Adiyen,
aditya rangaramanuja dasan.

“Jaya Sriman Narayana”!

According to the manu-samhita, in Vedic times the vertical markings represented the upward rise of the ‘inner-heat’ of the Vedin. The markings were placed on the various chakras and encouraged the ‘kundalini’ to rise to the Sahasrara (top of the skull)in order to help manifest the open hooded-serpant over the Vedin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakra#Sahasrara:_The_Crown_Chakra

This link explains the post-Vedic (puranic) version of it’s meaning(s), etc.

http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/vdesikan/tdesikan/dsahasranama/ds440-477.html

Notes by V.Sadagopan :
*******************************
1.ThiumaNN Kaapu adornment rules are different for
the different sampradhAyins and it is only correct
to seek this information from one’s sadAchAryans
and SishtAnushtAthAs and practise them. otherwise ,
one will be embroiled in unneeded controversy , which
has to be avoided always.

* It seems that as your Acharya does or has taught you, you also do, otherwise not!

“In the scriptures there are very general descriptions of the procedure for applying tilak. For example it is mentioned that the tilak should be urdhva-pundra, or vertical lines; the body should be marked in twelve locations, etc. But these instructions are very general and leave a lot of the details to the acharyas. Even in a simple point, such as the location of the tilak, one person may interpret the ’shoulder’ to start from the arm, where as another may interpret it to start higher up near the neck. This is actually the case in the two branches of the Sri Vaishna sampradaya”.

Ref: http://veda.krishna.com/encyclopedia/general.htm#17

Hope this helps?

Adiyen,

Krishnachandra dasan.

Adiyean.

And with regards to ancient tamil literatures, I suggest you can have a look at Thiruvaimozhi by Sri Nammalwar, a Sri Vaishnava saint poet. Once I was blessed with an opportunity to hear a discourse on one of the Pasurams (songs) and was awe-struck by it. It was about origin of life and its evolution. I never expected such information in Thiruvaimozhi, a literature written 5000 years back (just when Kali Yuga was born). Later on I learnt that Thiruvaimozhi was the essence of Sama Veda and it was also known as Dravida Veda. Apart from this you can also have a look at Thirukural, a practical guideline for living, written by Thiruvalluvar over 3000 years back. You can also have a look at songs of some Siddhars, which might be interesting.

And am surely not an expert in Tamil. But I can help you with contacts & links for Sri Vaishnava related literature.

You do seem to be an expert in Tamil. I am interested in the most ancient of Tamil literatures known to you and their translations in English (because I don’t know Tamil). Something around Agastya’s time.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Satya

Adiyean.

Regarding my journey, I do not have any plans to travel for now. But I am sure, He would take me to another place of Sri Rama sooner or later.

Adiyean.

-Satakopan.