Tilak: Why Wear It

This compilation of information will explain what tilak is and why it is worn. As anyone
who is familiar with the Vedic tradition knows, many of its followers wear marking on the
foreheads. This is called tilak. Some tilak markings are made with ash, some with clay
or soil, some are red dots with kum kum, or dyed rice flour, or red dots with additional
applications like a few grains of rice stuck to it. Some tilak appears as three lines of ash
going horizontally across the forehead that indicates one is a Shaivite, or a small
triangle on the nose with a "V" shape rising vertically up on the forehead from between
the eyebrows, which indicates one is a Vaishnava. This is a sign of the foot of Lord
Vishnu, recited while chanting the name of Lord Vishnu.
There are different reasons why this is done and what they mean, but here is a
description of why Vaishnavas wear their tilok, especially with Gopi-candana (or Gopi
Chand). Gopi Candana is the soil that comes from a place not far from Dwaraka. The
history is that this is the place where the gopis entered the river to leave their bodies
after Lord Krishna left this planet to return to His spiritual abode. Thus, they also
followed in this way. The mud that used to be the banks of that river is called Gopi-
candana. Vaishnavas apply this mud while chanting the names of Vishnu in twelve
places on the head, arms, chest and back. The process marks the body as a temple,
purifies the body, and also acts as protection from evil influences, ghosts, etc. By seeing
this tilok on ourselves or other devotees, it serves as a constant reminder of Lord
Krishna. Tilak is also used in Deity worship, offered to the Deities and also used with
lemon juice to polish brass deities.
The Glories of Gopī-candana Tilaka

Śrī Garga Saṁhitā, Canto Six,

Chapter Fifteen
Translation by Kusakratha Dāsa
 Text 15
yasya sravana-matrena
karma-bandhat pramucyate
gopinam yatra vaso 'bhut
tena gopi-bhuvah smrtah

Simply by hearing about Gopi-bhumi, which is so named because the gopīs resided
there, one becomes free from the bondage of karma.

Text 16
gopy-angaraga-sambhutam
gopi-candanam uttamam
gopi-candana-liptango
ganga-snana-phalam labhet

In Gopi-bhumi gopi-candana was manifested from the gopīs' cosmetics. A person who
marks his limbs with gopi-candana tilaka attains the result of bathing in the Ganga.

Text 17
maha-nadinam snanasya
punyam tasya dine dine
gopi-candana-mudrabhir
mudrito yah sadā bhavet
A person who daily wears gopi-candana tilaka attains the pious result of daily bathing in
all sacred rivers.

Text 18
asvamedha-sahasrani
rajasuya-satani ca
sarveṣu tirtha-danani
vratani ca tathaiva ca
krtani tena nityaṁ vai
sa krtartho na samsayah

A person who daily wears gopi-candana tilaka attains the result of performing a
thousand asvamedha-yajnas and a hundred rajasuya-yajnas. He attains the result of
giving charity and following vows at all holy places. He attains the goal of life. Of this
there is no doubt.

Text 19
ganga-mrd-dvi-gunam punyam
citrakuta-rajah smrtam
tasmād dasa-gunam punyam
rajah pancavati-bhavam

Twice as sacred as the mud of the Ganga is the dust of Citrakuta. Ten times more
sacred than that is the dust of Pancavati-tirtha.

Text 20
tasmac chata-gunam punyam
gopi-candanakam rajah
gopi-candanakam viddhi
vrndavana-rajah-samam

A hundred times more sacred is the dust of gopi-candana. Please know that gopi-
candana is equal to the dust of Vṛndāvana.

Text 21
gopi-candana-liptangam
yadi papa-satair yutam
tam netum na yamah sakto
yama-dutah kutah punah

Even if in the past he has committed hundreds of sins, if a person wears gopi-candana
tilaka, then Yamarāja cannot take him away. How, then, can Yamarāja’s messengers
touch him?

Text 22
nityaṁ karoti yah pāpī
 gopi-candana-dharanam
sa prayati harer dhāma
golokam prakrteh param

A sinner who daily wears gopi-candana tilaka goes to Lord Kṛṣṇa's supreme abode,
Goloka, which is beyond the world of matter.

Text 23
sindhu-desasya rajabhud
dirghabahur iti srutah
anyaya-varti dustatma
vesya-sanga-ratah sadā

In Sindhu-desa there was a king named Dirghabahu. He was cruel and sinful and he
was addicted to visiting prostitutes.

Text 24
tena vai bharate varse
brahma-hatya-satam krtam
dāsa garbhavati-hatyah
krtas tena duratmana

While he was on the earth this cruel sinner murdered a hundred brāhmaṇas and ten
pregnant women.

Text 25
mrgayayam tu banaughaih
kapila-go-vadhah krtah
saindhavam hayam aruhya
mrgayarthi gato 'bhavat

One day he mounted a sindhu horse and went hunting. With a flood of arrows he
accidentally killed a brown cow in that hunt.

Text 26
ekada rajya-lobhena
mantri kruddho maha-khalam
jaghanaranya-dese tam
tiksna-dharena casina

One day, greedy to get his kingdom, with a sharp sword his angry minister killed him in
the forest.

Text 27
bhu-tale patitam mrtyu-
gatam viksya yamanugah
 baddhva yama-purim ninyur
harsayantah parasparam

Seeing him fallen to the ground and dead, the Yamadutas came, bound him, and, joking
as they went, took him to the city of Yamarāja.

Text 28
sammukhe 'vasthitam viksya
papinam yama-rad bali
citraguptam praha turnam
ka yogya yanatasya vai

Seeing this sinner brought before him, powerful Yamarāja said to his scribe Citragupta,
"What is the proper punishment for him?"

Text 29
sri-citragupta uvāca
catur-asiti-laksesu
narakesu nipatyatam
nihsandeham mahā-raja
yavac candra-divakarau

Śrī Citragupta said: O great king, he should be thrown into eight million four hundred
thousand hells for as long as the sun and the moon shine in the sky.

Text 30
anena bharate varse
ksanam na su-krtam krtam
dasa-garbhavati-ghatah
kapila-go-vadhah krtah

On the earth he did not perform a single pious deed. He killed ten pregnant women. He
killed a brown cow.

Text 31
tathā vana-mrganam ca
kṛtvā hatyah sahasrasah
tasmād ayam maha-papi
devata-dvija-nindakah

He killed thousands of deer in the forest. He offended the demigods and the
brāhmaṇas. He is a great sinner.

Texts 32 and 33
sri-narada uvāca
tada yamajnaya duta
 nitva tam papa-rupinam
sahasra-yojanayame
tapta-taile maha-khale
sphurad aty-ucchalat-phene
kumbhipake nyapatayan
pralayagni-samo vahnih
sadyah sitalatam gatah

Sri Nārada said: Then, by Yamarāja’s order, the Yamadutas took that sinner and threw
him into a terrible, eight-thousand mile wide cauldron of bubbling boiling oil in the hell of
Kumbhipaka. The moment that sinner came to it, the boiling oil, which was as hot as the
great fires at the time of cosmic devastation, suddenly became cool.

Text 34
Vaideha tan-nipatanat
prahlada-ksepanad yathā
tadaiva citram acakhyur
yama-duta mahatmane

O king of Videha, as Prahlāda was unhurt in the same situation, that sinner was not hurt
by the boiling oil. Then the Yamadutas described that great wonder to noble-hearted
Yamarāja.

Text 35
anena su-krtam bhumau
ksanavan na kṛtam kvacit
citraguptena satataṁ
dharma-rajo vyacintayat

Yamarāja and Citragupta carefully reviewed the sinner's case and concluded that while
he was on the earth the sinner had not for a moment performed even a single pious
deed.

Text 36
sabhayam agatam vyasam
sampujya vidhivan nrpa
natva papraccha dharmatma
dharma-rajo maha-matih

Then Vyasadeva arrived in that assembly. Bowing down before Him, and carefully
worshiping Him, saintly and noble-hearted Yamaraja asked Vyasadeva the following
question.

Text 37
sri-yama uvaca
anena papina purvam
 na krtam su-krtam kvacit
sphurad-agny-ucchalat-phene
kumbhipake maha-khale
asya ksepanato vahnih
sadyah sitalatam gatah
iti sandehatas cetah
khidyate me na samsayah

Sri Yamaraja said: When a certain sinner, who had never performed even a single pious
deed, was thrown into the terrible boiling oil of Kumbhipaka, the oil suddenly became
cool. Because of this my mind is now tortured with doubts.

Text 39
sri-vyasa uvaca
suksma gatir maha-raja
vidita papa-punyayoh
tatha brahma-gatih prajnaih
sarva-sastra-vidam varaih

Sri Vyasadeva said: O great king, the intelligent sages, who have studied all the
scriptures, know that the ways of piety, sin, and spiritual progress are very subtle and
difficult to understand.

Text 40
daiva-yogad asya punyam
praptam vai svayam arthavat
yena punyena suddho 'sau
tac chrnu tvam maha-mate

Somehow or other, by destiny, this sinner did perform a pious deed, and by that deed
he became purified. O noble-hearted one, please hear the story of this.

Text 41
kasyapi hastato yatra
patita dvaraka-mrdah
tatraivayam mrtah papi
suddho 'bhut tat-prabhavatah

That sinner died in a place where from someone's hand some gopi-candana from
Dvaraka had accidentally fallen. Dying in gopi-candana, that sinner became purified.

Text 42
gopi-candana-liptango
naro narayano bhavet
etasya darsanat sadyo
brahma-hatya pramucyate
 A person who wears gopi-candana tilaka attains a spiritual form like that of Lord
Narayana. Simply by seeing him one becomes free of the sin of killing a brahmana.

Texts 43 and 44
sri-narada uvaca
iti srutva dharma-rajas
tam aniya visesatah
vimane kama-ge sthapya
vaikuntham prakrteh param
presayam asa sahasa
gopi-candana-kirti-vit
evam te kathitam rajan
gopi-candanakam yasah

Sri Narada said: Hearing this, Yamaraja, who understands the glories of gopi-candana,
took the sinner, placed him on an airplane that goes anywhere one wishes, and sent
him to Vaikuntha, which is above the worlds of matter. O king, thus I have described to
you the glories of gopi-candana.

Text 45
gopi-candana-mahatmyam
yah srnoti narottamah
sa yati paramam dhama
sri-krsnasya mahatmanah

One who hears this account of gopi-candana's glories becomes exalted. He goes to the
supreme abode of Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Additional References
If a Vaisnava who wears the sacred tilaka mark which goes upward like a flame eats in
anyone's house some grains, I (the Supreme Personality of Godhead) liberate his
twenty previous generations from their suffering in hellish planets. [Hari Bhakti Vilasa
4/203 from Brahmanda Purana spoken by the Supreme Lord]
Oh king of the birds (Garuda), if gopicandana is marked on anyone's forehead by the
mercy of the Supreme Lord, no planets (Sun, Moon, Mars, etc.), Yaksas (semi
demigods), Pisacas (ghosts and devils), snakes and demons can harm him. [Hari Bhakti
Vilasa 4/238 from Garuda Purana spoken by Narada Muni]
1. Atharvana Upanisad
Anyone who marks his body with the tilak which resembles the lotus feet of Lord hari
becomes dear to the Paramatma. He becomes fortunate and attains liberation.
2. Maha Upanisad
 One gets released of all the bondage of samsara when one marks his body with the
tilak markings and knows Narayana who is known by karma, jnana and bhakti yogas.
Ultimately, he attains Lord Visnu.
3. Agni Purana
A brahmana should not wear the three lined tilak across (tiryak pundra) even for as a
joke or play. One should mark his body with the vertical tilak only according to the
prescribed rules.
4. Brahmanda Purana
A brahmana should wear urdhva pundra; a ksatriya ardha candrakara (half-moon)
pundra; vaisya round shaped pundra; and a sudra tri pundra (horizontal tiryak pundra).
A brahmana should never wear the horizontal tilak. He is to be considered a sudra if he
wears it.
5. Brahmaratra
One should meditate on Me by chanting Om and should mark his body with vertical tilak
daily. Anyone who marks thus attains sayujya liberation.
6. Vasista smrti
One should mark the tilak on his forehead as follows: he should start from the nose tip
and go till his kesa (hair). The width should be one angula (circa 1 inch). This is urdhva
pundra laksana.
7. Sanat Kumara Samhita
Urdhva pundra should be worn with clay and should be worn with a gap inbetween and
nicely. In between the two lines, one should mark Sri or Laksmi in the form of Haridhra
curna. One should not mark anything else inbetween. Anyone who marks like this is
freed from all sinful reactions. Anyone who marks the tilak without any gap is
condemned.
8. Padma Purana
Those devotees on whose neck tulasi kanti mala and lotus seed kanti malas are
hanging and on whose shoulders there are the markings of conch and cakra and on
whose body there are 12 tilak markings, they purify the entire universe immediately.
9. Isvara samhita
Anyone who marks his body with the clay which has touched Lord Visnu's body attains
the benefit of an asvamedha sacrifice and is glorified in Visnu's abode. One should
mark inbetween the vertical lines mother Laksmi with the help of yellow curna or
powder.
 SRI VASUDEVA UPANISAD
1. Om. The great sage Narada bowed down before the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Lord Vasudeva and asked: O Lord, please
teach me the rules of Vaisnava tilaka. Please tell me of the
substances, mantras, places, and other things in connection with
it.
2 Lord Vasudeva said: To please Me, My devotees headed by the
demigod Brahma, wear Visnu-candana, which comes from the spiritual
world of Vaikuntha. Because every day the gopis anoint My limbs
with this candana and then again wash it away, it is also known as
gopi-candana. This sacred yellow candana, which holds within it My
cakra, and which is present at Cakra-tirtha, brings liberation (to
they who wear it).
3 In the following prayer one praises and bows down before gopi-
candana:
O gopi, O destroyer of sins, O candana manifested from Lord
Visnu’s transcendental body and marked with His cakra, I offer my
obeisances to you. Please give me liberation, for I am anointed
with you.
4 One should go to My Ganges, take some water, bring it to My
temple, and use it to make gopi-candana paste. Then, reciting
either the mantras that begin ‘deva avantu nah’ (May the Lord
protect us), or the Visnu gayatri, or my names beginning with the
name Kesava, one should apply gopi-candana tilaka.
5 A brahmacari or vanaprastha should, while chanting the Visnu-
gayatri or the holy names beginning with Krishna, apply this tilaka
to his forehead, chest, neck, and shoulders.
5 (A) Three times he should chant this mantra: O Lord who holds
the conch shell, cakra, and club in Your hands, O infallible Lord
who resides in Dvaraka, O lotus-eyed Lord Govinda, please protect
me, who have surrendered to You and taken shelter of You.
5 (B) After meditating in this way, a grhastha should, while
chanting the Visnu-gayatri or the holy names beginning with Kesava,
apply this tilaka with his ring finger to twelve parts of his body,
beginning with his forehead.
6 A brahmacari or grhastha should, while chanting the Visnu-
gayatri or the holy names beginning with Krishna, apply this tilaka
to his forehead, chest, neck and shoulders.
7 A sannyasi, while chanting the sacred syllable Om, should
apply this tilaka with his forefinger to his head, forehead and
chest.
8 As there are three Deities (Brahma, Visnu and Siva), three
vyahrtis (Bhuh, Bhuvah and Svah), three metres in the Vedic hymns,
three sacred fires, three times, three states of being, three
atmas, and three letters (a, u, and m) in the sacred syllable Om,
so Vaisnava tilaka has three parts, which correspond to the letters
in the sacred Om.
9 A person who chants the sacred syllable Om goes upward
(urdhva). That is why Vaisnava tilaka is called ‘urdhva-pundra.’
10 A paramahamsa should say the sacred syllable Om and place
Vaisnava tilaka on his forehead.
11 When he sees the Supersoul in his heart illumined with the
lamp of truth, the yogi attains the liberation of meeting Me.
12 Or the yogi may surrender his heart to the Lord in the tilaka
mark on his chest or to the Lord in the lotus of his heart.
13 In the heart is a flame reaching upwards, a flame like a
lightning flash from a dark cloud, or like a slender rice-plant.
In that flame the Supersoul stays.
14 In the lotus flower of the heart one should search for the
Supreme Lord, who is present as the tilaka mark. Gradually one
should become rapt in meditation on Me, Lord Hari, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who is present as the Supersoul.
15 He becomes liberated who, with single-pointed concentration
meditates on Me, Lord Hari, the eternal Supersoul who stays in the
lotus flower of the heart. Of this there is no doubt.
16 By engaging in My devotional service one is able to understand
My transcendental form, which is spiritual, eternal, self-manifest,
filled with knowledge and bliss, and beyond the touch of the
material world of dualities.
17 I am Lord Visnu, the one Supersoul who stays in the hearts of
the many moving and unmoving creatures.
18 As oil stays in sesame seeds, as fire stays in wood, as butter
stays in milk, and as fragrance stays in flowers, so I, the
Supersoul, stay in the hearts of all living creatures.
19 By anointing one’s body with gopi-candana tilaka and by
meditating on the Supreme Lord, Hari, splendid like a
transcendental sun in the brahma-randhra, heart, and between the
eyebrows, one attains the Lord in His supreme abode.
20 His sannyasa danda raised, his semen flowing upwards, His
Vaisnava tilaka vertical, and his practice of yoga elevated, the
sannyasi, in this four ways ascending, goes to the highest
spiritual abode.
21 The final conclusion is that by serving Me with devotion one
attains the supreme perfection. Wearing gopi-candana tilaka, with
single pointed concentration one should always engage in My
devotional service.
22 Of all brahmanas and followers of the Vedas he is best who
wears Vaisnava tilaka of gopi-candana mixed with water.
23 If gopi-candana is not available one may use the earth from
the roots of the Tulasi plant. In order to attain the spiritual
goal that cannot be seen by materialistic men, a person who yearns
for liberation should wear Vaisnava tilaka every day.
24 One should apply Vaisnava tilaka using the sacred atriratri-
agnihotra ashes of the sacred syllable Om, the Visnu-gayatri, or
the mantras beginning with the words ‘Visnus trini pada.’
25 In this way one should apply Vaisnava tilaka with gopi-
candana.
26 A person who studies this Upanisad becomes purified of all
sins. Sinful thoughts do not arise in his mind. He attains the
results of bathing in all sacred rivers and lakes. He attains the
results of performing all yajnas. He is to be worshipped by all
the demigods. He attains unwavering devotion to Me, Lord Narayana,
the goddess of fortune’s husband. When his spiritual knowledge is
perfect he attains the liberation of meeting Lord Visnu. He does
not return to the world of birth and death. He does not return to
the world of birth and death.
27 Thus spoke Lord Vasudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
28 One who studies this Upanisad certainly attains this. Om.
That is the truth. Thus says the Upanisad.

Specifics on Different Tilaks

By Jahnava Nitai das:

The tilak is an external symbol of our surrender to Krishna, or to our object of worship.
The shape and material used may differ according to the particular process of surrender
the sampradaya follows.
In the Sri Vaishnava sampradaya the tilak is made out of the white mud found in
anthills. The scriptures tell us that the mud from the base of a Tulasi plant and the white
mud from within the ant hill are both pure and best for making tilak. The Sri Vaishnavas
will draw two lines representing the feet of Sri Narayana, and in the middle they will put
a red line to represent Lakshmi Devi. The red line was originally made from a red stone
found within the ant hill. The ants would usually make their ant hill on top of these red
stones. When you rub the stone in water, a red color paint is formed. The category of
Shakti is generally represented with the color red in all lines, both Vedic and Tantrik.
Because the Sri Vaishnava sampradaya begins with Sri Lakshmi Devi, and because
they approach Narayana only through Lakshmi, their tilak reflects this process of
surrender. The tilaks of each sampradaya actually depict the siddhanta of the
sampradaya.
In the Vallabha sampradaya the tilak worn is generally a single vertical red line. This line
represents Sri Yamuna Devi. The form of Krishna worshiped in the Vallabha line is Sri
Nathji or Govardhana. The consort of the Govardhana hill is the river Yamuna. Their
process of surrender goes through Sri Yamuna Devi.
In the Madhva sampradaya the tilak is made out of Gopichandana mud from Dwaraka.
Two vertical lines are made out of Gopichandana to represent the feet of Lord Krishna.
This gopichandana tilak is nearly identical to that used in the Gaudiya sampradaya. In
between a vertical black line is made from the daily coal of the yajna-kunda. In their
sampradaya, the process of worship involved nitya-homa, or daily fire sacrifices to the
Lord. The remnant coal of the puja was taken each day to mark the forehead.
Underneath the black line, a yellow or red dot was put to indicate Lakshmi or Radha.
Those who did not perform daily fire sacrifice would only put the simple gopichandana
tilak.
In the Gaudiya sampradaya the tilak is usually made out of the Gopichandana mud.
Some lineages prefer to use the mud from Vrindavana. The main tilak is basically
identical to the Madhva tilak. The slight difference arises due to the emphasis on nama-
sankirtana, or the chanting of the Lord's names. In Sri Chaitanya's line, nama-
sankirtana is the yajna to be performed in kali yuga, and not the daily fire sacrifice
performed in the Madhva sampradaya. As such, the black line made from the ash of the
fire sacrifice is not applied in the Gaudiya sampradaya. The second difference arises
due to Sri Chaitanya's process of approaching the Lord. In the Gaudiya line one does
not approach Srimati Radharani directly, but always indirectly through the servant. To
indicate this, the red dot representing Radha is replaced with a tulasi leaf offered at the
base of the Lord's feet. Only with the mercy of Tulasi Devi can we develop pure
devotion to Sri Sri Radha and Krishna.
In the scriptures there are very general descriptions of the procedure for applying tilak.
For example it is mentioned that the tilak should be urdhva-pundra, or vertical lines; the
body should be marked in twelve locations, etc. But these instructions are very general
and leave a lot of the details to the acharyas. Even in a simple point, such as the
location of the tilak, one person may interpret the 'shoulder' to start from the arm, where
as another may interpret it to start higher up near the neck. This is actually the case in
the two branches of the Sri Vaishna sampradaya.
The actual design of the tilak will manifest either through divine revelation or through
scientific study. An example of divine revelation is the Gaudiya lineage of Sri
Shyamananda. Radharani revealed a portion of her broken bangle to Sri Shyamananda,
which he used in applying tilak to his forehead. As a result, his followers apply a unique
design of tilak from other branches of the Gaudiya sampradaya.
In other cases, an acharya may scientifically analyze the sampradaya siddhanta and
compare its compatibility with the tilak they wear. The external purpose of the tilak is to
differentiate the followers of a sampradaya from other classes of philosophers, just as
one branch of the armed forces wears a uniform to differentiate itself from the other
branches. In such a case, the tilak may change when there occurs a shift or branching
of the sampradaya due to philosophical views. The newly formed branch may re-
analyze the tilak in connection with its siddhanta and make changes that fully reflect
their process of surrender. Such is the case among the two branches of the Sri
Vaishnava sampradaya. Due to a difference of opinion in regards to the process of
surrender, two distinct tilaks emerged.
In any case, the ultimate purpose of tilak is to sanctify oneself and mark the body as the
temple of the Lord. The scriptures do not specify in detail the manner that this should be
done, and as such it is the acharyas who crystalize the procedures while adhering to the
general prescriptions given in the scriptures.

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.

[This article available from: www.stephen-knapp.com]