Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 96

पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow

Devanagari script

किमन्यदिह वक्तव्यं भस्ममाहात्म्यकारणम् । व्रती च भस्मना स्नातस्स्वयं देवो महेश्वरः

Transliteration

kimanyadiha vaktavyaṃ bhasmamāhātmyakāraṇam | vratī ca bhasmanā snātassvayaṃ devo maheśvaraḥ

Translation

فماذا يُقال بعدُ هنا عن سبب عظمة الرماد المقدّس (بهاسما)؟ إنّ السيّد مهاديڤا، ماهيشڤارا نفسه، ناسكٌ حافظٌ للنذور، وكأنّه قد اغتسل وتلطّخ بالبهاسما.

Word by Word

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd; प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); interrogative pronoun used predicatively

• anyat: other, else
• anyat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd; प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying kim

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable adverb (अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण)

• vaktavyam: to be said / worth saying
• vaktavyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु) + tavya (तव्य प्रत्यय)
• Form: Gerundive/obligative participle (तव्यत्-कृदन्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative Singular (प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन); ‘to be said’

• bhasma: ash (sacred ash)
• bhasma: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhasman (भस्मन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative Singular (प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन)

• māhātmya-kāraṇam: cause of (its) greatness
• māhātmya-kāraṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (माहात्म्य प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (कारण प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative Singular (प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘(of) greatness’ + ‘cause’

• vratī: one observing a vow
• vratī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vratin (व्रतिन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative Singular (प्रथमा एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable conjunction (अव्यय-संबन्धबोधक)

• bhasmanā: with ash
• bhasmanā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhasman (भस्मन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental Singular (3rd; तृतीया एकवचन)

• snātaḥ: bathed
• snātaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (स्ना धातु) + kta (क्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative Singular (प्रथमा एकवचन); ‘bathed’

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable emphatic (अव्यय; स्वयम्-शब्दः)

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (देव प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative Singular (प्रथमा एकवचन)

• maheśvaraḥ: Maheshvara (Great Lord Śiva)
• maheśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (महा) + īśvara (ईश्वर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative Singular (प्रथमा एकवचन); कर्मधारय: ‘great’ + ‘lord’

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Vayu Samhita discourse to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Grounds bhasma’s greatness in divine exemplarity: Mahādeva himself is the archetypal vratin (ascetic vow-holder) ‘bathed’ in ash; devotees imitate the Lord’s mode to align with Śiva’s purity and receive grace.

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Maheshvara

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse grounds the glory of bhasma in Shiva’s own example: Maheshvara is the supreme ascetic who bears ash, showing that bhasma signifies renunciation, purity, and the burning away of bondage (pāśa) as one turns toward Pati (Shiva).

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

By presenting Shiva as the archetypal vratī who is ‘bathed in ash,’ the verse supports Saguna Shiva worship through visible Shaiva marks (like bhasma/Tripuṇḍra) that prepare the devotee for Linga worship with disciplined devotion and right orientation toward Shiva.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It points to the Shaiva discipline of vrata and the devotional application of bhasma (vibhuti), especially as Tripuṇḍra, as part of daily Shiva-upāsanā and festival observances such as Mahāśivarātri.