Wearing the marks of a Vaishnava - Gopi-chandan

Hare Krishna

I have noticed prabhus that Raganuga Bhakta's DON'T
have the mark of a Vaisnava like Vaisnavas do..

Why is that, could somebody explain please..

i.e Sri Ananta Das Babaji Maharja in profile,
has no mark on the forehead

Please forgive me for any offences caused

The Tilaka used is from Radha Kunda, not Gopi Chandan as worn by most western devotees. Radha Kunda Tilaka is of a grey colour and less easy to notice from afar or in bright light, this is probably why you didn't notice it. However, if you have another look at the photos in the visions section, the urdhva-pundra mark can be clearly seen.

Does it matter?

who cares if you have a mark on the material garb that you wear or not.

Mark is not important, but the devotion to Radha-krishna is ......

Its just my thought.....

You might want to check out some more pictures of him.

http://www.raganuga.com/baba/

Here is a relevant bit from Baba's tika on Raga Vartma Candrika, preceded by the original text of Visvanatha.

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tulasI kASTha-mAlA gopIcandanAdi tilaka nAma mudrA caraNa cihnAdi dhAraNAni vaiSNava-cihnAnyanukUlAni |

Wearing neckbeads of Tulasi-wood, wearing tilaka made of gopicandana and so forth, and wearing the names or footprints of Krishna, are known as the signs of a Vaisnava, and are favorable for one’s desired feeling.

Excerpt from the commentary: They [the Vaishnavas] worship Sri Visnu by wearing His Visnu-power on the body. While putting on the twelve marks of tilaka, which constitute the twelve forms of Narayana, the Vaisnavas pronounce Sri Hari’s holy names like Kesava, Narayana, Madhava and Govinda, and think of placing the twelve-fold energy of Lord Narayana, such as fame, luster, satisfaction and nourishment, on the twelve parts of the body. Thus, by wearing the Vaisnava-tilaka that is described in the scriptures, and by meditating with it on the power of Visnu, the body, mind and life-airs of the Vaisnavas will gradually and habitually become Visnumaya, filled with Visnu.

Not understanding these secrets of the wearing of beads and tilaka, some people say: “Bhakti is an internal matter, what is the use of these external signs like mala and tilaka? You cannot just purify the heart by wearing the signs of a Vaisnava. When one engages in sadhana bhajana for purifying one’s heart, then what use is this wearing of external signs?” To this one may answer that by wearing signs like the mala and the tilaka, the Vaisnava awakens his svarupa-jnana, his awareness of his constitutional position, and since this is a positive act of surrender to the Lord, it is most helpful in bhajana. Apart from that, one can find even more glorifications mentioned. Therefore, it is definitely a duty to wear the mala and tilaka from the beginning of one’s engaging in bhajana. If not, the dignity of devotion and the devotee will be diminished and Sri Hari will not be pleased. In connection with this, a verse from the Padma Purana has been quoted in Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu grantha:

ye kaNTha lagna tulasI nalinAkSa mAlA
ye bAhu mUla paricihnita zaGkha cakrAH
ye vA lalATa phalake lasad Urdhva puNDrAs
te vaiSNavA bhuvanam Azu pavitrayanti

"These Vaisnavas, who wear Tulasi, Amalaki, or lotus seed-beads around the neck, who wear the signs of conch and disc on the shoulders, and whose foreheads are beautified by a vertical tilaka, swiftly purify the world."

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Hare Krishna

Thanks Madhava prabhu

very nice explanation of tilaka and tulasi mala..Haribol!

It just that if you don't see a tilaka mark, then that person dosen't seem to remind of Krishna (even he wears one!),
plus it look cool

I've met people who wear tilak but don't remind me of Krishna, at least in a very favorable way. Sometimes when you go around Vraja, you'll see people who remind you of Krishna to an amazing extent despite their not wearing tilak for whatever reason. Perhaps it was washed away by their tears of bliss or separation.

Feel free to not feel obliged to call me prabhu, we generally reserve that for the Lord and the elevated acaryas.

Someone sent me some Radha Kunda tilak straight from Vraj. Is there anything that needs to be done to it to use it?

No, not really. Just treat it with respect, think of it as the footdust of Radharani.

In general, it is a good idea to do achaman prior to applying any tilak, whether of Radha Kunda clay or otherwise.

I don't mean to be disrespectful.... forgive me if i offend any one.

But what do you put in that thilak ? I would like to know

I don't think you can very easily offend anyone here unless you say something really outrageous. You won't offend anyone by asking questions.

You put in a bit of cardamom, some black pepper, rice flour and a pinch of sugar and mix it up with water, and voila...

Just plain mud from the bottom of Radha Kunda. People sink in a bucket and draw it up, roll it into balls or sticks and let it dry.

That was my next question also. I have just plain mud rolled into balls.

That's all you need. The lake is the prema-svarupa of Radharani and the mud in the bottom is dust from Her lotus feet.

Hare Krishna



I guess it would make it easier for people to 'spot' vaisnavas, and avoid karmis, as I am a neopyte, I NEED proper association, and avoid bad association, that was the reason for me asking about Tilaka,

also please don't mind me calling you/others prabhu sometimes, I do it to be/feel more humble only.....Haribol!

There is a Bengali song of interest in this regard, written by Bhaktivinoda Thakur.

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eo to’ eka kalir celA
mAthA neDA kapni parA, tilak nAke, galAy mAlA

There is one disciple of Kali,
Shaven his head, wearing a kaupin,
Tilak on his nose, beads ‘round his neck.

dekhte vaiSNaver mata, Asalo zAkta kAjer belA
sahaja-bhajan korchena mAmu,
saGge lo’ye parer bAlA

Seemingly a Vaishnava, acting like a sakta would,
Posing as an uncle, doing sahaja-bhajan,
Having sex with others’ children.

sakhI-bhAve bhajchena tA’re, nije ho’ye nanda-lAlA
kRSNa-dAser kathAr chale mahA-janake dicchena zalA

Thinking of them as sakhis, himself as Nandalal,
Cunningly he speaks of becoming Krishna das,
Hostile towards the Mahajanas.

nava-rasika Apane mAni’ khAcchena AbAr mana-kolA
bAul bole dohAi, o bhAi, dUra koro e lIlA-khelA

Revering the nine connoisseurs,
He eats the bananas of his mind,
Baul says to you, O brothers,
Stay afar from playing the lila.

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Though such an extreme practice is not so common, it nevertheless serves to remind us of how deceptive the outer appearance can be. In India, it is not at all uncommon to see people applying tilak and posing as a sadhu to get a free meal or a couple of rupees. In the West, one is more likely to meet people who once took up the Vaishnava way of life, and built their way up on the social ladder, later becoming completely diverted from the spirit of Vaishnavism, pursuing selfish interests in the society of devotees. This is especially common in large organizations.

So keep your eyes open. Among those with tilak on, examine their qualities and behavior before you trust them in matters of spiritual life. Among those without tilak, examine their qualities and behavior to see to what extent you can learn from them about spiritual life.



Though this is the convention in Gaudiya Math / ISKCON, many of us do feel inconvenient when being addressed as prabhu. You could just as well address us as Prabhupada or Vishnupada, there is no difference. "Maharaja" is much less of an honorary title than "Prabhu". We like to be das, and generally we just address each other with our names without a suffix, or with "das" or "dada/didi" in the end, depending on our relationship with the person we interact with.

I do not get much into addressing this when I deal with people who are firmly rooted in the ISKCON scenario, however we like to try to be ourselves here. Please don't mind.

How to properly do archanam? Thank you

Dear Nick,

That's quite an elaborate question you're asking! There is really no "one and only" proper way of archana. Each tradition will have their own nuances in archana. It logically follows that if one is to learn a particular method of archana, he will approach a guru representing the tradition and learn the details of archana from him. Guru pAdAzrayAt tasmAt kRSNa dIkSAdi zikSAnam.

Dandavats,

Can someone tell me how to get some Radhakunda clay. I am running low and need some sent to me. Is there some Raganuga online store or something?

ys. Lalitadas

Lalitadasji,

I suggest you get in touch with Yugal Kishor. I think we are all a bit short on clay here in the West.

Beware that some of the 'Radha Kunda Tilak' available in some markets or sold by children in Radha Kunda may not be genuine Radha Kunda mud taken from the bottom of the Kunda, but rather dried up sewage dust (from the dhama). Genuine Radha Kunda mud is made available from the resident Vaisnavas of the dhama. As well as Tulasi neck beads sold in shops in Loi Bazaar may not be genuine Tulasi.

It may be noted here, that these external items of bhajan practive, ie. wearing Tulasi Mala, and the wearing of the 12 tilak signs on the body, will not yield the fruit of bhakti practice if it is not received directly from Sri Gurudeva.