Shloka 78
भस्म-प्रकार-त्रिपुण्ड्र-धारण-विधिः
Types of Bhasma and the Method of Wearing Tripuṇḍra
भस्मस्नानं परं तीर्थं गंगास्नानं दिने दिने । भस्मरूपी शिवः साक्षाद्भस्म त्रैलोक्यपावनम्
bhasmasnānaṃ paraṃ tīrthaṃ gaṃgāsnānaṃ dine dine | bhasmarūpī śivaḥ sākṣādbhasma trailokyapāvanam
Das Bad mit Bhasma ist die höchste Tīrtha, dem täglichen Bad in der Gaṅgā gleich. Denn Śiva ist wahrhaft in der Gestalt der Bhasma gegenwärtig, und diese Bhasma reinigt die drei Welten.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: In the Viśveśvarasaṃhitā’s Kāśī-centered frame, Śiva as Viśvanātha is the lord of the ‘universal tīrtha’; this verse extends that logic by declaring bhasma-snāna the supreme tīrtha, even surpassing daily Gaṅgā-snāna.
Significance: Equates Śaiva bhasma-snāna with perpetual Gaṅgā merit; emphasizes Śiva’s immediate presence (‘sākṣāt’) as purifier beyond place.
FAQs
It teaches that bhasma is not merely a ritual substance but a direct Shaiva sign of inner purification—symbolizing the burning of impurities and bonds—so its use is praised as a supreme tīrtha that sanctifies the devotee like constant Gaṅgā-bathing.
In Saguna Shiva worship, bhasma (vibhūti) and Tripuṇḍra are essential Shaiva marks offered and worn with devotion; the verse affirms that Śiva’s grace is accessible through such embodied disciplines that orient the mind toward the Linga and renunciation.
Bhasma-snāna and reverent application of bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) as a daily Shaiva practice—done with remembrance of Śiva (often alongside japa of the Panchākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—as a means of purification.