bottu and its importance

[Guest guest]

I posted this on the news and Eshwar J recommended that I circulate it to the

group here. This is what I tell when someone asks me about my bottu.

It happens everyday so this lecture something I give everyday.

 

Hope this helps.

Any additional information will be greatly appreciated.

Manjula Vangipuram

 

BOTTU - KUMKUMA - TILAKAM - NAMAM

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What is this red mark on your forehead?

What does it stand for?

Why do you put it on?

Are you bleeding?

 

Those are some of the questions asked by non-Hindus out of curiosity.

Hindus also ask some of those fundamental questions themselves.

It seems they do not have answers for them or they may get partially

satisfactory answers. We ignore this topic as if we have the answers.

 

According to Brown "boTTu" means "a drop" as in "neeTi boTTu".

But the Bottu we refer to is that "kumkuma boTTu" or "tilakam boTTu".

Brown explains that "nudiTi boTTu" in the following line --

 

"A sectarian mark on the forehead, white, yellow, black, or scarlet,

long or round."

-----------

 

Hinduism has several tokens of imitation or provisions

or signs or indicative gestures which are strictly followed by the

practising Hindus. These externally visible indicative gestures are one

way highly essential in the Hindu society and do some good. Some of

these indicative gestures of Hinduism appear as useless customs but if

one applies his/her deep sense of understanding, it will be clear that

they are highly benificial to the individual and society, ultimately.

Another important aspect of adhering to these indicative gestures is the

scientific side.

 

A commonly seen "nuduTipai tilakamu" (a mark or beauty

spot, made on the forehead with black, scarlet, or gold paint) indicates

auspiciousness (good omen, happiness, prosperity, good fortune, welfare

and overall it is mamgaLam). People wear camdanam (sandalwood powder)

or viBooti (ash or calcium salts) or kumkuma (a plant dye mixed with

turmeric powder) as boTTu on the forehead. Shivites wear viBooti boTTu.

Vishanvites wear camdanam boTTu. Worshipers of Devi and Sakti wear

kumkuma boTTu. Shiva loves the burial ground (SmaSa'nam) and the ash is

the only one available there. In fact, our mythology depicts Shiva as

one who applies the ash all over his body. Probably this viBooti (ash)

has a cooling effect. Shiva is a radiant God with full of energey. In

order to cool himself down, he puts on the viBooti. In fact Shiva is the

source of all energies. Going back to the science of viBooti, viBooti

is nothing but either anhydrous calcium chloride or calcium sulfate.

The ash one finds in the burial ground is wood ash mixed with calcium

salts from the bones. In hot summers Indians sweat a lot and this

viBooti na'mam or coating on the forehead will absorb the moisture from

the sweat and cools the person. On the otherhand Vishnumoorty's

camdanam boTTu signifies the peaceful nature of maha'vishNu. camdanam

has also body cooling properties. Ugranarasimhamoorty of Simhachalam is

cooled year around by applying a thick plaster of camdanam all over the

idol and once a year the camdanam that was applied for the entire past

year will be removed (done during the camdana ya'tra festival). The

master gland of the human body which regulates the homeostasis and

time-keeping is the pineal gland which is also known as the third eye,

located exactly behind where Hindus wear the boTTu (nuduru). There may

be a direct effect of the compounds present in viBooti or kumkuma or

camdanam on the pineal gland in Hindus (positive effects like

maintaining the psychological balance). The blood red kumkuma of Sakti

or Devi worshipers clearly indicates the omnipotent nature of the Godess

they worship. a'Dadi a'diSakti - the saying becomes more powerful when

the woman wears a kumkuma on her forehead.

 

Is this boTTu only restricted to married women? No.

Even men put on this boTTu - camdanam or viBooti or kumkuma. Married

women (while husband is alive) wear the kumkuma boTTu (prosperity).

This is another indicative gesture of Hindu culture. tilakam is a

liquid form of red paint that is sold in the market (It is some

synthetic dye dissolved in organic solvents. Some times it causes severe

irritation of the skin). Vermilion (simdhooramu or imgiliikamu) is also

a well-known agent used as boTTu (simdhooram is nothing but red lead.

Red lead is a heavy metal and is extremely neurotoxic. Who knows what

it does at low doses to the brain and nervous system? Are there any

benificial effects or red lead simdhooram while applied on forehead as

boTTu?). Kings used to mix musk (from deer; for scent and fragrance)

with vermilion and put it on the forehead as boTTu - adding musk is the

sign of aristrocracy. Can not Hindu widows wear kumkuma or any kind of

boTTu? Why not! They can wear kumkuma boTTu. Our religion does not

forbid Hindu widows from not putting on the kumkuma boTTu on the

forehead. Remember one thing - boTTu is not an essential item of Vedas

or dharma Sa'stra's. The post-vedic ta'mtric period brought boTTu into

Hindu religion and culture.

 

Sivananda Saraswati says "a'~na' cakram is located

exactly in the center in between the eyebrows and the tilakam should be

put there. This sort application on the a'~na' cakram has tremendous

cooling effect. In addition to spiritual fulfilment, camdanam has other

benificial effects as boTTu."

 

Concentration (between the eyebrows - Bhroo) causes

enoromous energy dissipation and camdanam is supposed to cool the heat.

Tilakam indicates the hidden eye of the human. Shiva has the third eye

located in between the eyebrows (Bhroo) and when he opens that third eye

all the locas will be destroyed. If Shiva's third eye is closed, all

the bondages will be destroyed (the sins will be destroyed). If one

wears the tilakam boTTu on the forehead he or she feels "I am the

Brahma; I am not different from Brahma and I am a liberated soul."

 

There are different ways and procedures of putting on the

boTTu (tilakam). Shivites draw 3 viBooti lines horizontally on the

forehead (aDDa na'ma'lu). Vishnavites wear 3 perpendicular na'ma's

(also vRutta'ka'ra tripumDam). Vishnavites also pray to Vishnu saying

"Please rescue us from the bad elements" while applying the niluvu

na'ma'lu. The pamgana'ma'lu is well known na'madha'raNa in Andhra.

There may be differences in the application of nama'lu but there are no

differences between Shivism and Vishnavism. The Vishnava boTTu is also

called "soga boTTu" or "niluvu boTTu". The Shivite boTTu is called

"niluvu boTTu". ta'Li boTTu is another boTTu (mamgaLa sootram) that

Andhra married women adore. gaTTi boTTu is nothing but a zero in

Telugu. nEti boTTu is a drop of ghee.

 

One finds the following in Hinduism:

 

1) A forehead without boTTu

2) A mamtra japa without knowing the meaning

3) A head that does not pay respects to great souls

4) A heart without compassion

5) A house without a well

6) A village without a temple

7) A country without a river

8) A society without a leader

9) A wealth without offering donations

10) A teacher without a student

11) A king without an efficient minister

12) A country without justice

13) A wife who does not respect the husband

14) A well without water

15) A flower without fragrance

16) A soul without purity

17) A land without rainfall

18) A wisdom without clear thought

19) A student who does not respect the teacher

20) A body striken with diseases

21) A tradition without purity

22) Praying to God and not being considerative

23) A talk without truth

24) A land without good people

25) A job without salary

26) A hermit without doing sacrifices

27) A pair of feet without experiencing piligrimage

28) A decission without wisdom

29) A knife without sharpness

30) A cow which does not give milk

31) A fishing pole without hook

 

Should be ignored and relinquished. Look at this list and

decide where boTTu stands.

 

 

amga'ru is a black boTTu made out of saggu biyyamu or biyyamu. The

saggu biyyamu or biyyamu are charred and converted into a black

(charcoal colored) paste. Infants are decorated with amga'ru on their

foreheads. This is supposed to protect the infants from the disTi.

Like everything else now one can get a variety of stickon boTTus. They

are different shapes and in different colors. They match with the dress

and shoes. They come in packages. You wear one and throw it. Over the

years, boTTu has become an ornament and an ingredient of the makeup.

The kumkam boTTu is prepared with turmeric, alum and lime juice. Some

times certain natural dyes (seeds with dyes) are also added while making

the powder. Safron is well known as kumkumaoojiTTa. Occassionally

scents are also added to kumkuma. If wives do kumkuma pooja, the Devi

will bless the whole family with good health and a lot of wealth.

Whatever the boTTu is made up of, the girl looks beautiful with the

boTTu on! kalakalla'Dina kaLa!!!

 

--

 

'`'*,.,*'`'*,.,*'`'*,.,*'`'*,.,*'`'*,.,*'`'*,.,*'`'*,.,*'`'*,.,*'`'*,.,*'`'

 

IF YOU LOVE SOMETHING LET IT GO

IF IT COMES BACK TO YOU IT WAS AND WILL ALWAYS

BE YOURS

BUT IF IT DOES NOT COME BACK TO YOU IT WAS NEVER

YOURS TO START WITH

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