I am here with a simple and quick post today, about the forehead marks in our tradition. Of course, there are various sects in Sanathan dharma and each sect has their own way/style and also use different substances to mark the forehead like Sindhoor, Kumkum, Holy Ash or Nama. We are not here to discuss about these variations today but about the primary idea of making a mark in the forehead and the reasons behind it. Marking your forehead is considered very important and there is even a saying in Tamil language; "நீறில்லா நெற்றி பாழ்" which means, "A forehead with no mark (with holy ash) is futile". Quick view is not given for this post.
What is the importance of Forehead ?
First, let us know some important details about forehead. The center of the forehead is the space between the two eyebrows but little higher. Remember!!! This is where Lord Shiva has his Third Eye.
In yoga tradition, there is one important meditation technique which emphasizes the concentration of mind and sight between the two eyebrows. The name of the technique is "Jangama Dhyana". It is said that in deeper practice of such dhyana, the mind concentrated between the eyebrows begins to automatically lose all external factors/diversions and focuses on concentration only on the inner self.
Kundalini Yoga defines many Chakras (energy points) in the body and according to that, the sixth Chakra, is called as "Ajna" (the Third Eye) which is the center of the forehead. Watch this video...
In Chinese Acupuncture, this place is referred as "Yintang" and considered as a special point. But they point it exactly between the brows but not slightly higher like us. They believe that by pressing this point with needle, mind calms down and also relieves a person from headaches, sinus disorders, insomnia, stress and anxiety.
In Acupressure too, the forehead is considered an important point which is associated with mind, memory, depression and anxiety. Though the points are different here, it is still located in the forehead. Look at this video....
Now let us go back to our Chakra system and learn little more about Ajna - The Brow Chakra, The literal meaning of the term "Ajna" is to command. This chakra is shaped like a five pointed star. There are two petals for this chakra. Many people have interpreted the two petals in different ways to symbolize the following :
- Two psychic channels (Nadi) Ida and Pingala
- Lord Shiva and Hakini Shakthi
- Manifest and the Unmanifest
- Pineal and Pituitary glands
It is also called as the "Third Eye", which is the eye of intuition and intellect. perceiving something through the mind. We all know that Lord Shiva has three eyes, In chakra system, every human being possesses third eye chakra but do not know the way to activate it. The way to activate it is also clearly given and this is known as chakra meditation. Please take a look at this video....
Why do we mark the forehead?
Now we know that the forehead is an important place, not only in our tradition, even in that of Chinese. But, only we Indians mark the forehead with Holy Ash, Nama, Chandan or Sindoor. Why do we do that?
- First, when we apply these in forehead, we are gently pressing the forehead, which is involuntarily helping in activating the third eye.
- While applying them, in that particular second at least, we think about God, which is helpful in the spiritual progress.
- Holy Ash, Sindoor, Chandan, Nama all have medicinal qualities. Holy Ash, especially the one which is found as the residue after a Homa/Yajna is performed, is considered highly medicinal.
- It is believed that the spiritual energy from the environment enters the body through this point "Ajna" and hence great care is taken to protect it with spiritually positive forces like holy ash, sindoor etc.
Medicinal qualities of Holy Ash and Kumkum and how are they prepared :
The substances that we use to mark our forehead, have medicinal qualities. For that we should know the ways in which they are traditionally prepared. I will try to keep this part short but will provide many links for you to refer.
Holy Ash :
Applying Holy Ash signifies a great truth of life. Everything in this world is finally going to become ash and it reminds us to reduce attachment and ego.
The remains of Homa is distributed as Holy Ash. There is another old method to prepare this by using cow dung (It is considered highly medicinal according to Ayurveda) during annual Shivaratri. The cow dung from Indian breed cows are gathered, prepared in cakes and dried in Sun. Then it is placed in layers in the form of a pyramid (Muttan). Viraja Homa is performed on the morning of Shivratri and once the Homa is done, fire is placed on the Muttan. This takes a couple of days and when it is fully burnt, what is left is considered as the Holy Ash (Viboothi).
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| By Salem iyer (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
Refer to these sources to know more about holy ash, its preparation and health benefits :
Kumkum :
This is basically prepared from turmeric and we all know that turmeric is one of the best antiseptic and antibiotic herb. Turmeric is widely used in Ayurveda. I have given the traditional preparation, as given by Sankaracharya (Maha periyava).
Take an equal amount of whole turmeric (round one is better) and filtered seedless lemon juice. Cut the turmeric in small pieces. Mix Alum and Borox in the lemon juice (read the link given for exact measurements) and finally the chopped turmeric. Stir it thrice a day till turmeric absorbs all the liquid. Then dry it in shade and when it is dried nicely, powder it, sieve it and store it. Kumkum is ready to use.
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| By Annishaikh1990 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
Traditional vs. Modern :
Traditional application of holy ash and nama generally covered the entire forehead in men, even the acupressure points told before.Women, apart from applying kumkum in the middle center of the forehead, also applied holy ash on top of that. But in modern times, due to fashion, lack of time and such other reasons, we neither prepare it in the traditional way nor apply it properly. It is also sad to note that these are prepared with added chemicals to give good color, fragrance etc, which irritates the skin and spoils the true idea itself (medicinal qualities, protection etc). We are helpless and we need to actually go with the flow. It is extremely tough to find 100% organic products these days and we do not have time to search. As far as the application is concerned, we either mark it as a tiny dot and in the wrong spot, or do not mark at all, except when visiting temples. So what are the possible solutions? Since we now know the importance of forehead and why do we mark it, we can take the initiative to do it in a proper way, at least once in a while, if not everyday. We can try to buy pure and organic products from trusted sellers, or whenever a homa is done, we can ask for more holy ash and store it. Just remember two popular proverbs. "Better late than never" and "Where there is will, there is way" .
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