Shloka 111
भस्म-प्रकार-त्रिपुण्ड्र-धारण-विधिः
Types of Bhasma and the Method of Wearing Tripuṇḍra
ब्रह्मा च ऋषयः सप्तदेवताश्च प्रकीर्तिताः । इत्येवं तु समुद्दिष्टं भस्मविद्भिर्मुनीश्वराः
brahmā ca ṛṣayaḥ saptadevatāśca prakīrtitāḥ | ityevaṃ tu samuddiṣṭaṃ bhasmavidbhirmunīśvarāḥ
«لقد أُعلن هكذا عن براهما، والريشيين، والآلهة السبعة. وعلى هذا النحو، يا أفضل الحكماء، بيّن ذلك المونيون العارفون بالانضباط الحقّ للبَسْمَة المقدّسة (الرماد).»
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: As part of the Viśveśvara-kṣetra teaching-stream, the passage frames orthodox Śaiva observance (bhasma-dhāraṇa) as a Vedic-ṛṣi sanctioned discipline, aligning personal consecration with the Lord of the Universe (Viśveśvara/Viśvanātha).
Significance: Affirms Śaiva identity and purity of observance in the Viśveśvara tradition; supports eligibility for liṅga-pūjā and mantra-japa through śaiva-saṃskāra (bhasma).
FAQs
It affirms that the teaching about Bhasma is not a casual custom but an authoritative Shaiva discipline transmitted by realized sages—linking worship to right knowledge, humility, and remembrance of impermanence under Shiva’s grace.
Bhasma (often worn as Tripuṇḍra) is a visible Shaiva mark that prepares the devotee for Saguna Shiva worship—especially Linga-pūjā—by establishing identity as Shiva’s servant and orienting body-mind toward sacredness and restraint.
It supports the traditional Shaiva practice of honoring and applying sacred ash (Tripuṇḍra) with devotion—ideally alongside mantra-japa such as the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” as taught by competent knowers of the rite.