Shiva Purana — Vidyesvara Samhita, Shloka 88
भस्म-प्रकार-त्रिपुण्ड्र-धारण-विधिः
Types of Bhasma and the Method of Wearing Tripuṇḍra
तिसृणामपि रेखानां प्रत्येकं नवदेवताः । सर्वत्रांगेषु ता वक्ष्ये सावधानतया शृणु
tisṛṇāmapi rekhānāṃ pratyekaṃ navadevatāḥ | sarvatrāṃgeṣu tā vakṣye sāvadhānatayā śṛṇu
三道圣线之中，每一道各有九位主宰神祇。我将为全身诸肢宣说其名——当以谨慎专注而听。
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse teaches that the Tripuṇḍra is not a mere external mark: each of its three lines is sanctified by specific divine powers. Remembering these deities while applying the ash turns the act into conscious Shaiva worship, aligning the body and mind toward Pati (Shiva) and liberation.
Tripuṇḍra is a bodily seal of belonging to Shiva and a daily reminder of Saguna Shiva as the Lord who accepts worship through symbols—bhasma, mantra, and linga. By honoring the presiding deities of the lines, the devotee treats the body itself as a field of worship offered to Shiva.
Apply bhasma as three horizontal lines (Tripuṇḍra) on appropriate limbs with attentive remembrance of the presiding deities, ideally alongside Shaiva mantra-japa (such as the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”).