Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 50
शिखामाबद्ध्य दिग्बंधं कृत्वा रेभे ततो विधिम् । मध्ये वै मंडलस्यापि कुंडे शुभ्रे त्रिमेखलं
śikhāmābaddhya digbaṃdhaṃ kṛtvā rebhe tato vidhim | madhye vai maṃḍalasyāpi kuṃḍe śubhre trimekhalaṃ
Tying up his topknot (śikhā) and establishing the directional protection (digbandha), he then began the prescribed rite. In the very center of the maṇḍala, in a clean white fire-pit (kuṇḍa), he prepared the tri-girdled arrangement (trimēkhala).
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Siddhāmbikā-sthāna
Type: kshetra
Scene: The sādhaka ties his topknot, performs directional protection, and prepares a spotless white fire-pit at the mandala’s center with a tri-girdled arrangement.
FAQs
True sādhana unites inner discipline with outer correctness—protection, purity, and method support realization.
The Siddhāmbikā-centered Kāśī setting is implied as the sanctified ground where such rites properly bear fruit.
Śikhā-bandhana (tying the topknot), digbandha (directional protection), and preparing a clean central kuṇḍa with a tri-mekhalā arrangement for the rite.