New Hindu

[srev2004]

It's pretty difficult to get away from materialistic things in this day and age. Wonder what would happen if civilization got destroyed and we all had to go back to the good ol' days

Material in the sense, I work for money, not for service to humanity. I go to school for myself, not for the knowledge I will contribute.

[nekozuki]

While you do need money you also need to work and make money because you enjoy helping people, otherwise it ends up being a miserable job.

[Devibhakta]

Namaste to all,

I just posted some of my story in the Shakta thread, so I won't repeat it here, but I'll continue by saying that because I found, or was found by, Devi, I can and do consider myself to be a Hindu as a descendant of those very most ancient peoples for whom their Deity was the Goddess, and Who has been uninterruptedly worshipped for around 9000 years. I can understand and accept why the Vedas must be authoritative, because they were the first scriptures, prayers, rituals, and so on, of the human race, and how could they ever have lost that authority? Everything that has come since may indeed have its own type of authority, but it all started, I believe, with the very dawn of human consciousness. I am happy having the certainty that I do, that our Deity is Devi (mine, anyway), and that there is a place for all of us in Sanatana Dharma.

Om shantih shantih shantih.

[nekozuki]

Nice to meet you Devibhakta

[devisarada]

Namaste,

Perhaps someone can answer this question for me.

A yound friend of mine asked me why some Hindu girls wear a red dot between their eye-brows, and I believe the answer is more complicated than my understanding of it. Perhaps someone could explain further.

I told her that the dot represented the "third eye" of spirituality, or looking inward, and that the colour red was used by married women as a symbol of their marriage, and the honour of their husbands.

Then she asked, why then, did she see little girls of 8 or 11 years of age wearing them. I said, it might be that they have already been betrothed to their future husband.

She didn't think that was the case here.

I have also noticed t some brahmacharinis also wearing a sindur dot on their forehead.

So, my question is, besides marriage in the case of a woman, what else does the red dot symbolize? We could perhaps get into the symbolism of markings, red, or other wise, but here my specific concern is the red dot worn by women.

[sarabhanga]

Namaste Devi,

A “red dot” on the forehead is the Bindu of Sindura ~ the Indu of the Sindhu ~ a drop or a spark from the Ocean of Light ~ a solar disc that illuminates the Atma and shades the Ajna Cakra or “third eye” of all blessed Hindus.

Marriage is traditionally indicated by a red mark in the parting of the hair of a married woman ~ her maiden’s head is split and bleeds symbolically to show her status as a wife and mother.