1:36nihhatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ kā prītiḥ syāj janārdanapāpam evāśrayed asmān hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ1:37tasmān nārhā vayaṁ hantuṁ dhārtarāṣṭrān svabāndhavānsvajanaṁ hi kathaṁ hatvā sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava In Śloka 36 and 37, Arjuna
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Swamiji, Do men adorn sandalwood mark on the forehead as a vertical mark or horizontal mark ? I have seen most people in Kerala mark it horizontally like with bhasma. But I have also noticed that Vaishnava sampradayas of north adorn an urdhva-tilaka. Please explain.
Posted by Arun on September 14, 2016
You have partly answered the question yourself. It shows the difference in practice of the Vaishnavite and Shaivite thoughts. Vaishnavites adorn sandalwood paste in an upward make to denote a spiritual awakening to higher thoughts (Northward). There is a red dot in the center to signify Lakshmi as well. However, the Shaivite followers adorn Bhasma as a constant remembrance of the perishable nature of the material world. It is done as three lines on the forehead or smeared all over the body. (tripuNDram or uddUlanam).
Hari Om.
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