Hindus Welcome Hollywood Diva Miley Cyrus’ New Hindu “Om” Tattoo
American singer-actress Miley Cyrus reportedly gets a new tattoo of Hindu religious symbol Om on her right wrist.
Cyrus is known to get tattoos in the past when she felt passionate about something. She reportedly already had ‘karma’ tattooed on her right index finger. She has reportedly said in the past, “I could never get a meaningless tattoo.”
Apparently expressing belief into the concept of reincarnation, Cyrus’ July 17 Tweet said: Dear Universe, For my next life can I please come back as some form of marine life? Such a great day. The water makes me feel so free :)
Welcoming Cyrus’ interest in Om and other concepts/symbols of Hinduism, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, urged her to go beyond the fashion statement and explore the rich philosophical thought which Hinduism offered. He or other Hindu scholars would gladly provide the Hinduism resources helpful in her exploration and comprehensive understanding of Hinduism, Zed said.
Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that Hollywood celebrities needed to have more patience and go beyond the superficial because Hinduism concepts evolved over thousands of years and needed deep study. Zed urged Cyrus to visit a nearby Hindu temple to have firsthand experience of Hinduism.
There seems to be a fascination for tattoos depicting things Hindu among celebrities, and tattoo parlor owners are reportedly seeing a surge of interest in Hindu deities, concepts, and Sanskrit verses. “Om” seems to be the most popular of such tattoos, followed by shlokas (verses) from ancient Hindu scriptures, dating back up to around 1500 BCE.
Some of the celebrities who sport Sanskrit/Hindu tattoos reportedly include Grammy winner singer-model Rihanna, MTV winner actress Jessica Alba (Sin City), musician Tommy Lee (Motley Crue), singer-actress Brandy Norwood (Moesha), dancer-singer Kimberly Wyatt (Pussycat Dolls), actress-singer Alyssa Milano (Who’s the Boss), footballer David Beckham, Golden Globe winner actress Gillian Anderson (The X Files), British footballer Theo Walcott, etc.
“Om”, the mystical syllable containing the universe, is used in Hinduism to introduce and conclude religious work. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language, the language of the gods. Tattoos go back in history to at least since Neolithic times.