Shloka 8

Adhyaya 34: भस्ममहात्म्यं—अग्नीषोमात्मक-शिवतत्त्वं तथा पाशुपतव्रतप्रशंसा

Devanagari script

तस्माद्भस्म महाभागा मद्वीर्यमिति चोच्यते स्ववीर्यं वपुषा चैव धारयामीति वै स्थितिः

Transliteration

tasmādbhasma mahābhāgā madvīryamiti cocyate svavīryaṃ vapuṣā caiva dhārayāmīti vai sthitiḥ

Translation

Darum, o ihr überaus Begnadeten, wird diese heilige Asche „mein vīrya, meine Kraft“ genannt. Die feststehende Wahrheit ist: „Ich trage meine eigene Macht in meinem eigenen Leib“.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that cause

• भस्म: sacred ash (vibhūti)

• महाभागाः: O greatly fortunate ones

• मद्वीर्यम्: my potency/virya

• इति: thus

• च: and

• उच्यते: is called/said

• स्ववीर्यम्: one’s own potency

• वपुषा: by/within the body, in embodied form

• च एव: and indeed

• धारयामि: I bear/sustain/hold

• इति: thus

• वै: certainly/indeed

• स्थितिः: established doctrine/settled principle

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s doctrine within the Bhasma context)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It declares bhasma (vibhuti) to be Shiva’s own vīrya, making bhasma-dhāraṇa a direct Shaiva mark of consecration and a reminder that the Linga’s power is Shiva’s self-existent potency.

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

Shiva is presented as Pati—the self-sustaining Lord—who bears and upholds his own śakti/virya without dependence, implying sovereign, self-established divinity beyond pasha-bound limitation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Bhasma-dhāraṇa (applying sacred ash) is implied as a Shaiva observance aligned with Pashupata discipline—internalizing dispassion and identifying the pashu (soul) with the protection and power of Pati (Shiva).