''Tripundra'' ( ''tripuṇḍra'' "three marks") is a Hindu

Shaivite Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. It is the second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million Hindus, found widely across South Asia (predominantly in ...

tilaka In Hinduism, the tilaka (), colloquially known as a tika, is a mark worn usually on the forehead, at the point of the Ajna, ''ajna chakra'' (third eye or spiritual eye) and sometimes other parts of the body such as the neck, hand, chest, or the ...

, worn by Shaivas as an indication of their affiliation with

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. It is also one of the tilakas worn by

Smarta The ''Smarta'' tradition (, ) is a movement in Hinduism that developed and expanded with the Puranas genre of literature. It reflects a synthesis of four philosophical strands, namely Uttara Mīmāṃsā, Advaita Vedanta, Advaita, Yoga (philo ...

Hindus. It consists of three horizontal lines (and sometimes a dot) on the forehead, usually made with sacred ash, and has spiritual meanings in the Shaivite traditions of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. The

Vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

counterpart of this tilaka, consisting of vertical lines, is called the

Urdhva Pundra The Urdhva Pundra () is a tilak, tilaka worn by Vaishnavites, Vaishnavas as an indication of their affiliation with Vishnu. It is generally worn on the forehead, but may also be worn on other parts of the body such as the shoulders. The markings ...

History

The practice is discussed in

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

texts such as Bhasmajabala Upanishad, Brihajjabala Upanishad and Kalagni Rudra Upanishad. The allegorical significance of the "three ash lines", states Deussen, is that the tradition sees them as streaks of three Vedic fires, three audible syllables of ''

AUM ''Om'' (or ''Aum''; ; , ISO 15919: ''Ōṁ'') is a polysemous symbol representing a sacred sound, seed syllable, mantra, and invocation in Hinduism. Its written form is the most important symbol in the Hindu religion. It is the ess ...

'', three

Guṇa () is a concept in Hinduism, which can be translated as "quality, peculiarity, attribute, property".Atmans, trayi

Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

, and three aspects of Shiva.

Usage and significance

The Tripuṇḍra, three horizontal lines, on the forehead as well as other body parts are symbols during rites of passages, and for some a daily practice. These lines, states Antonio Rigopoulos, represent Shiva’s threefold power of will (icchāśakti), knowledge (jñānaśakti), and action (kriyāśakti). The Tripuṇḍra described in this and other Shaiva texts also symbolizes Shiva’s trident (triśūla) and the divine triad of Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva. Tripundra, to those who apply it, is a reminder of the spiritual aims of life, the truth that body and material things shall someday become ash, and that mukti is a worthy goal. ''Tri'' means three, pundra means one which is released. There are three horizontal lines of vibhuti (holy ash) on the brow, often with a dot ( bindu) as the third eye. Holy ash, remains from yagya or sacrificial fire-wood is a reminder of the temporary nature of the physical body and the importance of spiritual attainment and closeness to

(Atman-Brahman). Chapter 2 of ''Kalagni Rudra Upanishad'' explains the three lines as various triads: sacred fires, syllables of Om, '' guna''s, worlds, types of '' atman'' (Soul), powers, Vedas, the time of extraction of the Vedic drink Soma, and Mahesvara (a form of Shiva). *The first line is equated to ''Garhapatya'' (the sacred fire in a household kitchen), the ''A'' syllable of Om, the Rajas guna, the earth, the external Atman, ''

Kriyā () most commonly refers to a "completed action", technique or practice within a yoga discipline meant to achieve a specific result. Etymology is a Sanskrit term, derived from the Sanskrit root , meaning 'to do'. ' means 'action, deed, effo ...

'' – the power of action, the ''

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...

'', the morning extraction of Soma, and

Maheshvara Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. *The second streak of ash is a reminder of ''Dakshinagni'' (the holy fire lighted in the South for ancestors), the sound ''U'' of Om, Sattva guna, the atmosphere, the inner Atman, '' Iccha'' – the power of will, the ''

Yajurveda The ''Yajurveda'' (, , from यजुस्, "worship", and वेद, "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals.Michael Witzel (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in ''The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism'' (Edito ...

'', midday Soma extraction, and Sadasiva. *The third streak is the Ahavaniya (the fire used for Homa), the ''M'' syllable in Om, the Tamas guna,

Svarga Svarga (, ), also known as Swarga, Indraloka and Svargaloka, is the celestial abode of the devas in Hinduism. Svarga is one of the seven higher lokas ( esoteric planes) in Hindu cosmology. Svarga is often translated as heaven, though it is reg ...

– heaven, the

Paramatman ''Paramatman'' (Sanskrit: परमात्मन्, IAST: Paramātman) or ''Paramātmā'' is the absolute '' Atman'', or supreme Self, in various philosophies such as the Vedanta and Yoga schools in Hindu theology, as well as other Indian r ...

– the highest Atman (Brahman), the power of perception, the ''

Samaveda The ''Samaveda'' (, , from '' सामन्'', "song" and ''वेद'', "knowledge"), is the Veda of melodies and chants. It is an ancient Vedic Sanskrit text, and is one of the sacred scriptures in Hinduism. One of the four Vedas, it is a l ...

'', Soma extraction at dusk, and

. The "Tri" in the word Tripundra signifies the Triguna – Satva, Raja and Tama; Triloka – Bhuhu, Bhuvaha, Suvaha; Tritapa – Bbhoutika, Daivika, Adhyatmika. Tripundra is also called as Bhasma or Vibhuti. Tripundra also signifies Prana or life force and the three responsibilities performed by Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva respectively. Brahma represents Creation, Vishnu denotes Sustenance and Shiva connotes Destruction. Thus Tripundra symbolises Holy Trinity of Hindu Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Tripundra Applying Tripundra on the forehead is termed as "Bhasma dharana". The word Bhasma means calcined ash. Those who wear Tripundra on their forehead, often recite the mantras of the Lord while remembering its spiritual meaning and it is not just a sign of culture or identification.

Regional nomenclature

Tripundra is called திருநீறு / ''Thiruneeru'' in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

and ತಿರುನಾಮ / ''Thirunama'' in

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

. It is also known as Tripundraka. त्रिपुण्ड्रक
Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany

References

Citations

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