romana kleeWhat are the best designs for your first tattoo? For your first experience, you should get something smaller and relatively simple. One reason is that the tattooing process is not for everyone - some find it unbearably painful while others find it impossible to keep still long enough to complete the tattoo. A second reason is cost. You may have seen some people with large ugly tattoos and wondered what the hell happened to their sense of style. Sometimes it's not their fault - they went to a cheap tattoo johnny and he botched the job. This is why you want to start with a small tattoo which is affordable. There are several types of tattoo designs which are good for beginners - among them are Sanskrit tattoo designs and Celtic cross tattoos. Three of the best tattoo designs in Sanskrit will be described below.
1. Om/Aum/Omkar Symbol
Many people who get Sanskrit tattoo designs use the Om symbol. Not only does it look good, Om is a powerful and mystical symbol.
From the mystical or spiritual point of view, Om is one of the primal sounds of creation. Verbally, it is pronounced Aum. This is a universal sound appearing in many religions - one famous form is said to be the Christian "Amen". You can also hear it in the mantras and chants of many Eastern schools of meditation.
As a sound, Om is said to represent the different states of consciousness - being awake, dreaming and sleeping. To the Hindus, it is also the sound of their three most important gods - Brahma the Creator, Vishnu who maintains the world, and Shiva the Destroyer.
One of the names for the written form of Om is Omkar. Omkar is said to represent Ganesha, the elephant-headed God of Hinduism. Ganesha is the son of Shiva the Destroyer, and the God of both Wisdom and Success. He is one of the most popular Hindu gods. Devotees pray to him for success and the removal of obstacles.
The Omkar symbol has many representations, depending on which regions writing system you use. But they all have the same 4 elements:
* Upper curve - Ganesha's head
* Lower curve - Ganesha's large belly
* Side curve - Ganesha's elephant trunk
* Dot inside a semi-circle - the sweetmeat in Ganesha's hand
2. Padme/Lotus Flower
The lotus flower is another popular Sanskrit tattoo which is good for a first tattoo. It is not a true flower tattoo, but is drawn in a stylized fashion similar to the Mandalas used for meditation. You can also see a large form of this design in Hindu religious celebrations. It is a bright and colorful tattoo.
This flower is called Padme in Sanskrit. It is a holy flower because Brahma the Creator was born from a lotus flower. It is also a symbol of the death and rebirth of the world because of the way a lotus flower closes and submerges itself under the water at night, then blooms again the next morning.
3. Trident/Trishula Symbol
The trident is a simple and martial tattoo which is also good for a first tattoo. It is called Trishula in Sanskrit. The three-pronged trident is Shiva the Destroyer's chosen weapon. This is the same weapon he used to cut off Ganesha's original head.
Despite its rather bloody image, the Trishula is actually quite mystical. It represents the cycle of creation, maintenance and destruction. It also means the past, present and future. It is also the three primary energy meridiens flowing through the human body into the 3rd eye between the brows.
All three of these Sanskrit tattoo designs are simple and quite easy to draw. When done by a good tattoo artist using good quality ink, they come out looking very nice.