Shloka 26

Adhyaya 34: भस्ममहात्म्यं—अग्नीषोमात्मक-शिवतत्त्वं तथा पाशुपतव्रतप्रशंसा

Devanagari script

भस्मपाण्डुरदिग्धाङ्गा बभूवुर्विगतस्पृहाः रुद्रलोकाय कल्पान्ते संस्थिताः शिवतेजसा

Transliteration

bhasmapāṇḍuradigdhāṅgā babhūvurvigataspṛhāḥ rudralokāya kalpānte saṃsthitāḥ śivatejasā

Translation

Mit heiliger Asche (bhasma) am ganzen Leib bestrichen und darum von fahler Farbe, wurden sie frei von Begierde; und am Ende des Äons wurden sie in Rudras Welt gegründet, getragen vom Glanz (tejas) Śivas.

Word by Word

• भस्म (bhasma): sacred ash

• पाण्डुर (pāṇḍura): pale, whitish

• अदिग्ध (adigdha): smeared/anointed

• अङ्ग (aṅga): limbs, body

• बभूवुः (babhūvuḥ): they became

• विगत (vigata): gone, departed

• स्पृहा (spṛhā): longing, craving

• रुद्रलोकाय (rudralokāya): to Rudra’s world

• कल्पान्ते (kalpānte): at the end of a kalpa/aeon

• संस्थिताः (saṃsthitāḥ): established, firmly situated

• शिवतेजसा (śivatejasā): by/through Śiva’s splendor (grace-power).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana account to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Rudra

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It links bhasma-dharana (wearing sacred ash) with inner dispassion (vigata-spṛhā), implying that external Shaiva marks are meaningful when they express purification and surrender to Pati (Śiva), culminating in Rudraloka-prāpti.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Śiva is shown as the sustaining liberating power—śiva-tejas—by which pashus (souls) become steady in a higher state at kalpānta, indicating Śiva as Pati whose grace overcomes pasha (bondage) such as craving.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Bhasma-dhāraṇa (smearing the body with sacred ash) paired with vairāgya (freedom from desire), a hallmark of Pāśupata-oriented discipline where renunciation and Śiva-bhakti mature into higher-world attainment.