Tilak

My body and face is adorned with sacred Tilak, and auspicious kunkum. Around my neck hang three strands of Tulasi beads. Every morning as I rush to put on my tilak, my fingers automatically streak across my forehead, my lips automatically uttering sacred mantras, while my mind is busily buzzing in its own thoughts far away.

Let today be different.

I stop to think, “What is the significance of these?” “Why wear them? Do I really want to, or is nothing more than an automatic ‘ritual’ I’ve grown up with?” I start with basic definitions first. What is tilak? Yes, it is sacred clay, but what makes it sacred? Tilak is special because it is from the Holy Dham, where the Lord manifested His wonderful pastimes.

Sri Vrndavan Dham is blessed with the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha Krsna and their Gopis from Vrndavan. The dust of this Dham is mixed with Their transcendental sweat from the divine Rasa dance, and their tears of separation. Reading through the many glories of Gopi Chandana, I found this, in the Garga Samhita:

“Twice as sacred as the mud of the Ganga is the dust of Chitrakuta. Ten times more sacred than that is the dust of Panchavati-tirtha. A hundred times more sacred is the dust of gopi-chandana. Please know that gopi-chandana is equal to the dust of Vrindavana.”

The Garga Samhita goes on to glorify Gopi Chandan, in an entire Gopi Chandana Mahatmya. (Read it here)

Sri Radha Kund is the most sacred place ever! It is a rare treasure, not even manifest in the spiritual Goloka! It is the epitome of auspiciousness manifested in the Holy Dham, most dear to Srimati Radhika Rani and the Vraja-Raja-Suta, Shyamasundara. Srila Rupa Goswami, our Gaudiya Vaisnava authority, says,

“The holy place known as Mathura is spiritually superior to Vaikuntha, the transcendental world, because the Lord appeared there. Superior to Mathura-Puri is the transcendental forest of Vrndavana because of Krsna's rasa-lila pastimes. And superior to the forest of Vrndavana is Govardhana Hill, for it was raised by the divine hand of Sri Krsna and was the site of His various loving pastimes. And, above all, the superexcellent Sri Radha-kunda stands supreme, for it is overflooded with the ambrosial nectarean prema of the Lord of Gokula, Sri Krsna. Where, then, is that intelligent Person who is unwilling to serve this divine Radha-kunda, which is situated at the foot of Govardhana Hill?” (Upadesamrta Verse 9)

Now that is special! An immense feeling appreciation along with wonder stirs within. I feel so fortunate to have such access to Tilak. I’ve been wearing it since as long as I can remember, and before. My face, head, neck, limbs, and torso are blessed by this tilak. Often I take too many things for granted. (Tilak is a good example!) W are simply blessed!

I put on tilak, appreciating it. I recite the respective mantras, meditating on each name, form and pastime of Krsna accordingly: Keshava, Narayana, Madhava, Govinda, and so on. What a wonderful start to the day!

Slow down! Why rush through life, without enjoying the sweet little treasures? Why not appreciate the gifts Krsna has given us (even the ones we use daily, like tilak)? Of course, we appreciate the festivals, because each one comes once a year. But the wealth of a Krsna consciousness lifestyle is truly unfathomable. Let’s cherish it. If everyday, each and every one of us thought about the significance of everything we did, the entire day, and it's relation to Krsna, we'd be much much better off. This is just one little blog post on Tilak. There's millions of other things we could appreciate as well! Srila Prabhupada has given us this wonderful opportunity to live in Krsna Consciousness. ('Consciousness' as a way of life; a state of mind. As a pose to a religion that we can take on when we're at our prayer centers, and discard any other time. This is a highly elevated consciousness we strive to be situated in twenty-four hours a day, everyday.)



Just seeing the brilliant face of a Vaisnava, adorned boldly with tilak makes puts me in high spirits. Such is the potency of sacred tilak.

Tilak is also an excellent preaching tool, especially in India, where people recognize it as a symbol of religiosity. They respect it. For those a little shy for preaching or book distribution, tilak is an advantage, because often others come to you asking questions, without you directly approaching them. All you have to do is wear your tilak; it’s is our uniform! Just as a lost person recognizes a police officer to ask for help, the public recognize us as representatives of Lord Caitanya’s Sankirtan movement, ready and willing to direct anyone and everyone back home, back to Godhead.

Often it starts just with a hint of curiosity. Some just stare at first, a little flame kindles up inside. Later they may muster up the courage to ask a few questions. The questions may be as simple as “Why do you wear it?”, “What religious organization do you belong to?” or “How many temples do the Hare Krishnas have? Where is the closest one?” Then the questions slowly get deeper, into philosophy. They ask about our beliefs. They may even question our beliefs, but always end defeated because our philosophy is supremely logical and scientific; not mere sentiment. It will impress them, and they may come to the temple. Then, they get attracted. Slowly, by the association and mercy of the Vaisnavas, they advance in their spiritual life.

And to think, its all because you wore tilak to your workplace, or school, or just anywhere in public!

Never underestimate the power of tilak.