Shloka 22
Yatinātha-līlā: Śiva’s Test of the Bhilla Devotees at Arbuda Mountain
अहं चैनं गमिष्यामि भस्म भूत्वानले यते । चितां कारय सुप्रीत्या स्त्रीणां धर्मः सनातनः
ahaṃ cainaṃ gamiṣyāmi bhasma bhūtvānale yate | citāṃ kāraya suprītyā strīṇāṃ dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ
“I too shall go with him—becoming ash in the fire, O ascetic. Arrange the funeral pyre with loving care; this is the eternal dharma of women.”
Parvati (as the devoted wife, speaking in the narrative of Śatarudrasaṃhitā)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: The verse echoes the Satī paradigm: the devoted wife chooses self-immolation, which in Purāṇic memory becomes a catalyst for Śiva’s later cosmic interventions and the sanctification of places associated with Satī.
Significance: Remembering Satī’s resolve is framed as intensifying śaraṇāgati (total surrender) and invoking Śiva’s grace.
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse uses the imagery of becoming bhasma to express total surrender and the transient nature of the body, pointing toward steadfast devotion (bhakti) and the Shaiva understanding that worldly identity is reduced to ash before the Supreme (Pati).
Bhasma is a key Shaiva emblem (Tripuṇḍra/vibhūti) reminding the devotee of impermanence and of Shiva as the Lord of dissolution; such remembrance supports Saguna Shiva worship by keeping the mind fixed on Shiva’s grace beyond bodily attachment.
The direct motif is bhasma (sacred ash): meditating on bhasma as a reminder of impermanence and applying vibhūti with Shiva-mantra (such as the Pañcākṣarī) aligns one’s mind toward vairāgya and devotion.