Thilakam The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Volume 6 [ Page : 115 ] NOTES TAKEN DOWN IN MADRAS, 1892-93 Educate your women first and leave them to themselves; then they will tell you what reforms are necessary for them. In matters concerning them, who are you? Swami Vivekananda 1892-93 Madras/Chennai Tilakam A mark on the forehead made with colored earths, sandalwood or unguents whether as an ornament or a sectarian distinction; Clerodendrum phlomoides (Vaathamatakki in Tamil; dagdharuha); a freckle compared to a sesamum seed; a kind of skin eruption. Monier Williams Dictionary. It is applied over Ajna Chakra (Bhrumadya = the spot between the eyebrows. Bhru = brow, which is cognate with and derived from Sanskrit Bhru. Ajna Chakra is the sixth Kundalini Chakra, attaining which evokes spiritual knowledge. Ash from the dead bodies was worn in primitive times to remind us about the impermanence of life on earth and the reality of death. Ash as a symbol of nothingness brings home the point that
Tilakam திலகம் A mark on the forehead made with colored earths, sandalwood or unguents whether as an ornament or a sectarian distinction; Clerodendrum phlomoides (Vaathamatakki in Tamil; dagdharuha); a freckle compared to a sesamum seed; a kind of skin eruption. Monier Williams Dictionary. It is applied over Ajna Chakra (Bhrumadya = the spot between the eyebrows. Bhru = brow, which is cognate with and derived from Sanskrit Bhru. Ajna Chakra is the sixth Kundalini Chakra, attaining which evokes spiritual knowledge.
