I'm a Shaivite Brahmin by birth but I love performing devotional service towards Lord Krishna. I really love to wear Urdhva Pundra but as a Shaivite I should wear Tripundra. What should I do now?
Please clarify this doubt.
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Hare Krishna Prabhu,
Shiva Bhakts many in past have converted to Vaishnavism. You can take initiation from ISKCON guru anyone whom you find close to your heart and become a Vaishnava to put Urdhava Pundra and worship Krishna. To worship Krishna anyone can do even a Shivitie is eligeble to do perform devotional service of Krishna. There is no restriction even if you put Tripundra also you can do Krishna bhakti.
But to be elegible to put urdhava pundra you need to become Vaishnava and abide by some rules and 4 regulative principles. I suppose you know them. And once you take up the process of initiation you must consider all other Gods as Anya devata or Demigods. And accept Supremacy of Supereme Personality of Godhead as ONe and ONly Sri Krishna. You must do complete surrender to Sri Krishna. You cannot go back and forth saying Shiva is also God and argue on establishing Shiva as Supreme. Many Shivites find this point a little bit weird. They go back at this point where they cannot accept and Surrender completely to Krishna. The whole initiation procedure is to have one point focus on your Initiating guru and Sri Krishna and none other.
People come with some fantasy of putting Urdhava pundara but very less know the significance of the Tilak.
Sri Shankaracharaya was a Shivite and he towards his end of life realized Sri Krishna's Supremacy and sang Bhaja Govindam Bhaja Govindam Govindam Bhaja Moodha Mate!!! Shiva gives Gyana to understand Krishna. Those you stick to these fanatical ideas like Shiva is only the supreme they can never understand or praise Lord Krishna... It takes one more birth for them to come to Vaishnava Platform to leave Gyana also aside and take up pure bhakti of Sri Krishna. Vere rare are some gem like persons like " Advaita Aacharya", Keshava Bharati, Srivaas, Jagannatha Mishra ...though belonging to A1 class Brahmina family they preached and totally converted surrendered to Krishna and served Sri Chaitanaya Mahaprabhu and became A1 class Vaishnava. Ofcourse their birth is also not ordinary , neither they are ordinary souls. But still a brahmina can surely become a perfect Vaishnava. Only if your family accepts this conversion.
Simply for the sake of some fantasy to put urdhava pundara like ( those who put in tv serials) fancy dressing... Pls. don't make a" joke/insult/showoff" of tilak. It has its own significance as they two lines represent Lord's feet and the leaf like shape on the nose represents the Tulasi leaf. I know you must be knowing the significance of Tripundra, so also Urdhava pundra so sacred. It should be put better after initiation.
Think carefuly on this matter. Discuss with you family and take decision. Once you take shelter of a Vaishnava acharya and take up Vaishnavism you cannot go to other demigods seeking temporary benefits also. You must completely do Sharnagati to Sri Krishna and accept only Krishna as Supreme Personality of Godhead.
There is another sect called Rudra Sampradaya who also practice vaishnavism. The sampradaya itself was started by Lord Shiva later on continued by Vishnu Swami maharaj and later Rudra Sampradaya followed by Vallabhacharya and began to be called after him as Vallabha sampradaya..but I don't know who is recent days initiating gurus under this sect. You can do inquiry if you like. This sampradaya followed by few and this sect seen in Vrindavan.
Hare Krishna.