bindu

Bindu is a Sanskrit term meaning point, dot, or seed. In Hinduism, yoga, tantra, and related Indian traditions, it designates a focal point of creation, consciousness, or energy and is used in philosophy, ritual art, and meditation. The exact sense of bindu varies by tradition, but it consistently marks a seed-like source from which wider processes unfold.

In spiritual physiology and practice, bindu often refers to a subtle essence or life-force. In tantric and yogic contexts, it is associated with vital fluids and the potential for transformative energy; practices sometimes aim to conserve or transmute bindu into higher spiritual power or longevity. The concept appears in discussions of breath, meditation, and the awakening of inner awareness, with emphasis on directing energy inward rather than dissipating it.

In iconography and ritual art, bindu appears as a central dot within mandalas, yantras, or circle-and-dot configurations, signifying the seed point of creation from which the cosmos arises. Deity images and meditative diagrams may place a bindu to focus the practitioner’s attention and indicate a source of spiritual power. The term is also related to the forehead mark bindi, which in everyday use derives from the same root, though bindu in scholarly and devotional contexts is distinct from the cosmetic practice.

Bindu thus functions as a versatile symbol across Indian religious and artistic traditions: a seed of potential, a focal point for meditation, and a visual cue for the origin of cosmic and personal energy.