Important Symbols of Hinduism
1. Bindi 2. Aum 3. The Lotus Flower
1. Bindi: Bindis, throughout the years, have lost their importance and significance. The different colors used to represent different occasions, but now it is seen as mostly a form of decoration, who mostly anyone can wear. Although it has lost it's special significance, there are people today that still follow the different meanings and importance. If a women is married, she usually wears a red bindi that signifies love and prosperity. If a women has lost her husband, she wears a black bindi to signify her loss. Young women have the freedom to wear any color they want. Bindis also serves as a reminder of the spiritual life. Every Hindu starts of the day praying, and once they leave the prayer room, they mark their foreheads as a reminder of the purpose of life through out the day.
The placement of the bindi, in the middle of your forehead, in between the eyebrows, represents the third eye, with helps one's self realization. Back then, the bindi was drawn with pigments of flowers and sands to represent nature. Now, bindis made out of glass and glue serve more of an accessory.
2. Aum: This sound is considered the most sacred of all mantras. The Aum represents the following important triads:
• the three worlds: the earth, the atmosphere, and heaven
• the three major hindu gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva
• the three vedic scriptures: Rg, Yajur, and Sama
On a more spiritual level, it symbolizes the entire creation of the universe. Many Hindus believe that after God said the first sound, the universe was created from it.
3. Lotus Flower: The main significance of the lotus flower is purity. This is because lotus flowers emerge from muddy and dirty ponds, showings the ability to grow from a bad background. The characteristics of lotus flowers are usually compared to characteristics of a human. When the lotus flowers are closed and are buds but then emerges and blooms can be compared to an individual that can open up to become a divine soul.
The placement of the bindi, in the middle of your forehead, in between the eyebrows, represents the third eye, with helps one's self realization. Back then, the bindi was drawn with pigments of flowers and sands to represent nature. Now, bindis made out of glass and glue serve more of an accessory.
2. Aum: This sound is considered the most sacred of all mantras. The Aum represents the following important triads:
• the three worlds: the earth, the atmosphere, and heaven
• the three major hindu gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva
• the three vedic scriptures: Rg, Yajur, and Sama
On a more spiritual level, it symbolizes the entire creation of the universe. Many Hindus believe that after God said the first sound, the universe was created from it.
3. Lotus Flower: The main significance of the lotus flower is purity. This is because lotus flowers emerge from muddy and dirty ponds, showings the ability to grow from a bad background. The characteristics of lotus flowers are usually compared to characteristics of a human. When the lotus flowers are closed and are buds but then emerges and blooms can be compared to an individual that can open up to become a divine soul.