Jump to content

Meaning of Tilak, 5 Passa, and Coconut?


Guest Jacfsing2
 Share

Recommended Posts

Guest Jacfsing2

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh! Can someone please explain to Daas what the meaning of the items used in the Guru ceremony represented? (Tried looking everywhere but no answers?) The items are the Tilak, 5 Passa, as well as the Coconut.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A giani ji recently said in a katha that it was the custom in those days to anoint the next king. Thus the Gurus adopted this method of choosing on the next successor.  

The amazing thing anout this is that kings often passed away with people having to decide and pick up the nect successor. However all our Guru jis were pure as they picked and anointed their successors themselves.  They knew and could tell when they were going to go to sach khand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Jacfsing2
5 hours ago, MisterrSingh said:

I hope nobody starts disparaging this rasam as anti-gurmat and hollow ritual. Not everything that isn't explicitly stated in Gurbani is worthless. I can see the cogs turning in OP's brain, lol, just kidding.

Not trying to consider this as Anti-Gurmat, the ceremony is almost historical fact and Bhai Gurdas somewhat mentions that Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji had bowed to Bhai Lehna. Another historical fact is that Baba Buddha taught Antarjami, (Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Hargobind Ji), how to use Shastars despite him claiming to have never touched one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Brother Jacfsing Jee,

following is the information I have found and gathered to your questions, I hope it somehow satisfies your queries.

 

COCONUT:

The coconut (Gujarati. – nãriyel, Sanskrit. – nãrikel) is used as an auspicious pujã offering. It has several virtues and underlying sentiments.

Its important virtue is that the coconut tree takes in salty water and gives sweet and nutritious water through the fruit. Similarly, man is inspired to mould himself by eradicating his ‘saltish’ swabhãvs and to become sweet within.

In ancient times, Vishvamitra rishi created the coconut, to be used as an offering to appease the deities to halt animal sacrifice. In this manner the rishis propounded ahimsã during ritual offerings.

Since then the coconut has become a symbol of sacrifice. Therefore in any auspicious venture or ritual, a person offers a coconut to a deity with the sentiment, ‘I offer myself at your feet’.

 

TILAK:

The tilak is applied on saints and image of the Lord as a form of worship and in many parts of north India as a respectful form of welcome.

The tilak varies in color and form. This custom was not prevalent in the Vedic period it gained popularity in the Puranic period.

Some believe that it originated in South India. The tilak or pottu invokes a feeling of sanctity the wearer and others.

It is recognized as a religion mark. Its form and color vary according to one caste, religious sect or the form the Lord worshipped.

In earlier times, the four castes (based on varna or colour) – Braahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra – applied marks differently.

The Brahmin applied white chandan mark signifying purity, as his profession was a priestly or academic nature. The kshatriya applied a red kumkum mark signifying valour as be belonged to the warrior. The Vaishya wore a yellow kesar or turmeric mark signifying prosperity as he was a businessman or trader devoted to creation of wealth.

The Sudra applied a black bhasma, kasturi or charcoal mark signifying service as he supported the work of the other three divisions. Also Vishnu worshippers apply a chandan tilak of the shape of “U”, Shiva worshippers a tripundra (of the shape of “=”) of bhasma, Devi worshippers a red dot of kumkum and so on.

The chandan, kumkum or bhasma which is offered to the Lord is taken back as prasad and applied on our foreheads.

The tilak covers the spot between the eyebrows, which is the seat of memory and thinking. It is known as the Aajna Chakra in the language of Yoga.

The tilak is applied with the prayer – “May I remember the Lord. May this pious feeling pervade all my activities. May I be righteous in my deeds.”

Even when we temporarily forget this prayerful attitude the mark on another reminds us of our resolve.

The tilak is thus a blessing of the Lord and a protection against wrong tendencies and forces. The entire body emanates energy in the form of electromagnetic waves – the forehead and the subtle spot between the eyebrows especially so.

That is why worry generates heat and causes a headache. The tilak or pottu cools the forehead, protects us and prevents energy loss. Sometimes the entire forehead is covered with chandan or bhasma. Using plastic reusable “stick bindis” is not very beneficial, even though it serves the purpose of decoration.

 

5 PASSA

Money offering, represents detachment from our dhan, to which most are so stuck to.

Genearally speaking,it also represents, that we want to give our deity the best, of our wealth, clothing to dress, and eatbles, just as fruits and sweets.

 

Sat Sree Akal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt


  • Topics

  • Posts

    • yeh it's true, we shouldn't be lazy and need to learn jhatka shikaar. It doesn't help some of grew up in surrounding areas like Slough and Southall where everyone thought it was super bad for amrit dharis to eat meat, and they were following Sant babas and jathas, and instead the Singhs should have been normalising jhatka just like the recent world war soldiers did. We are trying to rectifiy this and khalsa should learn jhatka.  But I am just writing about bhog for those that are still learning rehit. As I explained, there are all these negative influences in the panth that talk against rehit, but this shouldn't deter us from taking khanda pahul, no matter what level of rehit we are!
    • How is it going to help? The link is of a Sikh hunter. Fine, but what good does that do the lazy Sikh who ate khulla maas in a restaurant? By the way, for the OP, yes, it's against rehit to eat khulla maas.
    • Yeah, Sikhs should do bhog of food they eat. But the point of bhog is to only do bhog of food which is fit to be presented to Maharaj. It's not maryada to do bhog of khulla maas and pretend it's OK to eat. It's not. Come on, bro, you should know better than to bring this Sakhi into it. Is this Sikh in the restaurant accompanied by Guru Gobind Singh ji? Is he fighting a dharam yudh? Or is he merely filling his belly with the nearest restaurant?  Please don't make a mockery of our puratan Singhs' sacrifices by comparing them to lazy Sikhs who eat khulla maas.
    • Seriously?? The Dhadi is trying to be cute. For those who didn't get it, he said: "Some say Maharaj killed bakras (goats). Some say he cut the heads of the Panj Piyaras. The truth is that they weren't goats. It was she-goats (ਬਕਰੀਆਂ). He jhatka'd she-goats. Not he-goats." Wow. This is possibly the stupidest thing I've ever heard in relation to Sikhi.
    • Instead of a 9 inch or larger kirpan, take a smaller kirpan and put it (without gatra) inside your smaller turban and tie the turban tightly. This keeps a kirpan on your person without interfering with the massage or alarming the masseuse. I'm not talking about a trinket but rather an actual small kirpan that fits in a sheath (you'll have to search to find one). As for ahem, "problems", you could get a male masseuse. I don't know where you are, but in most places there are professional masseuses who actually know what they are doing and can really relieve your muscle pains.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use