Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 48
एता नित्यं नमस्कृत्य त्रिपुंड्रं धारयेत्सुधीः । महेश्वरव्रतमिदं सर्ववेदेषु कीर्तितम्
etā nityaṃ namaskṛtya tripuṃḍraṃ dhārayetsudhīḥ | maheśvaravratamidaṃ sarvavedeṣu kīrtitam
इन (पवित्र आचारों) को नित्य नमस्कार करके बुद्धिमान पुरुष त्रिपुण्ड्र धारण करे। यह महेश्वर (शिव) का व्रत है, जो समस्त वेदों में कीर्तित है।
Deductive attribution: Purāṇic narrator (likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition within Brāhma Khaṇḍa)
Scene: A calm Śaiva devotee after morning ablutions stands facing a liṅga or Śiva icon, hands in añjali; he applies three horizontal ash lines (Tripuṇḍra) on the forehead, embodying a Veda-sanctioned vow.
FAQs
Daily reverence and disciplined Śaiva practice—wearing the Tripuṇḍra as a Veda-endorsed vow of Maheśvara.
No single tīrtha is named; the verse glorifies a universal Śaiva observance (Tripuṇḍra) rather than a location.
Offer daily salutation and then wear the Tripuṇḍra as part of Maheśvara’s vrata.