Shloka 62

भस्म-प्रकार-त्रिपुण्ड्र-धारण-विधिः

Types of Bhasma and the Method of Wearing Tripuṇḍra

Devanagari script

रुद्रा क्षं यस्य गात्रेषु ललाटे तु त्रिपंड्रकम् । सचांडालोपि संपूज्यस्सर्ववर्णोत्तमोत्तमः

Transliteration

rudrā kṣaṃ yasya gātreṣu lalāṭe tu tripaṃḍrakam | sacāṃḍālopi saṃpūjyassarvavarṇottamottamaḥ

Translation

He who bears Rudrākṣa beads upon his body and wears the Tripuṇḍra—three sacred lines of ash—upon his forehead, even if he be a Cāṇḍāla, is worthy of reverent worship; marked as a devotee of Śiva, he becomes the most excellent among all classes.

Word by Word

• rudrākṣam: rudrākṣa (bead)
• rudrākṣam: Viśeṣya (विशेष्य/subject-topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: rudrasya akṣam; conventional 'rudrākṣa'); Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana (context: possession/description)

• kṣam: the syllable 'kṣa'
• kṣam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṣa (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक as bīja)
• Form: Avyaya; bīja-mantra syllable (बीजाक्षर) used as marker/sign

• yasya: whose
• yasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga/Napumsaka, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th), Ekavacana; relative pronoun

• gātreṣu: on (his) limbs/body
• gātreṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Saptamī (7th), Bahuvacana

• lalāṭe: on the forehead
• lalāṭe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lalāṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• tu: and/indeed
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (अवधारण/विरोध)

• tripaṃḍrakam: three sacred marks (tripuṇḍra)
• tripaṃḍrakam: Viśeṣya (विशेष्य/subject-topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + paṃḍraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvigu-samāsa (द्विगु: 'three paṃḍrakas/marks'); Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• cāṇḍālaḥ: an outcaste (cāṇḍāla)
• cāṇḍālaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāṇḍāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• api: even
• api: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (अपि = even/also)

• saṃpūjyaḥ: worthy of worship
• saṃpūjyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + √pūj (पूज् धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta; Ktavya/Ya-pratyaya (तव्यत्/य-प्रत्यय), nominative predicate adjective; Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; 'worthy to be worshipped'

• sarva-varṇa-uttama-uttamaḥ: the best of the best among all classes
• sarva-varṇa-uttama-uttamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष sense: 'among all varṇas, the best of the best'); Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicate/apposition to saḥ

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmi (narrating the teaching of the Śiva Purāṇa to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Tryambakeśvara

Sthala Purana: Tryambakeśvara is famed for Śiva’s grace that transcends social boundaries; the verse’s point—Śaiva marks (rudrākṣa, tripuṇḍra) confer worship-worthiness even to an outcaste—mirrors the kṣetra’s emphasis on bhakti and śuddhi through Śiva’s anugraha rather than birth alone.

Significance: Affirms Śaiva identity and eligibility for honor through devotion; encourages adoption of bhasma and rudrākṣa as signs of surrender to Śiva.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse teaches that Śiva-bhakti is recognized by sacred disciplines—Rudrākṣa and Tripuṇḍra—and that sincere devotion to Pati (Śiva) elevates a person beyond social labels, making them worthy of honor.

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

Rudrākṣa and Tripuṇḍra are classic Śaiva identifiers used while performing pūjā, japa, and dhyāna of Saguna Śiva and the Śiva-liṅga; they signify acceptance of Śiva as the supreme Lord (Pati) and commitment to His worship.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Wear Rudrākṣa on the body and apply Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) on the forehead as part of daily Śiva-upāsanā—especially during japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and liṅga-pūjā.