Putting on Tilaka
In the Uttara-khanada of the Padma Purana, Lord Shiva says to Parvati that in the middle of the “V” of the Vaishnava tilaka mark there is a space and in that space reside Lakshmi and Narayana. Therefore, the body that is decorated with tilaka should be considered a temple of Lord Vishnu. The Padma Purana also states:
vama-parshve sthito brahma
dakshine cha sadashivaha
madhye vishnum vijaniyat
Tasman madhyam na lepayet
“On the left side of the tilaka Lord Brahma is situated, and on the right side is Sadashiva, but one should know that in the middle dwells Lord Vishnu. Therefore one should not smear the middle section.”
One should pour a little water into the palm of his left hand and rub gopi-chandana (mud from Dwaraka) into it. When making Tilaka the following mantra from the Uttara Khanda of the Padma Purana:
lalate keshavam dhyayen
narayanam athodare
vaksha-sthale madhavam tu
govindam kantha-kupake
vishnum cha dakshine kukshau
bahau cha madhusudanam
trivikramam kandare tu
vamanam vama-parshvake
shridharam vama-bahau tu
hrishikesham cha kandhare
pristhe tu padma-nabham cha
katyam damodaram nyaset
tat prakshalana-toyam tu
vasudeveti murdhani
In accordance with the above mentioned mantra one should apply the gopi-chandana with the ball of the middle finger tip to make the tilaka marks on the twelve parts of the body. According to the Brahmanda Purana, one should not use the fingernail to make the space in the middle of the tilaka. One should place a thin damp cloth over the finger and make the space with that. Thus, when the tilaka is applied, the following mantras should be chanted:
The forehead–om keshavaya namaha
The belly–om narayanaya namaha
The chest–om madhavaya namaha
The throat–om govindaya namaha
The right side of the waist–om vishnave namaha
The right upper arm–om madhusudanaya namaha
The right shoulder–om trivikramaya namaha
The left side of the waist–om vamanaya namaha
The left upper arm–om shridharaya namaha
The left shoulder–om hrishikeshaya namaha
The upper back–om padmanabhaya namaha
The lower back–om damodaraya namaha
Finally, after washing one’s had, whatever water is left should be wiped on the top of the head in the region of the shikha (tuft of hair) with the mantra: om vasudevaya namaha.
In the Padma Purana it is stated:
nasadi-kesha-paryantam
urdhva-pundram sushobhanam
madhye chidra-samayuktam
tad vidyad dhari-mandiram
“That marking (of tilaka), which begins from the root of the nose and extends up to the hairline, which has a space in it and is very beautiful, is known as urdhva-pundra (tilaka). One should know it to be a temple of Lord Hari [Vishnu].” The Padma Purana also mentions that the tilaka marking should only extend three quarters of the way down the nose from the root of the nose, which is located between the eyebrows. The space in the middle of the tilaka should begin from between the eyebrows and extend up to the hairline. The marking on the nose and forehead should be connected. That is a perfect tilaka marking.
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