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

اے سَردارِ مُنیو! ان مقامات پر تین لکیریں بنتی ہیں؛ جو دونوں بھنوؤں کے درمیان کے وسط سے شروع ہو کر بھنوؤں کے کناروں تک پھیلتی ہیں۔

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.