Skandapurana 3.3.16

Sūta said:

Listen, O excellent sages, to the speech of Vāmadeva. // 1

Vāmadeva said:

Formerly, on Mandara, the king of mountains, variegated with various minerals,

thronged with diverse living beings, and filled with various trees and creepers, // 2

the revered Kālāgnirudra, worshipped by the universe,

the lord of spirits, the supreme lord, arrived once of his own free will. // 3

A hundred crores of Rudras attended around him on all sides;

seated in their midst was the god of gods, the three-eyed one. // 4

There came Puraṃdara, the foremost of the gods, along with the gods,

likewise Agni, Varuṇa, Vāyu, and Yama Vaivasvata; // 5

gandharvas led by Citrasena, sky-farers, serpents, and others,

vidyādharas, kimpuruṣas, siddhas, sādhyas, and guhyakas; // 6

brahmin seers led by Vasiṣṭha, celestial seers led by Nārada,

the noble ancestors, and lords of creatures led by Dakṣa; // 7

apsarases led by Urvaśī, and mothers led by Caṇḍikā;

the Ādityas, the Vasus, the two Dasras, and the Viśvedevas of great splendour. // 8

Then other lords of spirits capable of destroying the worlds:

Mahākāla and Nandī, and likewise Śaṅkhapālaka; // 9

Vīrabhadra of great splendour, Śaṅkukarṇa of great strength,

Ghaṇṭākarṇa the unassailable, Maṇibhadra, Vṛkodara, // 3.3.16.10

Kuṇḍodara, Vikaṭa, and the mighty Kumbhodara,

Mandodara, Karṇadhāra, Ketu, and Bhṛṅgīriṭi; // 11

and other lords of spirits, large of body and of great fiery might:

black-colored and white, some having the luster of frogs, // 12

green, grey, smoky, speckled, yellow-red,

multi-colored, of diverse limbs, of varied playful sport, furious with intoxication; // 13

with hands raised holding various weapons, adorned with diverse mounts and ornaments;

some having tiger faces, some boar mouths, deer faces, // 14

some crocodile-faced, others with dog faces,

others jackal-faced, and others with camel-like faces; // 15

some with faces of śarabhas, bheruṇḍas, lions, horses, camels, and cranes;

single-faced, two-faced, three-faced, and faceless; // 16

one-armed, three-armed, five-armed, and armless;

footless, many-footed, many-eared, and single-eared; // 17

one-eyed, four-eyed, tall, and some dwarfish.

Surrounding him on every side, they worshipped the Lord, the master of spirits. // 18

Then there arrived one of great splendour, the foremost of sages, the wise

The righteous Sanatkumāra [came] to see that Lord of the universe,

that God of gods, Lord of all, whose radiance is equal to ten million suns,

whose deep roar is like the seven oceans churned at the great dissolution,

whose grandeur is equal to the cosmic fire of dissolution, adorned with a mass of matted hair,

with an unblemished eye upon his forehead, the radiance of his face unfaded by flames,

adorned with the crescent moon as a blazing crest-jewel,

wearing Takṣaka on his left ear and Vāsuki on his right,

bearing them as a pair of earrings, with prominent jaws like blue sapphires,

blue-throated, mighty-armed, splendid with garlands of serpents,

with serpent kings shining as bracelets, armlets, and rings,

whose girdle was adorned with thousands of endlessly manifold jewels,

clad in a tiger skin, adorned with bells and mirrors,

whose lotus feet were made radiant and echoed with sounding anklets

made of Karkoṭaka, Mahāpadma, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Dhanañjaya,

bearing a dart, javelin, skull-staff, trident, chisel, and bow,

invincible, undefinable, of inconceivable form—the Lord

mounted upon a jeweled throne—the great sage bowed down to him.

His inner self breathing freely with the weight of devotion, having praised him with words conforming to the Veda,

with hands joined in reverence and neck bowed with modesty, he asked about all the duties that bestow auspiciousness.

Whichever duties the sage asked about, all of them without exception

the blessed Rudra explained; then the sage asked further:

Sanatkumāra said:

"O Blessed One, the duties that lead to liberation have been heard from your mouth,

by which men, freed from sin, will cross over the ocean of worldly existence.

Now, O all-pervading Lord, tell me out of compassion another duty

that requires little effort yet yields great fruit, granting immediate liberation to mortals.

Duties seen in the scriptures are thousands-fold and demand great practice;

even when properly observed, over time they may or may not grant perfection.

Therefore, I wish to know, by your grace, O Maheśvara,

that secret duty beneficial to the world, which accomplishes both enjoyment and liberation."

The blessed Rudra said:

"The highest of all duties, enjoined by the Veda,

and the secret for all living beings, is the wearing of the tripuṇḍra."

Sanatkumāra said:

"Declare the rule for the tripuṇḍra, O Blessed One, Lord of the worlds!

I wish to know it in truth by your grace, O Maheśvara:

how many places are there, what is the substance, what is the power, and who is the deity?

What is the measure, who is the agent, which are the mantras, and what is its fruit?

Tell me all this without omission, the entire characteristic of the tripuṇḍra,

O Lord of the worlds, out of a desire to show grace to the world."

The blessed Rudra said:

"Ash produced from burnt cow dung is called fiery [ash];

that alone is declared to be the substance for the tripuṇḍra, O great sage.

Taking it with the five mantras consisting of Brahman, beginning with Sadyojāta,

one should consecrate the ash with the mantras beginning with 'agnir iti'.

Wiping it while reciting 'mā nas toke', one should smear the head with 'tryambakam',

and on the forehead and the two arms with mantras beginning with 'tryāyuṣam';

and on the shoulders one should apply the ash mixed with water and consecrated with mantras.

There are three lines in these places, O best of sages,

extending from the middle of the eyebrows to the end of the eyebrows.

A line drawn in reverse between the middle and ring fingers

by means of the thumb is said to be the tripuṇḍra.

For each of the three lines there are nine deities:

the syllable 'A', the Gārhapatya fire, the Ṛgveda, the earth, rajas,

the individual self, the power of action, and the morning pressing of soma—

and Mahādeva is the deity of the first line.

The syllable 'U', the Dakṣiṇa fire, the atmosphere, sattva, the Yajurveda,

the midday pressing, the power of will, the inner self,

and Maheśvara is the deity of the second line.

The syllable 'M', the Āhavanīya fire, the supreme self, tamas, heaven,

The power of knowledge, the Sāmaveda, and likewise the third pressing,

and Śiva: these are the presiding deities of the third line.

Having constantly bowed to these, the wise man should wear the tripuṇḍra.

This observance of Maheśvara is proclaimed in all the Vedas.

It should be practiced by men desiring liberation; they are not born again.

He who makes the tripuṇḍra with ashes according to rule,

whether a student, a householder, a forest-dweller, or an ascetic,

is freed from collections of great sins and from minor sins;

likewise from other sins, such as killing a kṣatriya, a vaiśya, a śūdra, a woman, or a cow,

and from slaying a warrior or slaying a horse—of this there is no doubt.

Even he who makes it without a mantra, not knowing its exalted greatness,

a tripuṇḍra upon the expanse of his forehead, is freed from all sins:

stealing another's property, violating another's wife,

slandering another, seizing another's field, tormenting another,

stealing crops, groves, and the like, and acts such as burning a house,

false speech, malicious gossip, harshness, selling the Veda,

perjury, abandoning a vow, deceit, serving the base,

accepting a cow, land, gold, a female buffalo, sesame, a blanket, or garments,

food, grain, water, and the like from low-born people,

consorting with maidservants, courtesans, outcastes, and actresses,

and with menstruating women, virgins, and widows,

and selling meat, hides, juices, and salt.

These and other sins, innumerable and diverse,

are destroyed immediately through wearing the tripuṇḍra.

Stealing Śiva's property, slandering Śiva anywhere,

and slandering devotees of Śiva are not purified by expiations.

He on whose limbs are rudrākṣa beads and on whose forehead is the tripuṇḍra,

even if a caṇḍāla, is worthy of worship and becomes the highest of all castes.

Whatever sacred fords there are in this world, and whatever rivers are like the Gaṅgā,

he who wears the tripuṇḍra on his forehead has bathed in them all.

The seven crores of great mantras headed by the five-syllable mantra,

and other crores of Śaiva mantras that cause absolute liberation—

all these have been chanted by him who wears the tripuṇḍra.

A thousand born before and a thousand yet to be born

among mortal descendants of his own lineage, he who wears the tripuṇḍra delivers.

Having enjoyed all pleasures here, endowed with long life and free of disease,

at the end of his life he attains death with ease.

Having attained an auspicious, celestial body endowed with the eight supernatural powers,

and mounted an aerial chariot, served by hundreds of celestial women,

in the realms of the vidyādharas, the siddhas, the gandharvas of great splendor,

and of the world-protectors headed by Indra, in due succession,

having enjoyed vast pleasures, and in the cities of the lords of creatures,

he reaches the abode of Brahmā and takes delight there for a hundred kalpas.

And he delights in the realm of Viṣṇu for three hundred lifespans of Brahmā.

Then, having attained the realm of Śiva, he delights there for endless time.

He attains communion with Śiva and is not born again.

Having repeatedly examined the essence of all the Upaniṣads,

this alone has been ascertained as the supreme good: the tripuṇḍra.

This greatness of the tripuṇḍra has been related briefly by me.

It is a secret from all beings, to be concealed by you.

Having spoken thus, the Lord Rudra vanished right there.

The sage Sanatkumāra also went to the abode of Brahmā.

Your intellect too has become spotless through contact with the ashes.

You too, wear the holy tripuṇḍra with faith.

Sūta said:

Having spoken thus, Vāmadeva, the Śiva-yogi of great austerity,

consecrated the ashes with mantras and gave them to the terrible brahmarakṣas.

With them, he made a horizontal tripuṇḍra upon the expanse of his forehead.

Instantly he cast off the state of a brahmarākṣasa through its power.

He shone like the sun, adorned with an aura of fiery brilliance.

with divine limbs and form, radiant in divine garlands and garments.

Devoutly circumambulating that guru, the master of Śiva-yoga,

and ascending a divine aerial chariot, he went to the realms of merit.

Vāmadeva, the great yogi, having bestowed upon him the highest state,

wandered the world like a fool, though [he was] Śiva himself incarnate.

Whatever person hears this glory of holy ash [and] the tripuṇḍra,

or causes it to be heard, or reads it, attains indeed the highest state.

He who recites the glory of Śiva, the cause of liberation from worldly existence; who bows to the lotus feet of the Lord, meditated upon by Śiva-yogis;

and who makes the tripuṇḍra shine on his forehead as a devotee of Śiva—he shall never dwell in a mother's womb again in this world.

Thus ends the sixteenth chapter, named 'The Narration of the Glory of Holy Ash', in the third [section], the Brahmottarakhaṇḍa, of the eighty-one-thousand-verse collection of the glorious Skandamahāpurāṇa.