Shloka 73
भस्म-प्रकार-त्रिपुण्ड्र-धारण-विधिः
Types of Bhasma and the Method of Wearing Tripuṇḍra
सर्वोपनिषदां सारं समालोक्य मुहुर्मुहुः । इदमेव हि निर्णीतं परं श्रेयस्त्रिपुंड्रकम्
sarvopaniṣadāṃ sāraṃ samālokya muhurmuhuḥ | idameva hi nirṇītaṃ paraṃ śreyastripuṃḍrakam
Having again and again contemplated the essence of all the Upaniṣads, it has indeed been concluded: the Tripuṇḍra—the three sacred lines of Vibhūti, holy ash—alone is the supreme means to the highest good.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the established conclusion of Śaiva scripture to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: In Kāśī’s Viśveśvara milieu, Tripuṇḍra is presented as the distilled ‘Upaniṣadic essence’—a visible Śaiva identity-marker signifying surrender to Paśupati and eligibility for grace.
Significance: Tripuṇḍra functions as a portable ‘kṣetra’: constant remembrance of Śiva, dispassion (vairāgya) and alignment with Śaiva conduct while in the pilgrimage city and beyond.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It declares that the Tripuṇḍra of bhasma is not merely an outer mark but a Śaiva sādhanā affirmed as the distilled ‘essence’ of Upaniṣadic teaching—supporting purification, humility, and orientation to Śiva as Pati, the supreme goal.
Tripuṇḍra is a Śaiva identifier and devotional discipline that aligns the worshipper with Saguna Śiva worship—especially Linga-pūjā—by consecrating the body as fit for ritual, japa, and temple worship, while remembering Śiva’s transcendence beyond form.
Regular application of sacred ash as Tripuṇḍra (with reverence and mantra-remembrance) is implied as a daily practice supporting purity, restraint, and steady devotion—often paired in Śaiva observance with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya).