont mind this quote here Anup:))]
If you go back to the traditional folks of yesteryears or even in some houses now, you can clearly find that some of the principles of a full forehead is still being followed.
The male devotees of Ramanujacharya[ 'Nama'-three strokes on the forehead, in some one single line], Madhavacharya[Mudre- seals of sandal paste on various parts of the body including forehead], Shankaracharya[Vibhuti on the forehead], also the Shaivites[ vibhuti],
Vaishnavites[ strokes on their foreheads]. This practise is now slowly getting eliminated giving into the corporate set-up and also westernisation of our culture.
Earlier these symbols were used as a method to recognise the person's religious faith and the sect that he belonged to. Post Vedic era women mostly never got out of their homes, unless accompanied by a man. So, recognition was not important hence they do not follow such a tradition.
Infact, women were not/ most places still not allowed to worship Gods in their sacred abode inside the temple. This however, has something to do with the purity of women and their physical constraints that led them to refrain from indulging into such practises.[Shall discuss indetail under another topic in the following posts.]
2. Aesthetic reason---- A bindi always looks fantastic on any woman and the fashion trends that have added more glamour to the designs have made it evident.
What more is required...fad or no fad... "Yehi hai right choice baby, aha!!"{Pepsi Ad Slogan}
Take care and I hope you have enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed writing....
Do nourish the post with your valuable contribution and evaluation!
Love
Suj
