Faces of India – 41 Vaishnavite with Urdhva Pundra

He is a Vaishnavite, a follower of Lord Vishnu. The markings on his forehead indicates his faith. He is a pujari in a temple in Melkote, Karnataka. The tilak is called Urdhva Pundra. It is part of the Vaishnava tradition. Devotees believe it represents Bhagwan Vishnu and his divine consort, Lakshmi.

The Vasudeva Upanishad, a Vaishnava tradition text, explains the significance of three vertical lines in Urdhva Pundra in different ways.

  • The tilaka is said to be a reminder of the Vedic scriptures – Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda.
  • It also represents three worlds Bhu, Bhuva, Svar;
  • the three phones of Om – A, U, M.
  • Add to that, the three states of consciousness – awake, dream sleep, deep sleep, the three realities – Maya, Brahman and Atman
  • and the three bodies – Sthula, Sukshma, and Karana

See a Shaivite with different religious forehead marking here: Faces of India 352

Faces of India

a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country whom I met during my travels. I bring back souvenirs, frozen moments from my travels, why not some memories of people I have met and interacted during the travels. Faces of India is a weekly series in my blog since MARCH 2011. See more here

Vaishnavite with tilak Urdhava Pundra

Vaishnavite with Urdhva Pundra on forehead

 

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