Shloka 33

भस्म-प्रकार-त्रिपुण्ड्र-धारण-विधिः

Types of Bhasma and the Method of Wearing Tripuṇḍra

Devanagari script

मानस्तोकेन मंत्रेण मंत्रितं भस्म धारयेत् । ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियश्चैव प्रोक्तेष्वंगेषु भक्तिमान्

Transliteration

mānastokena maṃtreṇa maṃtritaṃ bhasma dhārayet | brāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyaścaiva prokteṣvaṃgeṣu bhaktimān

Translation

A devoted Brāhmaṇa or Kṣatriya should wear the sacred ash (bhasma) consecrated by the Mānastoka mantra, applying it with reverence upon the prescribed limbs.

Word by Word

• māna-stokena: with the Māna-stoka (mantra)
• māna-stokena: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māna-stoka (प्रातिपदिक; मान + स्तोक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• maṃtreṇa: by/with a mantra
• maṃtreṇa: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• maṃtritam: consecrated/enchanted
• maṃtritam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mantrita (कृदन्त; √mantr (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with ‘bhasma’

• bhasma: sacred ash
• bhasma: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhasman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• dhārayet: should wear/should apply
• dhārayet: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhṛ (धातु)
• Form: Optative/vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a Brāhmaṇa
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kṣatriyaḥ: a Kṣatriya
• kṣatriyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle/emphatic (निपात)

• prokteṣu: in the prescribed/mentioned
• prokteṣu: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prokta (कृदन्त; √vac (धातु) + क्त, उपसर्ग: प्र-)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन); agrees with ‘aṅgeṣu’

• aṅgeṣu: on the limbs
• aṅgeṣu: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• bhaktimān: devout
• bhaktimān: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhaktimat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); qualifier of the subject (brāhmaṇaḥ/kṣatriyaḥ)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahadeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha

Sthala Purana: In the Kāśī-centered Viśveśvara milieu, bhasma is not mere ash but ‘mantrita’—empowered by Vedic/Śaiva mantra—signifying Śiva’s grace operating through prescribed ācāra.

Significance: Teaches correct daily discipline: mantra-consecrated bhasma applied to prescribed limbs supports purity, devotion, and eligibility for higher Śaiva practice.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It teaches that bhasma is not merely a symbol but a sanctified Shaiva sacrament: when empowered by mantra and worn with bhakti, it purifies the embodied being (paśu) and turns the body into an instrument of worship directed to Pati (Shiva).

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Bhasma-dhāraṇa is an external discipline that supports Saguna Shiva worship—approaching Shiva as the accessible Lord through ritual purity, prescribed marks, and mantra—thereby steadying devotion that culminates in inner contemplation of Shiva.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Consecrate bhasma by reciting the Mānastoka mantra, then apply it on the prescribed body-parts (aṅgas) with devotion—supporting regular Shaiva observance such as Tripuṇḍra and mantra-japa.