In the Padma Purana there is a statement describing how a Vaisnava should decorate his body with tilaka and beads: "Persons who put tulasi beads on the neck, who mark twelve places of their body as Visnu temples with Visnu's symbolic representations [the four items held in the four hands of Lord Visnu-conch, mace, disc and lotus], and who have Visnu tilaka on their forehead, are to be understood as the devotees of Lord Visnu in this world. Their presence makes the world purified, and anywhere they remain they make that place as good as Vaikuntha."

A similar statement is in the Skanda Purana, which says: "Persons who are decorated with tilaka or gopi-candana [a kind of clay resembling fuller's earth which is produced in certain quarters of Vrndavana], and who mark their bodies all over with the holy names of the Lord, and on whose neck and breast there are tulasi beads, are never approached by the Yama-dutas." The Yama-dutas are the constables of King Yama (the Lord of death), who punishes all sinful men. Vaisnavas are never called for by such constables of Yamaraj. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the narration of Ajamila's deliverance, it is said that Yamaraj gave clear instructions to his assistants not to approach the Vaisnavas. Vaisnavas are beyond the jurisdiction of Yamaraj's activities.

In the Padma Purana it is also mentioned: "A person whose body is decorated with the pulp of sandalwood, with paintings of the holy name of the Lord, is delivered from all sinful reactions, and after his death he goes directly to Krsna-loka to live in association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

The next instruction is that one should put on flower garlands which are offered to the Deity. In this connection, in the Eleventh Canto, 6th Chapter, 31st verse, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Uddhava says to Krsna, "My dear Krsna, I have taken things which You have used and enjoyed, such as garlands of flowers, saintly articles, garments and ornaments, and I eat only the remnants of Your foodstuff because I am Your menial servant. So, therefore, I am sure that I shall not be attacked by the spell of material energy." The purport of this verse is that for any person who simply follows these rules and regulations of decorating the body with the marks of tilaka of gopi-candana or sandalwood pulp, and who puts on the garlands which were offered to Krsna, there is no question of being conquered by the spell of material energy. At the time of death, there is no question of such a person being called by the constables of Yamaraj. Even if one does not accept all the Vaisnava principles, but still takes the remnants of foodstuff offered to Krsna, or Krsna-prasadam, he will gradually become qualified to rise to the platform of a Vaisnava.

Similarly, in the Skanda Purana Lord Brahma tells Narada, "My dear Narada: anyone who puts on his neck the flower garland which was formerly used by Krsna becomes relieved from all disease and reactions to sinful activities, and gradually he gets liberated from the contamination of matter."