Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 14

विभूतिविस्तरप्रश्नः / Inquiry into the Expansion of Śiva’s Vibhūti

Devanagari script

भस्मावदातसर्वांगं त्रिपुंड्रांकितमस्तकम् । रुद्राक्षमालाभरणं जटामंडलमंडितम्

Transliteration

bhasmāvadātasarvāṃgaṃ tripuṃḍrāṃkitamastakam | rudrākṣamālābharaṇaṃ jaṭāmaṃḍalamaṃḍitam

Translation

Tout son corps rayonnait, blanchi par la cendre sacrée (bhasma) ; sa tête portait le Tripuṇḍra, les trois lignes de cendre. Il avait pour parure un chapelet de Rudrākṣa, et il était orné d’une couronne circulaire de mèches emmêlées (jaṭā).

Word by Word

• भस्म-अवदात-सर्वाङ्गम्: whose whole body is whitened with ash
• भस्म-अवदात-सर्वाङ्गम्: विशेषण (of ‘…मस्तकम्/…’ implied person)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भस्मन् + अवदात + सर्वाङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः—भस्मना अवदातं सर्वाङ्गं यस्य (body whitened by ash)

• त्रिपुण्ड्र-अङ्कित-मस्तकम्: with head marked by the tripuṇḍra
• त्रिपुण्ड्र-अङ्कित-मस्तकम्: विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि + पुण्ड्र + अङ्कित (कृदन्त) + मस्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; त्रिपुण्ड्रैः अङ्कितं मस्तकं यस्य (marked on the head with three sacred lines)

• रुद्राक्ष-माला-आभरणम्: wearing a Rudrākṣa garland as ornament
• रुद्राक्ष-माला-आभरणम्: विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुद्राक्ष + माला + आभरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; रुद्राक्षाणां माला एव आभरणं यस्य (whose ornament is a Rudrākṣa garland)

• जटा-मण्डल-मण्डितम्: adorned with a mass of matted locks
• जटा-मण्डल-मण्डितम्: विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जटा + मण्डल + मण्डित (कृदन्त) (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्ताधारित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; जटानां मण्डलेन मण्डितम् (adorned with a circle/mass of matted hair)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Āghoramūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it gives classic Śaiva external signs (bhasma, tripuṇḍra, rudrākṣa, jaṭā) identifying Upamanyu as a Śiva-vrata practitioner.

Significance: Establishes normative Śaiva sādhana markers; for pilgrims, such marks signify śaraṇāgati to Śiva and readiness for Śiva-dhyāna.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse portrays Shiva’s Saguna (personal) form as the supreme Pati: bhasma and Tripuṇḍra signify dispassion and the burning of bondage (pāśa), while Rudrākṣa and jaṭā symbolize yogic steadiness and inner purity—markers of the Shaiva path toward liberation.

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

It links outer worship to inner realization: devotees honor the Liṅga as the formless ground of Shiva, while this description supports Saguna upāsanā by giving recognizable sacred emblems (bhasma, Tripuṇḍra, Rudrākṣa) that align the devotee’s body and mind with Shiva-consciousness.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Apply vibhūti (bhasma) as Tripuṇḍra with reverence, wear Rudrākṣa as a japa aid, and meditate on Shiva as the inner witness while repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—cultivating vairāgya and yogic discipline.