Shloka 97

भस्म-प्रकार-त्रिपुण्ड्र-धारण-विधिः

Types of Bhasma and the Method of Wearing Tripuṇḍra

Devanagari script

द्वात्रिंशत्स्थानके वार्द्धषोडशस्थानकेपि च । अष्टस्थाने तथा चैव पंचस्थानेपि नान्यसेत्

Transliteration

dvātriṃśatsthānake vārddhaṣoḍaśasthānakepi ca | aṣṭasthāne tathā caiva paṃcasthānepi nānyaset

Translation

Whether the practice is arranged in thirty-two stations, in the extended sixteen-station method, or likewise in the eight- or five-station method, one should not insert any other (mantra or deity) in between—keeping the Śaiva placement and discipline undisturbed.

Word by Word

• द्वात्रिंशत्-स्थानके: in the thirty-two-place (scheme)
• द्वात्रिंशत्-स्थानके: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvātriṃśat (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + sthānaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); dvigu compound meaning 'in the (set of) thirty-two places'

• वा: or
• वा: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), disjunctive particle (विकल्प)

• अर्ध-षोडश-स्थानके: in the half-of-sixteen-place (scheme)
• अर्ध-षोडश-स्थानके: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ardha (प्रातिपदिक) + ṣoḍaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + sthānaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); 'in the (scheme of) half of sixteen places' (i.e., eight)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), additive particle (अपि = also)

• च: and
• च: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction

• अष्ट-स्थाने: in the eight-place (scheme)
• अष्ट-स्थाने: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); 'in the eight places'

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (तथा = likewise)

• च: and
• च: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), restrictive particle

• पञ्च-स्थाने: in the five-place (scheme)
• पञ्च-स्थाने: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañca (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); 'in the five places'

• अपि: also
• अपि: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), additive particle

• न: not
• न: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), negation particle (निषेध)

• अन्यसेत्: should sit elsewhere
• अन्यसेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anya+ās (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); from √आस् 'to sit' with prefix/derivation 'अन्य' → 'sit elsewhere'

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Shiva Purana’s Vidyeśvarasaṃhitā teachings to the sages)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It emphasizes ekāgratā (one-pointedness) and fidelity to Śiva’s mantra-method: spiritual power arises when the practitioner preserves the intended Śaiva sequence without mixing unrelated insertions.

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

Linga/Saguṇa-Śiva worship relies on precise upacāra and mantra-krama; the verse instructs that even when different standard station-counts are used (32/16/8/5), the Śaiva arrangement should remain pure and uninterrupted.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Maintain a consistent nyāsa/japa framework (five-, eight-, sixteen-, or thirty-two-station) without adding other mantras mid-sequence—supporting steady Panchākṣarī japa and Śiva-centered meditation.