Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 95
पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow
भासनाद्भासितं प्रोक्तं भस्म कल्मषभक्षणात् । भूतिभूतिकरी चैव रक्षा रक्षाकरी परम्
bhāsanādbhāsitaṃ proktaṃ bhasma kalmaṣabhakṣaṇāt | bhūtibhūtikarī caiva rakṣā rakṣākarī param
On l’appelle « bhāsita » parce qu’elle illumine la voie de la pureté ; et on la déclare « bhasma » parce qu’elle consume les souillures et les péchés. Elle confère la bhūti — puissance auspicious et prospérité — et elle est la protection suprême, engendrant sans cesse la protection.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīya teachings to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Significance: Defines bhasma as both illumination (bhāsita) and impurity-consumer (kalmaṣa-bhakṣaṇa), thus functioning as a daily-access ‘protective merit’ comparable to pilgrimage fruits—granting bhūti (auspicious attainment) and rakṣā (protection).
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse defines sacred Bhasma as both illuminating and purifying: it ‘shines’ by orienting the devotee toward Shiva and ‘burns’ impurities (kalmaṣa), symbolizing inner cleansing and the dawning of Shaiva wisdom.
In Saguna Shiva worship—especially Linga-pūjā—Bhasma (Tripuṇḍra/Vibhūti) is a primary Shaiva mark and offering. It signifies surrender to Shiva, purity of intention, and the consuming of karmic defilements through devotion.
Apply Bhasma as Tripuṇḍra with reverence, ideally while remembering Shiva or reciting the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), taking it as a vow of purification and a protective Shaiva discipline.