Dvadasa Oordhva Pundrams (12 Naamams)
Lord Kesavan is presiding in our forehead. The thirumaN wearing has to have the two White lines and the Red line at the center, housing the Divine coulpe, who are never seperated.
Shastras stress the importance of namam. The two upward lines of Tiruman, accompanied by the SriChoornam(red or yellow or orange) in the centre, are what every Srivaishnava is supposed to wear on his forehead always.
The two parallel white lines of Tiruman indicate the Lord’s holy feet, while the red or yellow vertical line in the middle signifies Piratti’s presence.
The word “oordhvam” means “upwards”: according to Shastras, Paradise and other worlds of pleasure, ephemeral and eternal, lie above us, Hence the wearing of Tiruman in an upward direction is symbolic of our vertical movement on the spiritual plane.
The use of the word “kAppu”, referring to protection, Tiruman thus acts as an effective and inexpensive shield against all untoward things and as a guard against all evil forces.
The Srivaishnava concept is that our body is like a temple. The Lord resides along with his consort in Vyooha and upavyooha forms in different parts of our body. We have to wear the 12 ThirumaNs with the chanting of the names of 12 forms of VishNu.
We find even the Lord at all divyadesams wearing Tiruman and Srichoornam on His own forehead. Eventhough the Tiruman indeed signifies the Lord’s feet, the reason behind it is. The Lord is so enamoured of His devotees, that He wishes to follow them in all their practices, whether or not He needs it.