Sadhu Brothers
Vaishnava sadhus like the two brothers in
this photograph are identified by their
vertical tilaka consisting of three parts: two
yellow or white arcs form a U-shape from
the bridge of the nose to the hairline and a
red dot or line fills in the center. Different
Vaishnava sects reinterpret this basic form,
resulting in a variety of distinctive tilakas
and symbolic meaning.
These two sadhus bear a swath of red set
of yellow patterning symbolic of the bow
that Rama, a incarnation of Vishnu, used to slay the demon Ravana and to save his wife Sita in the Hindu Ramayana epic. The Tengal Vaishnavas draw a trident, while the Badgals and Acharis interpret their tilaka as the white sole of Vishnu’s right foot on a lotus with the red center representing Lakshmi. Red pigment made from turmeric called “the powder of Shri,”referring to Vishnu’s consort, and white or yellow clay called gopi-chandana, a type of sandalwood that comes from a sacred Vishnu site, are used by Vaishnava sadhus to create their tilaka decorations.
Sadhvi
Though the vast majority of sadhus are men—their various
communities are frequently referred to as brotherhoods—women,
too, renounce the worldly life in favor of one dedicated to spiritual
practice. Sadhvis, like the Vishnu devotee in this portrait, typically
enter the ascetic life when they are older, usually widowed or still
unmarried. Traditionally, widows have been marginalized in Hindu
society. This is due to the legacy of an ancient belief in the deeply
inauspicious character of a woman who’s lost her husband;
asceticism offers an alternative to this stigma. Not all sects accept
women, while a few are composed entirely of sadvis, and history is
marked by a number of important woman-saints. However, women do
occupy a lower position in the spiritual hierarchy.
Bom Shankar
Red, orange, saffron, ochre and pink—the colors of fire, the
sun, sacrificial blood and the earth—are the shades preferred
by Shaivas are most commonly recognized by their
distinctive tilaka, composed of three horizontal lines across
their foreheads made with sandalwood, other yellow or orange
pigments, or ashes from the sacred fire (vibhuti). The three lines
are associated with Shiva’s iconic trident, symbolizing the
oneness of the Hindu trinity of Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu.
Often a red or black dot, the bindu, representing either the
“void” or Shiva’s powerful third eye, is incorporated into Shaiva
tilaka, as this sadhu’s forehead decoration displays.
Emulating the model of Shiva, Lord of Yogis, this Shaiva sadhu
wears his hair in matted locks (jata) and dons multiple strands
of rudraksh-bead rosaries (malas), used primarily to count
mantra recitations and as a kind of amulet. Shiva’s jata control
the orce of the River Ganges as it falls from heaven and serves
as the seat of his yogic powers; to sadhus the locks are a
symbol of virility and supernatural power.
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