Shloka 35

भस्म-प्रकार-त्रिपुण्ड्र-धारण-विधिः

Types of Bhasma and the Method of Wearing Tripuṇḍra

Devanagari script

पंचब्रह्मादिमनुभिर्गृहस्थस्य विधीयते । त्रियंबकेन मनुना विधिर्वै ब्रह्मचारिणः

Transliteration

paṃcabrahmādimanubhirgṛhasthasya vidhīyate | triyaṃbakena manunā vidhirvai brahmacāriṇaḥ

Translation

Para el cabeza de familia, la norma de conducta es establecida por los sabios comenzando con los mantras del Pañcabrahma. Pero para el brahmacārin, el estudiante de disciplina sagrada, la norma se prescribe en verdad por el mantra Triyambaka.

Word by Word

• paṃca-brahma-ādi-manubhiḥ: by the mantras/manus beginning with Pañcabrahma
• paṃca-brahma-ādi-manubhiḥ: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃca-brahma-ādi-manu (प्रातिपदिक; पञ्च + ब्रह्म + आदि + मनु)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• gṛhasthasya: of the householder
• gṛhasthasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛhastha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• vidhīyate: is prescribed/is enjoined
• vidhīyate: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhā (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), Passive (कर्मणि प्रयोग)

• triyaṃbakena: with Tryambaka (mantra/name)
• triyaṃbakena: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: triyaṃbaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

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

• vidhiḥ: the rule/rite
• vidhiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphatic/assurance

• brahmacāriṇaḥ: of the brahmacārin (celibate student)
• brahmacāriṇaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmacārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Tryambaka

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Tryambakeśvara

Sthala Purana: The verse explicitly foregrounds the Triyambaka mantra; Tryambakeśvara is the jyotirliṅga associated with the Three-eyed Lord, and its sthala traditions connect the site with Gautama Ṛṣi and the Godāvarī’s sacred emergence, making it a natural locus for Triyambaka-centered discipline.

Significance: Triyambaka mantra-japa is linked with protection, purification, and longevity; at Tryambakeśvara it is especially associated with prayoga for well-being and spiritual steadiness in brahmacarya.

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam | urvārukamiva bandhanān mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt

Type: mahamrityunjaya

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It distinguishes ashrama-specific Shaiva discipline: the householder is guided by the Pañcabrahma-oriented injunctions, while the brahmacārin is anchored in the Triyambaka-mantra—showing that mantra-based niyama is tailored to one’s stage of life for inner purity and Shiva-realization.

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

Both Pañcabrahma and Triyambaka are mantra-approaches to Saguna Shiva worship, commonly applied in Linga-upāsanā: the devotee uses mantra and discipline to purify the pashu (bound soul) and approach Pati (Shiva) through regulated worship.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Adopt mantra-niyama according to one’s ashrama: for brahmacarya, steady japa and meditation on Triyambaka (the Three-eyed Shiva); for gṛhastha, regulated Shiva worship supported by Pañcabrahma-based observances alongside daily japa.