Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

तेनासौ भालपटले चक्रे तिर्य क्त्रिपुंड्रकम् । ब्रह्मराक्षसतां सद्यो जहौ तस्यानुभावतः

Transliteration

tenāsau bhālapaṭale cakre tirya ktripuṃḍrakam | brahmarākṣasatāṃ sadyo jahau tasyānubhāvataḥ

Translation

ആ ഭസ്മംകൊണ്ട് അവൻ നെറ്റിയിൽ തിരശ്ചീനമായി ത്രിപുണ്ഡ്രം വരച്ചു. അതിന്റെ പ്രഭാവത്താൽ അവൻ ഉടൻ ബ്രഹ്മരാക്ഷസത്വം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• तेन: by that/with that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• असौ: that person/he
• असौ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• भालपटले: on the forehead-surface
• भालपटले: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाल (प्रातिपदिक) + पटल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भालस्य पटलम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• चक्रे: made/did
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• तिर्यक्: horizontally
• तिर्यक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तिर्यक् (अव्यय/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), दिशावाचक (horizontally/obliquely)

• त्रिपुण्ड्रकम्: tripuṇḍra mark
• त्रिपुण्ड्रकम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्ड्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास, नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ब्रह्मराक्षसताम्: the state of being a brahmarākṣasa
• ब्रह्मराक्षसताम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक) + ता (तद्धित-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (ब्रह्मराक्षसस्य भावः), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• सद्यः: immediately
• सद्यः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सद्यः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), कालवाचक (immediately)

• जहौ: abandoned/gave up
• जहौ: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हा (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• तस्य: of that/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• अनुभावतः: due to the power/effect
• अनुभावतः: Hetu (Cause/Reason)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ghora draws three horizontal ash lines across his forehead; at the moment the tripuṇḍra is completed, his terrifying rākṣasa aspect dissolves, replaced by a purified, noble form.

Characters & Entities

• Tripuṇḍra
• Brahma-rākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred Shaiva insignia, empowered by mantra and faith, is portrayed as capable of immediate inner and karmic transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the glorification is of the Tripuṇḍra practice itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Applying the Tripuṇḍra horizontally on the forehead using sacred ash.