Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

तिस्रो रेखा भवंत्येषु स्थानेषु मुनिपुंगव । भ्रुवोर्मध्यं समारभ्य यावदंतो भ्रुवोर्भवेत्

Transliteration

tisro rekhā bhavaṃtyeṣu sthāneṣu munipuṃgava | bhruvormadhyaṃ samārabhya yāvadaṃto bhruvorbhavet

Translation

O Vorderster der Weisen, an diesen Stellen befinden sich drei Linien: Sie beginnen in der Mitte zwischen den Augenbrauen und reichen bis zu den Enden der Augenbrauen.

Word by Word

• तिस्रः: three
• तिस्रः: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण (रेखाः)

• रेखाः: lines
• रेखाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• भवन्ति: are, become
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• एषु: in these
• एषु: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), बहुवचन

• स्थानेषु: places
• स्थानेषु: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), बहुवचन

• मुनिपुङ्गव: O bull among sages, O best of sages
• मुनिपुङ्गव: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + पुङ्गव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• भ्रुवोः: of the two eyebrows
• भ्रुवोः: Sambandha/Adhikarana (of/between the two eyebrows)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Gen./Loc.), द्विवचन

• मध्यम्: the middle
• मध्यम्: Karma (Object of samārabhya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• समारभ्य: starting from
• समारभ्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + रभ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-कृदन्त (Gerund), पूर्वकर्म

• यावत्: up to, until
• यावत्: Avadhi (Limit)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सर्वनाम)
• Form: परिमाणार्थक-अव्यय (until/as far as)

• अन्तः: the end
• अन्तः: Avadhi (End point)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; (अन्तः = समाप्तिः)

• भ्रुवोः: of the two eyebrows
• भ्रुवोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), द्विवचन

• भवेत्: should be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Prescriptive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śrī Rudra (Śiva)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni-puṅgava (foremost sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close depiction of the forehead Tripuṇḍra: three clean horizontal ash lines precisely spanning from between the brows to the brow ends; teacher-sage instructs on exact boundaries.

Characters & Entities

• Tripuṇḍra
• Bhru (eyebrows)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śaiva marks are not arbitrary; they follow a sacred form that expresses disciplined devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the verse concerns the correct form of the Tripuṇḍra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Make three lines, starting from between the eyebrows and extending to the ends of the eyebrows.