Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 14
अग्नीषोमात्मकविश्ववर्णनम् / The Universe as Agni–Soma
Fire and Nectar
यश्चेत्थं भस्मसद्भावं ज्ञात्वा स्नाति च भस्मना । अग्निरित्यादिभिर्मन्त्रैर्बद्धः पाशात्प्रमुच्यते
yaścetthaṃ bhasmasadbhāvaṃ jñātvā snāti ca bhasmanā | agnirityādibhirmantrairbaddhaḥ pāśātpramucyate
مَن عَرَفَ على هذا النحو حقيقةَ البَسْمَةِ (الرَّمادِ المقدَّس) وقداستَها، ثم اغتسلَ بها وتلطَّخَ بها، وهو مُحصَّنٌ ومُقدَّسٌ بمانتراتٍ تبتدئ بـ«أَغني…»، انحلَّ من قيودِ الباشا (pāśa) التي تُقيِّدُ الروح.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Aghoramūrti
Mantra: “agni…”-ity-ādibhiḥ (mantras beginning with ‘Agni…’)
Type: rudram
Role: liberating
FAQs
It teaches that bhasma is not mere ash but a Shaiva sacrament; when understood and used with mantra, it becomes a means for loosening pāśa—bondage created by impurity, karma, and delusion—leading the soul toward Shiva’s liberating grace.
Bhasma and mantras are external supports for Saguna Shiva worship: they consecrate the body as Shiva’s temple and align the devotee with Linga-centered ritual purity, devotion, and remembrance of Shiva’s transforming fire.
Know the doctrine of bhasma, then ritually bathe/apply bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) while reciting mantras beginning with “Agni…,” using the practice as both purification and continuous meditation on Shiva as the inner fire that burns bondage.