भस्म-प्रकार-त्रिपुण्ड्र-धारण-विधिः
Types of Bhasma and the Method of Wearing Tripuṇḍra
शीर्षके च ललाटेच कंठे चांसद्वये भुजे । कूर्परे मणिबंधे च हृदये नाभिपार्श्वके
śīrṣake ca lalāṭeca kaṃṭhe cāṃsadvaye bhuje | kūrpare maṇibaṃdhe ca hṛdaye nābhipārśvake
No alto da cabeça e na testa, na garganta, em ambos os ombros e nos braços, nos cotovelos e nos pulsos, sobre o coração e aos lados do umbigo—nesses lugares devem ser postos os sinais sagrados.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: Mapping tripuṇḍra to bodily loci supports internalization of worship (deha as āyatana), aiding steadiness and restraint of the senses.
Role: teaching
It sanctifies the body as a temple of Pati (Shiva), teaching that disciplined outer observance—placing sacred marks on key bodily centers—supports inner purity and devotion, aligning the pashu (individual soul) toward liberation.
By marking the body with Shaiva signs (commonly bhasma/Tripuṇḍra in this context), the devotee becomes ritually fit for Saguna Shiva worship, approaching the Linga with a consecrated body and a Shiva-centered identity.
Apply sacred ash/Tripuṇḍra (as instructed in the surrounding Shaiva ritual context) on the listed body points, ideally while remembering Shiva and repeating the Panchakshara mantra, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya.”