Shiva Purana — Vidyesvara Samhita, Shloka 97
भस्म-प्रकार-त्रिपुण्ड्र-धारण-विधिः
Types of Bhasma and the Method of Wearing Tripuṇḍra
द्वात्रिंशत्स्थानके वार्द्धषोडशस्थानकेपि च । अष्टस्थाने तथा चैव पंचस्थानेपि नान्यसेत्
dvātriṃśatsthānake vārddhaṣoḍaśasthānakepi ca | aṣṭasthāne tathā caiva paṃcasthānepi nānyaset
बत्तीस-स्थानांची विधी असो, विस्तृत सोळा-स्थानांची असो, तसेच आठ-स्थान किंवा पाच-स्थानांचीही—मधोमध अन्य (मंत्र वा देवता) घालू नये; शैव न्यास व शिस्त अबाधित ठेवावी।
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Shiva Purana’s Vidyeśvarasaṃhitā teachings to the sages)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Role: teaching
FAQs
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.
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.
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.