Varaha Purana 129.3: Adhyaya 129, Shloka 3
Initiation for the Four Social Orders, Sandhyā Mantra Procedure, and the Merit of Offering Water in a Copper Vessel
Uttara Bhāga · Tilaka Procedure: Mantra Prompt
येन मन्त्रेण दातव्यं ललाटे तिलकं मम ।
yena mantreṇa dātavyaṃ lalāṭe tilakaṃ mama |
yena mantreNa dAtavyaM lalATe tilakaM mama
केन मन्त्रेण मम ललाटे तिलकं दातव्यम्?
Pṛthivī (inquirer; implied by continuity)
Curious; seeking ritual correctness and salvific efficacy
Which mantra should be used to apply my tilaka on the forehead?
External marks (tilaka) become spiritually meaningful when yoked to right intention and mantra (saṅkalpa + śabda).
Seek authorized mantra for devotional observances; treat tilaka as a consecrated act, not fashion.
Bhu Devi directly addresses Varaha, requesting the correct mantra for applying tilaka.
Ritual acts (tilaka) should be performed with the proper mantra as taught by the deity/ācārya, not arbitrarily.
Correct mantra-use sanctifies the act and supports mokṣa-oriented devotion; incorrect/absent mantra reduces it to mere ornamentation with diminished spiritual fruit.
Implicit Vāsudeva-address in the surrounding ritual frame.
Varāha Purāṇa 129.4–129.6 (mantras for tilaka and flowers); Varāha Purāṇa 129.7 (subsequent upacāra sequence)
FAQs
It indicates the integration of bodily markers (tilaka) into formal mantra-governed ritual sequences, relevant to the history of Vaiṣṇava material practice.
No geographic location is referenced.
The implied instruction is careful conformity to prescribed ritual speech when performing visible devotional markers.
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