Skandapurana 2.5.3: adhyāyaḥ 3

Brahmā said:

How many kinds of marks are to be made? Tell me, O Keśava!

Great curiosity has arisen in me to hear about marks. 1

The Blessed Lord said:

Listen, O son, I shall tell you. The mark is declared to be threefold:

with soil from the tulasī plant, with holy gopīcandana, 2

or with haricandana the mark is to be made by the wise.

Taking earth from the root of the holy kṛṣṇa-tulasī, the devotee

should wear vertical marks; Hari is pleased with that. 3

Understand the majesty of gopīcandana as I speak: 4

If a man takes clay originating from Dvāravatī in his hand

and daily applies a vertical mark on the broad surface of his forehead, the fruit of his ritual actions becomes ten million times greater. 5

Even if devoid of ritual acts, devoid of mantras, devoid of faith, or performed at an inappropriate time,

if he applies gopīcandana on his forehead, he always attains the imperishable fruit of that deed. 6

If a twice-born constantly wears on his forehead the charming mark made from gopīcandana, every day, by night and by day, at all times, 7

he attains more than the religious merit gained in Kurujāṅgala during a solar eclipse or in Prayāga during the month of Māgha; he dwells like a god in my abode. 7

In whatever house gopīcandana is kept, and if a man wears it with devotion on his forehead—

In that house, O four-faced one, I, the slayer of Kaṃsa, dwell forever together with Śrī.

He who wears the purifying clay arisen from Dvāravatī, which removes the defilements of the Kali age,

daily on his forehead with my mantra, would not see Yama, even though laden with sin.

O son, upon whose arms, forehead, chest, and head gopīcandana is present at the time of death,

he goes to the world of me, the Lord of Kamalā, even if he were a killer of cows, children, or a slayer of a brahmin.

The planets do not torment him, nor do hosts of rākṣasas, yakṣas, piśācas, serpents, or chieftains of bhūtas,

upon whose forehead plate, O son, gopīcandana remains, by my power.

On whose forehead an upright, gentle ūrdhvapuṇḍra is seen,

even if he is an outcaste, he is pure in soul and worthy of worship without a doubt.

One who performs rites unbathed, impure, and joined with sin,

becomes purified instantly through contact with gopīcandana.

Whether he is impure, devoid of proper conduct, or commits great sin,

a man marked with the ūrdhvapuṇḍra always becomes pure.

For the sake of my pleasure, or for auspiciousness, or for protection, O four-faced one,

and during my worship and oblation, evening and morning, collected in mind,

my devotee should always wear the ūrdhvapuṇḍra, which removes worldly existence.

If a mortal wearing the ūrdhvapuṇḍra dies anywhere,

even a dog-eater, mounted on an aerial chariot, is glorified in my world.

Whenever a mortal wearing the ūrdhvapuṇḍra eats anyone's food,

then I deliver twenty generations of his family from hell.

He who, having looked in a mirror or in water, carefully applies

the ūrdhvapuṇḍra, O fortunate one, attains the supreme goal.

The ring finger is said to grant peace; the middle finger brings long life;

the thumb is declared to bestow nourishment; the forefinger gives liberation.

He who gives a piece of gopīcandana to a Vaiṣṇava,

by him indeed one hundred and eight generations of his family are saved.

Sacrifice, donation, austerity, oblation, recitation of scripture, and water-libations to the ancestors—

all of that becomes useless if done without the ūrdhvapuṇḍra.

That body of men which is destitute of the ūrdhvapuṇḍra,

I do not even look upon that face, for it is like a cremation ground.

One should make the ūrdhvapuṇḍra, [and] the wearing [of the marks] of the fish, tortoise, and the like;

one should do it for the pleasure of Viṣṇu; it is exceedingly dear to Mahāviṣṇu.

Furthermore, in the Kali age, when a man takes the clay produced in my city,

and makes the mark stamped with the fish and tortoise,

know that I have entered his body, O best of the thirty [gods]!

One who desires welfare should make no distinction between him and me.

Upon whose body the marks of my incarnations are seen,

that mortal is not to be known as a mortal; he is surely my own form.

The sin of that embodied being turns into merit,

when my weapons are seen inscribed [on him] in the Kali age.

He who is stamped with both marks—with the fish seal

and with the tortoise seal—my splendour has been cast into his body.

Having fashioned on one's body the conch, the lotus, the mace, the discus, the fish, and the tortoise,

one constantly brings about an increase of merit and the destruction of sin accumulated in hundreds of births.

Whose body is constantly marked with the weapons of Nārāyaṇa,

even if he is engaged in ten million sins, what can Yama do to him?

That fruit which is declared [to come] from dwelling at Śaṅkhoddhāra for ten million lifetimes,

that fruit he obtains daily when the conch is [marked] on his right arm.

That fruit which is proclaimed at Puṣkara from the darśana of Puṇḍarīkākṣa,

when the lotus is made above the conch, that fruit is multiplied ten million times.

Upon whose left arm the mace is seen inscribed in the Kali age,

Gadādhara gives him the merit of Gayā every day.

And what is declared at Ānandapura in the vicinity of Cakrasvāmin,

that fruit [arising from] the darśana of the liṅga [is gained] when the mace and discus are inscribed.

His body being marked with my weapons with the clay of gopīcandana,

what will he do by going to sacred fords such as Prayāga?

Whenever I behold his body marked with the conch and the rest,

then, being pleased, I indeed burn away his sin.

On whose body, day and night, from day to day,

the conch, discus, mace, and lotus remain inscribed, he is identical with me.

Having adorned oneself with Nārāyaṇa's weapons in the Kali age,

whatever meritorious deed one performs becomes equal to Mount Meru, without a doubt.

He who, marked with the weapon of the conch, performs a śrāddha with devotion, O son,

[that offering], even if devoid of proper ritual rules, becomes complete and imperishable when given to the ancestors.

Just as a fire driven fiercely by the wind burns up wood,

even so sins are consumed at the very sight of my weapons.

A seal engraved with my name, provided with the eight-syllable mantra,

equipped with my own weapons, beginning with the conch, even if made of gold or silver—

he who wears [such a seal] of the Lord, especially in the Kali age,

is to be known as equal to Prahlāda; he is dear to me beyond compare.

He who possesses the seal of Nārāyaṇa, whose body is marked with the conch and other signs,

who wears a garland made of myrobalan fruits and fashioned from tulasī wood,

[and] who applies the twelve-syllable mantra onto his body,

as well as the weapons, that brahmin is a Vaiṣṇava equal to me.

In whosever house a brahmin whose body is marked with the conch eats,

I myself eat that food together with the ancestors, O son.

Whoever, seeing a person marked with Kṛṣṇa's weapons, does not show respect,

the merit he earned over twelve years goes to Bāṣkaleya.

If one marked with Kṛṣṇa's weapons should die even in a cremation ground,

the destiny that is proclaimed for Prayāga—that destiny is his, O respectful one.

Whose body in the Kali age is constantly decorated with my weapons,

the gods, Indra and others, make their hermitage there.

And the man who, marked with my weapons, performs worship of me,

I constantly remove his thousands of offenses.

Having made a wooden stamp well-marked with my weapons,

he who imprints his body has no equal as a Vaiṣṇava.

He on whose hand is a metallic seal marked with the eight syllables,

furnished with the conch, lotus, and the like, is worshipped by gods and asuras.

The seal of Nārāyaṇa was worn on the hand formerly by Prahlāda,

by Vibhīṣaṇa, by Bali, by Dhruva, and by Śuka,

by Māndhātṛ, by Ambarīṣa, and by twice-born sages headed by Mārkaṇḍeya.

And having marked the body with weapons characterized by the conch and others, O respectful one,

having worshipped me in this way, they obtained the great desired fruit.

Whose body is drawn upon with the clay of gopīcandana,

marked with the conch, discus, lotus, and the like, in his body I dwell.

Golden, silver, copper, bronze, or even iron—

having fashioned a discus, an intelligent and discerning person should wear it.

[It should have] twelve spokes, six angles, and be adorned with three folds.

Thus a discerning person should have the Sudarśana discus fashioned.

Just like the sacred thread and similar marks, the conch, discus, and mace must always be worn,

especially by brahmins, and particularly by Vaiṣṇavas.

Just like the sacred thread and the tuft of hair, so is the discus accompanied by its emblem.

For a brahmin who lacks the emblem of the discus, [all] becomes fruitless.

'A body marked with my discus is pure'—such indeed is the Vedic revelation.

Wise men should offer oblations to gods and ancestors to one who is marked with the discus.

The armor of the imprint of my discus is impenetrable to gods and Dānavas;

he is unconquerable by all beings, enemies, and even Rakṣasas.

On whose body the armor of the imprint of my discus resides,

there is no misfortune for him, his house, children, and so forth.

A brahmin should indeed bear the Sudarśana on his right arm,

and on the left he should bear the conch; thus the knowers of the Veda know.

One who knows mantras, having consecrated each separately with its respective mantra,

the mace should be worn on the forehead, the bow and arrow on the crown of the head,

the Nandaka [sword] in the middle of the heart, and the conch and discus on the two arms.

Therefore, by every effort, one should always bear the discus and the rest.

Immediately after bearing them, an excellent twice-born should say thus:

'Children, friends, wife, and whatever else is my possession,

all that, together with my body, has been dedicated by me for the pleasure of Viṣṇu.'

Then, having established himself in his own duty, he should remain for the rest of his life

with unswerving devotion to me, his desires fulfilled for all time.

Those lowest of men who revile [someone] upon seeing him marked with the conch and discus—

having looked upon their face, one should look at the sun,

and by uttering the name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one becomes pure; not otherwise. // 67

Thus ends the third chapter, named 'Account of the Manner of Bearing Gopīcandanā, etc., the Conch, Discus, and Other Weapons, and the Respective Mudrās,' in the dialogue between Brahmā and Viṣṇu, in the second, Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, of the glorious Skandamahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses. // 3