She brought with her from India a supply of ashes. . . . Every morning she puts a mark on her forehead with these ashes to remind everyone including herself that someday this is what our bodies will become. There is a very practical purpose behind many of these Hindu customs, and often it is to help remember that the purpose of life is to learn to go beyond death.
— Eknath Easwaran, The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living, Volume 2