Traditionally it is a dot of red color applied in the center of the forehead close to the eyebrows, but it can also consist of a sign or piece of jewelry worn at this location.
Traditionally, the area between the eyebrows (where the bindi is placed) is said to be the sixth chakra, ajna, the seat of "concealed wisdom".
According to followers of Hinduism, this chakra is the exit point for kundalini energy. The bindi is said to retain energy and strengthen concentration.
It is also said to protect against demons or bad luck. The bindi also represents the third eye.
Misconception:
A misconception, urban legend, or myth about the bindi in the western world is that only married Hindu women wear red bindis as a symbol of wedlock .
Red represents honor, love and prosperity hence was worn traditionally by women to symbolize this.
The red bindi has multiple meanings which are all valid at the same time. This is also a spiritual symbol.
History:
The earliest references to the bindi in the literature were drawings in third- and fourth-century texts showing Hindu women with bindis. It is assumed today that the bindi was used to distinguish women from different castes if and by the way they wore their bindis – what color they had and what shape.
Even in ancient times, bindis used to be not only red, but also white, yellow, brown and black, depending on the material they were made from – plants, seeds, fruits or soot.
Red was always a color considered auspicious and therefore used on most occasions.
Actual Meaning:
1. By one simple interpretation it is a cosmetic mark used to enhance beauty.
2. In meditation, this very spot between the eyebrows (Bhrumadhya) is where one focuses his/her sight, so that it helps concentration. Most images of Buddha or Hindu divinities in meditative pose with their eyes nearly closed show the gaze focused between eyebrows (other spot being the tip of the nose - naasikagra).
3. Swami Muktanand writes 'auspicious Kumkum or sandal wood paste is applied (between the eyebrows) out of respect for inner Guru. It is the Guru's seat. There is a chakra (center of spiritual energy within human body) here called Ajna (Aadnyaa) chakra meaning 'Command center'. Here you receive the Guru's command to go higher in Sadhana (spiritual practice) to the 'Sahasraar' (seventh and final chakra) which leads to Self realization. The flame seen at the eyebrow is called 'Guru Jyoti'.
4. The encyclopedic dictionary of Yoga informs that this 'Ajna Chakra' is also called as the 'Third eye'. This center is connected with the sacred syllable 'Om' and presiding it is 'ParaaShiva'. After activation of this center, the aspirant overcomes 'Ahamkar' (ego or sense of individuality), the last hurdle on the path of spirituality.
Joke:
In White Saree , when you wear RED Bindi,
My lords sake,An ambulance coming to my eyes,
It takes injure person to the hospital,
But you carry on injuring us......
My View:
Decorative Indian bindis brighten up anyone's face and outfit.
The red dot on the forehead was traditionally drawn by hand by dipping one’s fingertip in red vermilion or kumkum powder and applying as round a dot as possible. In fact, bindi means round in Sanskrit and bottu, going back to Dravidian sources, means fingertip.
The bindi’s popularity is caused by no small extend to the fact that they are an inexpensive way to add that little extra to any outfit – regardless if one is going to the office, a party or a wedding. The limits of bindi designs hence just depend on the creativity and imagination of bindi makers and designers.
Traditionally, the bindi has been the symbol of a married woman whose husband is alive, therefore widows were not allowed to wear it. In fact, during the husband’s funeral, the red kumkum powder once used for drawing the bindi is thrown on his body while it is wiped from his wife’s forehead. Today, some widows wear bindis as do unmarried women and women and girls who are not Hindus.
The meaning of the bindi has not only shifted but got completely reversed over the centuries – from a mark of exclusion or exclusivity to a decorative (fashion) statement that unites women around the world. Blogger Labels: Indian,Bindi,Sanskrit,particle,forehead,decoration,India,piece,jewelry,location,area,wisdom,followers,Hinduism,energy,concentration,luck,Misconception,legend,myth,world,Hindu,symbol,wedlock,History,literature,times,plants,soot,Actual,interpretation,meditation,Bhrumadhya,Most,images,Buddha,Swami,Muktanand,Kumkum,wood,Guru,human,Ajna,Aadnyaa,Command,Here,Sadhana,Sahasraar,Self,realization,Jyoti,dictionary,Yoga,Chakra,Third,ParaaShiva,activation,aspirant,Ahamkar,path,White,Saree,person,hospital,View,Decorative,fact,Dravidian,office,imagination,woman,husband,funeral,wife,Hindus,exclusion,statement,demons,references,texts,castes,makers,eyebrows,women,bindis,fingertip,widows
