Revered by all religions of Hinduism. This is the primeval sound Om. This mystic sound is so important that there are few worship without this. The archanas done at the Hindu temples include this for each of the mantra chanted. The holy vedas also start with this. This mantra is one of the renowned mantra for meditation. This sound represent the Supreme Divinity.
lingam
The prime symbol of worship for Shaivites. (In fact the name itself means symbol). This is broad in the middle and conical towards the top. This is the form of flame. In Shaivite philosophy the God is formless. Due to the Grace on the souls for the easy comprehension of the Divine and liberation the God appeared in the form of a Flame. This flame is what is worshiped as lingam in stone and other forms that make the worship easier. This is considered more sacred than form worship by Shaivites. (more details), view shiva lingam
Holy Ash / bhasma/ vibUti
The three bands one could see on the foreheads of the gods and goddesses. This three bands are worn by the Shaivites and the other religions in that family (shakta, kaumAra, gANApatya). This symbol is called tripunDra (three band). As the God appeared as a Supreme Flame (This need not be confused with agni. agni becomes one of the aspects of God but not the Supreme itself), in the Shaivite religion, (refer to lingam above) naturally Ash becomes the symbol that indicates the association with that param jyoti (Supreme flame). (more details)
rudrAxa
rudra + axa translates to the eye of rudra. This is a bead from a tree. This is considered to have emanated from the eye of Lord Shiva when He burnt the tripura asuras. This is one of the holy symbols worn by Shaivites along with Holy Ash. This is worn as a single bead or as garlands of beads.
tilaka
This is the dot most of the Hindus have at the eye-brow junction. This could be of sandal or red kumkum or a mix of both. This junction is one of the very significant chakra, called in spiritual terms AGYA chakra. This is a very sensitive point. So the tilaka is kept at this point.
Tilaka: The Mark of God
By Rohininandana Dasa
Anyone who wishes to acknowledge the simple truth that "I am Lord Krishna's servant" can wear tilaka, the clay mark devotees wear on the forehead and other places on their body. You may not feel you have much devotion to Krishna, but you're not prohibited from wearing tilaka, because it's a sign that you're trying to be His devotee. What's more, the qualifications for being Krishna's devotee soon develop in a person who learns the art of wearing tilaka.
Why Decorate the Body?
A devotee of Krishna decorates the body because it's a temple of God. Instead of decorating our body as if it were the self, or destroying it, or despising it for its filthy emissions, we can respect and care for it as a residence of the Supreme Lord. The soul lives within the body, and so too does the Supersoul, the Lord. As a house is built and maintained for the pleasure of its owner, so "our" body is meant for the pleasure of its real owner, Lord Krishna. Decorating the body with tilaka pleases Him.
Putting on tilaka helps remind us we belong to Krishna. And when others see a person wearing tilaka they are not only reminded of Krishna but relieved of sinful reactions.
When we wear tilaka on our bodies, the Lord protects us from all sides. When Srila Prabhupada gave a disciple the name Tilaka Dasi, he told her that Tilaka meant "victory personified."
When to Wear Tilaka
Although you can put on tilaka anytime, the best time to apply it is after bathing or showering. Wearing tilaka is especially appropriate during your puja, or worship, at home. When you're worshiping as a family, everyone can wear it, or at least the person offering arati (the pujari). You can also wear tilaka when you visit the temple or attend festivals like Rathayatra.
An important time to wear it is at death. Either before someone dies or just afterwards, if you apply tilaka at least to the person's forehead, he or she will obtain eternal benefit. Of course, death can come anytime, and so it's wise to wear tilaka always.
You may feel shy about wearing tilaka publicly, but don't jump to conclusions about what others may think. They may be intrigued. Srila Prabhupada told a story about a factory in India where most of the Hindu workers were accustomed to wearing tilaka. When their new boss, a Muslim, told them that whoever kept wearing tilaka would lose his job, the next day everyone except one man came to work with forehead blank. So then the owner called a meeting and announced that from then on this one brave man would be the only person allowed to keep wearing tilaka.
Different Types of Tilaka
If you travel in India you'll see a variety of marks adorning people's foreheads and bodies. Such marks indicate their affiliation with a particular group and their devotion to a certain form of God or demigod. Broadly speaking, you will see two types of tilaka: the vertical mark of the Vaisnavas, or devotees of Krishna and His incarnations, and the three horizontal lines of the Saivites, followers of Siva and adherents to the impersonal conception of God.
Among the Vaisnavas are many sub-groups, identifiable by their styles of tilaka -- it's shape and color and the type of material used to make it. The tilaka worn by devotees in the Hare Krishna movement indicates that we are in the disciplic line from Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The upper part of this tilaka, shaped like the prongs of a tuning-fork, represents Lord Krishna's footprint, and the leaf-shaped part on the nose represents a leaf of the tulasi, Krishna's favorite plant. The two lines also represent the walls of a Radha-Krishna temple, and so the space between the lines is Radha and Krishna's abode. For other Vaisnavas the two lines may indicate Brahma and Siva, and the space between the abode of Vishnu. A red line in the center may represent Laksmi, Lord Vishnu's eternal consort. The two lines may also indicate the banks of the Yamuna. Or they may represent Lord Rama and Laksmana standing on either side of Sita. The stroke at the base of the tilaka represents the devotee Hanuman kneeling at Their feet. Tilaka styles are as varied as the understandings behind them.
How to Make Tilaka
ISKCON devotees generally make their tilaka from a cream-colored clay called gopi-candana, obtained from a sacred lake near Dvaraka, Lord Krishna's ancient city on the west coast of Gujarat. Krishna's greatest devotees, the gopis, once visited this lake. You can most likely obtain some from your local temple or supplier of devotional items. If not, clay from Vrndavana or any other holy place is fine. You can even use potters' clay. According to the Hari-bhakti-vilasa, a book by Srila Sanatana Gosvami on Vaishnava practices, any kind of earth may be used for tilaka, especially earth from a riverbank or from beneath a tulasi bush.
Put a little water in the palm of your left hand and move your block or ball of tilaka clay briskly until you get a smooth paste. As you do this, chant Hare Krishna, or if you like you can recite a mantra from the Padma Purana. You can find this mantra in a purport in the Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 20.202).
How to Apply Tilaka
Apply tilaka with the ring finger of your right hand. Make a mark -- about as wide as the space between your eyebrows -- from the root of your nose to your hairline. Now use another finger, perhaps the little one, to make a clear space in the middle to form two vertical lines. If these lines come out crooked, you can straighten them with a third finger. If your forehead is bumpy, like mine, you can develop your own way of applying the clay. Now make the leaf-shaped mark, which should extend from the base of the lines to about three quarters of the way down the nose.
After marking your forehead, apply tilaka to eleven other places on your body, as shown on the facing page.
As you apply the tilaka, recite the appropriate names of Vishnu listed here. Om kesavaya namah means "O my Lord Kesava, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You." So as we mark our bodies, we chant twelve of His holy names.
If you can't find the clay to make tilaka (or if your wearing tilaka wouldn't sit well with your boss), you can go through the same procedure using only water. Use water that has bathed the Deity or pure water you've sanctified by chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. By chanting the names of the Lord and applying the invisible representation of His temple, you'll be protected and spiritually inspired for a Krishna conscious day.
For more about tilaka, see The Nectar of Devotion, pages 54 and 73–74.
===end of article from Rohininandana Das==
Further Information Regarding the Wearing of Tilaka
Put the water in your left hand, and rub the hard tilak into the water, creating a wet paste out of the clay. Begin by putting your ring finger of the right hand into the clay, and starting between the eyebrows, bring the finger straight up to the hairline, making two straight lines. It should look like a long, narrow U-shape. Then use some more tilak to make the marking on your nose, it should extend about 3/4 of the way down your nose. As you apply the tilak to your body, chant the following mantras:
forehead: om keshavaya namaha
belly: om narayanaya namaha
chest: om madhavaya namaha
neck: om govindaya namaha
right: belly om vishnave namaha
right: arm om madhusudhanaya namaha
right: shoulder om trivikramaya namaha
left: belly om vamanaya namaha
left arm: om shridharaya namaha
left shoulder: om hrishikeshaya namaha
upper back: om padmanabhaya namaha
lower back: om damodaraya namaha
Take the remaining tilak, and wipe it on the back of the head, in the area of the sikha, and chant om vasudevaya namaha.
shrI chUrNa
The vertical three lines (or at times single red line) that is worn by the Vaishnavites is called shrI chUrNa. The two outer lines will be in the white color and the middle one in the red. The red line is normally with kumkum or the red sand at the base of the tulsi plant. This custom has been introduced in the later parts of time by rAmAnuja as vaiShNavite symbolism. vaiAhNavas not belonging to rAmAnuja sampradAya (for example mAdhvas) do not follow this custom.
nandi
This is the Holy Bull - the vehicle and the flag of Lord Shiva. So this is the emblem of Shaivites. On the wall of the Shaivite temples, in the flags, in the message headers and many other articles this emblem could be found. The ancience of this emblem will be very evident from the fact that this emblem has been found in the excavations of harappa mahanjadaro (the so-called Indus valley civilisation sites). According to Shaivite scriptures bull represents the dharma (justice).
trishUla
The tri headed spear (trident) - one of the renowned weapon of Lord Shiva. So this is the second important emblem of Shaivites after nandi. As the Goddess shakti also holds this trident, this is the symbol that is held high by the devotees of shakti as well.
shanka chakra
The counch called pAnchajanya and the disc called sudarshana in the hands of Lord ViShNu are the important symbols of Vaishnavites. These two are printed as emblems in the artefacts associated with Vaishnava.
Spear / vEl
The spear is the renowned weapon of Lord Skandha. So this is a very respected symbol of the devotees of Lord Subramanya.
