Creating Art With Supreme Ink

Tattoos have been permanently inked into modern culture, but many wonder if there are devotional taboos to tattoos, and is it truly a genuine Vasihnava practice.

Every where you look these days you can spot a variety of individuals wearing a range of tattoos from butterflies to hearts to more elaborate and exotic type designs. For some reason or another, individuals enjoy decorating their bodies with these unmovable images of skulls, crossbones, snakes, and dragons. Due you realize that over twenty percent of all Americans have a tattoo, which is close to forty million people. Of course, some one of the Hare Krishna faith would be one of the last people you would expect to see among those forty million.

However, there many Hare Krishna devotees that sport the wearing of tattoos and that number is continuing to increase. The question to be asked is does the ancient traditions and scriptures surrounding the Hare Krishna faith have any foundations or regards for wearing the art of tattoos. You could uncover your first clues to answering this question by looking at the tribal traditions in India. In fact, some tribes believe that Rama's greatest devotee, Hanuman, was tattooed on his dislocating shoulder to help relieve his pain each time it reoccurred.

In the nomadic Ribari tribe, women wore many extreme elaborate tattoos. In the Ramnami society, tattooing became a painful custom during the nineteenth century. In fact, they had the name of Rama in Sanskrit tattooed on practically every inch of skin including their tongues and on the inside of their lips. It was thought that this practice was meant to protect them form bigoted caste conscious brahmanas that they had angered by adopting their customs, which are carried on today.

One pujari is known to have three Sanskrit mantras tattoos. Two of these tattoos are in praise to the deity he worships, Govardhana, while the other he views as for his protection, which is Nrsimha, who is the half man half lion incarnation of the Krishna faith. Also, on each of his arms are the sacred pots that are used in fire sacrifices, which are known as sri kumbha.

On his back, he has tattoos of Arjuna and Parashurama, who were known as two of the greatest warriors in Vedic history, which are complemented by a fire sacrifice pit in between them both as a way to protect him from any misfortune. Located on his chest are the Lord Krishna and then His dwarf incarnation, known as Vamana in the aspect of his great beauty. On both of his arms, he has the four sacred symbols of Vishnu, which are the club, disc, conch shell, and the lotus.

All of his tattoos were selected after careful research that took him almost five years to chart. He has readily admitted that he often walks around with his tattoos on full display so that when he is asked about them, then he will have a chance to explain them.

The modern incarnation of tattooing was not around during the birth of Gaudiya Vasihnavism, however, there were very close parallels. During the eighteenth century, there are five purification processes, which are known as panca samskara, along with spiritual initiation with one of them being one direct perception of Krishna. These five purification processes were austerity, wearing tilaka, performing sacrifices, accepting a new name at initiation, and the chanting of mantras. The word austerity simply means accepting the branded marks of Lord Vishnu, which are the considered as the symbols of the club, disc, conch shell, and the lotus.

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Tattoos And MRIs Dont Mix

This surprised the heck out of me when I read this article. It is claiming that people who have tattoos more so black ink tattoos need to take some extra precaution when getting an MRI done. I�m pretty sure we all know that an MRI is a diagnostic test that uses a magnetic field and radio waves that creates a very informed cross-sectional image of your body. Well it has been reported that people are experiencing burns in tattooed areas more so in black ink or darker tattoos. However, it is unknown how often this strange occurrence happens.

Some research has been done on this matter and the only thing that has been determined is that they suspect the burns are related to iron oxide. Apparently, dark ink tattoos have iron oxide in them which is potentially magnetic. Since it conducts electricity this causes the iron oxide to heat up during an MRI and causes some burns to occur.

So if you are scheduled for an MRI and you have black or dark ink tattoos be sure to tell you doctor about this and discuss any concerns you may have. More than likely you will be just fine and the benefit from the MRI will probably outweigh the concerns you have for your tattoos. To reduce the possibility of your tattoo burning your doctor may suggest to put an ice pack or cool compresses over your tattoo during the actually MRI to be safe.

So it just goes to show that your body art can cause more problems that you are aware of.

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The Benefits of Having a Tattoo

Tattoos have become a great craze. The advantage of a tattoo is that it gives your personality a complete make over. Varieties like big tattoos, small tattoos and body covering tattoos and much more are on offer for both men and women. It is just a matter of choice as to what tattoo you want on yourself.

Well, just as there are pros and cons or positives and negatives to everything we do in life; tattoos too have advantages and disadvantages. For instance, at some point of time you may want to reflect your style as aggressive and select a tattoo to match, but afterwards it might give a negative connotation and you may regret your decision. So, think before you act. Decide what it is that you want your tattoo to say about you. Understand the advantages of tattoo designs and match it with your character.

Sometimes people choose symbolic tattoo designs, just because it is symbolic. Often times it would turn out to be a wrong decision. Even symbolic designs sometimes have a time frame and will turn out to be a mismatch later. What you need to look for is colors and designs which will show your character to advantage. The vast range of designs available with the print media and on internet web sites can help you to choose an apt tattoo which will enhance your style and body language.

The advantage of a tattoo is that it gives a meaning to your body and style, and a good quality of colors and designs shows off the benefits of the art. You can even get inspiration from the tattoos worn by other people. However, think well before you decide on your tattoo. Realize the advantage of the tattoo design you have chosen before inking since tattoo is as permanent as your skin and I am sure you don�t want to go through painful and expensive surgery to remove a tattoo.

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Tattoo Problems, Pitfalls and Tips

While the popularity of tattoos, with a vast variety of messages, seems to be on a steady increase, there are still some very important safety considerations which cannot be ignored.



Especially in the warmer months of the year, many experience and have questions about raised and itchy tattoos. Most people who suffer with this condition typically describe the discomfort being occasional rather than consistent, or sometimes either. There may actually be one of several different causes and it is important for proper treatment to find the precise cause..



Let's consider some of the most common causes and then examine possible courses of treatment.



The tattoo ink being the source of an allergic reaction comes to mind immediately, but is not a likely causative factor. While there are occasions where allergic reactions to ink occur, the reaction could be immediate, a week later, or years from the original tattoo application. Red and yellow inks seem to be the most likely colors to cause an allergic reaction.



Changes in the body chemistry due to illness and/or aging may adversely affect areas that once were originally benign. Ink allergies will be itchy and raised only in spots of the particular color. With the ink allergies, the irritation is more common, not peaking and waning. For mild irritations, topical ointments may help to relieve symptoms, but a prescription drug or even tattoo removal is recommended for more severe cases.



Weather is most often the cause of the consistent, yet possibly mild, irritation. It may only be noticeable during the summer months. Seasonal increases in temperature and humidity may cause swelling of a tattoo, and thus, some itching and irritation.



As the swelling proceeds, there's a slight stretching of the skin, causing an itchy sensation. If your tattoo has had a long time to heal, it won't likely be damaged by scratching, but best to avoid any mechanical irritation. For relief of itching and irritating symptoms, use topical creams, ice packs or cool water for relief.



The overall health of your body can affect your tattoo site, as well. Increases in blood pressure, adrenaline, or changes in body temperature - will render some affect on the tattoo site. Always try to pay attention to any irritations or skin injuries at or near the tattoo site. Many folks who suffer with eczema may have irritation problems with their tattoo, as well.



Some skin conditions are so minor that symptoms are not apparent until a reaction forms at the more sensitive skin, the tattoo site.



Of course, also be careful about the placement and design compatibility. I often joke about seeing a tattooed on dragon turn into a green zebra over time. Ink can smudge and stretch as your body changes.



If your tattoo ever gets smudged or you decide that you no longer want it, it's important to know your options for tattoo removal. Unfortunately, removal methods are harsh, painful, and usually result in scarring. You can avoid this by following the pointers we outline shortly, when we talk about trust.



Research, research, research! You can't do enough. It's like thinking about your first mortgage. Buying a house is a big thing, but it is not exactly permanently modifying your body. But you looked at every loan facility under the sun to find the perfect one for you. Same for the parlor you will be going to for your tattoo.

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