Urdhva Pundra
The markings are made either as a daily ritual, or on special occasions, and denote the particular sampradaya, or the lineage to which the devotee belongs.
The general tilaka design is of two or three vertical lines resembling the letter U or Y, which represent the lotus feet of Vishnu.
[3] The Padma Purana explains the theological significance of this symbol:[6] May the Pāvamānya (hymns) purify me with the thousand-edged disc with which they always protect themselves.
The noble one of a pure heart, who having the Ūrdhvapuṇḍra (perpendicular marks of sandal on the forehead) and the mark of the disc, meditates on Viṣṇu’s position, by means of singing the hymn always reaches (god Viṣṇu) higher than the highest always remaining in his heart.The Vasudeva Upanishad, a Vaishnava text, explains the significance of the three vertical lines in the Urdhva Pundra Tilaka, offering a number of interpretations:[7][8] To be a reminder of the Vedic scriptures - Rigveda, Yajurveda, and Samaveda; The three worlds Bhu, Bhuva, Svar; The three phonemes of Om - A, U, M; The three states of consciousness - awake, dream sleep, deep sleep; The three realities - Maya, Brahman, and Atman;
A variant to this is found within the Ramanandi sect, begun by saint Ramananda, whose members wear a similar tilaka design, but with reference to Sita and Rama (to whom their devotion is offered) rather than Lakshmi and Narayana.
The women of the Sri Vaishnava tradition, especially the ones who hail from the Iyengar community, wear a different tilaka from the men.
The red line that represents Lakshmi is worn prominently upon the length of their forehead to highlight their femininity, adorned with a miniature white curvature at the base of the design.
There exist two components of this mark present in both denominations: The Tenkalai namam is a Y-shaped design that incorporates two vertical white lines upon the forehead that intersect upon the bridge of the nose, where they are aligned by the wearer.
[10] In the Vallabha tradition, or the Rudra sampradaya, the tilaka worn is a double vertical red line which is rounded at the base.
The slight difference arose due to the emphasis on direct devotional service such as hearing from the shastras and glorifying the Lord in accordance with Srimad-Bhagavatam.
In Nimbarka Sampradaya, the tilaka is made of Gopi-Chandana (the clay from Gopi Kunda lake in Dwarka, Gujarat), as described in the Vasudeva Upanishad.
Within these lines, between the eyebrows is a black dot, made from the slate found in Barsana, Uttar Pradesh, the sacred birthplace of Radha.
[14][16] The BAPS interpret the tilaka chandlo to indicate the bhakta-bhagavan mode of worshipping Paramatma along with his ideal devotee, the Gunatit Sadhu.
[17][18][19] Swaminarayan proclaimed that all devotees should wear the mark on 13 February 1821 during the Holi festival in Panchala, near Junagadh, Gujarat, after demonstrating the tilaka chandlo on Gunatitanand Swami.
