Dear list members,

The fourth verse of the viśvanāthāṣṭakam is:

śitaṁśu-śobhita-kirīṭa-virāja-mānam

bhalekṣaṇānala-viśoṣita-pañca-bānam

nāgādhipā-racita-bhāsura-karṇa-pūram

vārāṇasī-pura-patiṁ bhaja viśvanātham

bhaja viśvanātham

I've seen bhalekṣaṇa translated as "the eye on the forehead".  

But Monier-Williams has bhāla not bhala as forehead.  And  M-W also cross-references bhala to bhalla .  

Can bhala be an alternate spelling for bhalla .  M-W has meanings for bhalla of "a kind of arrow or missile with a point of a particular  shape"  and also "a particular part of an arrow".  

In other words can bhalekṣaṇa mean "eye shaped like an arrowhead" so the phrase bhalekṣaṇānala-viśoṣita-pañca-bānam  would mean something like "the fire from His eye shaped like an arrowhead dessicated the bearer of the five arrows [Kāma]".

Thanks,
Harry