Tilakam Madhuram

We are on the way back from the temple, from the Sunday feast program. We are out of milk and I need to get it for Monday but wait a minute I am draped in a sari, with a bright tilaka adorning the ajna chakra covered by the layers of flesh and skin - my forehead. I pass a palm over my forehead trying to clear up the tilaka before I can enter the grocery store. "What will people think of my appearance!"

That was my initial reaction when I started putting on the tilaka. Nowadays, it doesn't really matter, I'm less conscious of my bodily appearance and am immune to the stares and glances of onlookers. The Urdva Pundra or the Tilaka is one of the 5 items received at the time of initiation, where a Vaisnava can adorn his body with tilaka.

The smrti-sastras explain panca-samskara in the following manner:
tapah pundram tatha nama mantro yagas ca pancamah/ami hi panca-samskarah paramaikanti-hetavah//
"Tapa, pundra, nama, mantra, and yaga-these five items comprise panca-samskara. They are the cause of intense devotion to Lord Hari." [3]
When a faithful person learns about panca-samskara, he approaches a religious teacher and humbly requests him for initiation, or diksa. After considering the student's sincerity, the teacher mercifully gives tapa and pundra to the student in order to sanctify his body. Some religious groups give tapa by marking the student's body in various places with the symbols of Sri Visnu's conch, disc, club and lotus using hot iron brands. Other religious groups imprint the name of Hari with clay using a sandalwood stamp. [In reference to tapa the smrti sastras further state:
hari-namaksarair gatram ankayet candanadina/sa loka-pavano bhutva tasya lokam avapnuyat// [4]
"One who marks his body with the syllables of Hari's name using sandal paste purifies the world and after death attains the kingdom of God."
[In the Sri Sampradaya of Ramanuja tapa is given by branding the body with the symbols of conch and disc, but Sri Caitanyadeva has instructed that we mark the body with Harinama using sandal paste etc. instead of brands. This rule is a blessing for the souls of kali-yuga.]
Pundra, or tilaka marks, are vertical lines drawn on the body. The sastras interpret these vertical marks either as symbols representing the Temple of Hari, or as His footprints. Accordingly each religious group has its own prescription for pundra which is universally accepted within that particular group. [5]

So when my daughter's friend came home the other day, she looked at my daughter first and said what is this mark you have on your forehead. She then entered and looked at a picture of prabhupada with the same mark, Guru Maharaja with the same mark, Jayananda Thakura and said why do so many guys have this strange mark. The typical third generation preacher that she is my daughter said to her " You know we follow a different religion." Pointing to the altar she said, " There are more guys in there with the same mark, but you have to be clean before you can open it." I let her do the talking. It is all in the eyes of the beholder, some people think its bird poo, others think its a weird paint, but Vallabhacharya has said it all in his Madhurastakam, and since we follow the Lord our business is to be reminded and remind others of Him at all times through our words and actions and appearance.

Gitam madhuram pitam madhurambhuktam madhuram suptam madhuramrupam madhuram tilakam madhurammadhur-adipater akhilam madhuram
His song is sweet, His drinking is sweet, His eating is sweet, His sleeping is sweet,His beautiful form is sweet, His Tilaka (mark on the forehead) is sweet,Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.
Text5