Shloka 78
भस्म-प्रकार-त्रिपुण्ड्र-धारण-विधिः
Types of Bhasma and the Method of Wearing Tripuṇḍra
भस्मस्नानं परं तीर्थं गंगास्नानं दिने दिने । भस्मरूपी शिवः साक्षाद्भस्म त्रैलोक्यपावनम्
bhasmasnānaṃ paraṃ tīrthaṃ gaṃgāsnānaṃ dine dine | bhasmarūpī śivaḥ sākṣādbhasma trailokyapāvanam
การอาบด้วยภัสมะคือทีรถะสูงสุด—ประหนึ่งอาบคงคาทุกวัน. เพราะพระศิวะประทับโดยตรงในรูปภัสมะ และภัสมะนั้นชำระสามโลกให้บริสุทธิ์.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: In the Viśveśvarasaṃhitā’s Kāśī-centered frame, Śiva as Viśvanātha is the lord of the ‘universal tīrtha’; this verse extends that logic by declaring bhasma-snāna the supreme tīrtha, even surpassing daily Gaṅgā-snāna.
Significance: Equates Śaiva bhasma-snāna with perpetual Gaṅgā merit; emphasizes Śiva’s immediate presence (‘sākṣāt’) as purifier beyond place.
FAQs
It teaches that bhasma is not merely a ritual substance but a direct Shaiva sign of inner purification—symbolizing the burning of impurities and bonds—so its use is praised as a supreme tīrtha that sanctifies the devotee like constant Gaṅgā-bathing.
In Saguna Shiva worship, bhasma (vibhūti) and Tripuṇḍra are essential Shaiva marks offered and worn with devotion; the verse affirms that Śiva’s grace is accessible through such embodied disciplines that orient the mind toward the Linga and renunciation.
Bhasma-snāna and reverent application of bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) as a daily Shaiva practice—done with remembrance of Śiva (often alongside japa of the Panchākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—as a means of purification.