भस्म-प्रकार-त्रिपुण्ड्र-धारण-विधिः
Types of Bhasma and the Method of Wearing Tripuṇḍra
इत्युक्ताः स्थानदेवाश्च सर्वांगेषु मुनीश्वरः । तेषां संबंधिनो भक्त्या स्थानानि शृणु सांप्रतम्
ityuktāḥ sthānadevāśca sarvāṃgeṣu munīśvaraḥ | teṣāṃ saṃbaṃdhino bhaktyā sthānāni śṛṇu sāṃpratam
既如此被问,那些主宰神圣形体诸肢中各处圣位的守护神便开口说道。噢,牟尼之主啊,如今请以虔敬之心聆听与他们相连的诸圣地。
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: The passage frames the body of Śiva as a mandala of sacred loci (aṅga-sthānas) with presiding deities; in the Viśveśvara context this aligns with Kāśī as the supreme kṣetra where Śiva is immanent as Viśvanātha and where every limb/point is treated as a tīrtha for bhakti and liberation.
Significance: Śravaṇa (devout listening) and kṣetra-smaraṇa (remembering the sacred loci) are presented as bhakti-sādhana leading toward Śiva’s anugraha and kṣetra-phalāni (merit of pilgrimage) even through narrative participation.
It frames tīrtha and sacred-seat knowledge as something to be received with bhakti, implying that devotion is the purifier that makes sacred geography spiritually transformative and Shiva-oriented.
By pointing to “presiding deities of sacred loci,” it supports Saguna worship—approaching Shiva through consecrated places and manifestations—while keeping the aim devotional remembrance of Pati (Shiva).
Śravaṇa (devotional listening) is primary here—hearing the māhātmya of Shiva’s connected sacred places with faith, which can be paired with japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) during pilgrimage or contemplation.