संत साहित्य · Guru Charitra · Chapters
Chapter 29 — The Great Power of Bhasma
Literal. Trivikrama asks Shri Guru: how did the Harijan get knowledge — and how did it vanish after the bath? Shri Guru explains: I sprinkled vibhuti on him; his knowledge was contained in the ashes, which washed off when he bathed. The chapter then narrates the Vamadeva story: Vamadeva, a Mahayogi, encountered a demon in the forest who tried to eat him; some bhasma rubbed off on the demon, and the demon's sins were washed away. The demon recalled 25 previous births. He received bhasma proper from Vamadeva; the chapter continues with the embedded story of Sanatkumar asking Shankar about purification methods, Shankar giving the tripundra (three-line) bhasma forehead-mark.
Symbolic. Bhasma as substrate for capability and as memory of past lives. Knowledge is stored in the substance; loss of substance is loss of knowledge. The Harijan's reversion is staged carefully.
Verse by verse
श्रीगणेशाय नमः । श्रीसरस्वत्यै नमः । श्रीगुरुभ्यो नमः ।
śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ | śrīsarasvatyai namaḥ | śrīgurubhyo namaḥ |
Salutations to Śrī Gaṇeśa. Salutations to Śrī Sarasvatī. Salutations to the Śrī Guru.
The chapter opens with the traditional triple invocation — to Gaṇeśa (remover of obstacles), Sarasvatī (goddess of speech and learning), and the Guru — before any teaching is spoken.
Begin any important undertaking by first acknowledging what removes obstacles, what grants clear speech, and who has guided you.
नामधारक विनवी सिद्धासी । मागे कथा निरोपिलीसी । भस्ममाहात्म्य श्रीगुरूसी । पुसिले त्रिविक्रमभारतीने ॥१॥
nāmadhāraka vinavī siddhāsī | māge kathā niropilīsī | bhasmamāhātmya śrīgurūsī | pusile trivikramabhāratīne ||1||
Nāmadhāraka entreats Siddha: 'You told the story earlier — Trivikrama Bhāratī asked Śrī Guru about the greatness of bhasma (sacred ash).'
The disciple reminds the teacher where the narrative left off — a topic as ordinary-seeming as ash turns out to hold a whole teaching, if one is patient enough to ask.
When resuming a conversation or lesson, briefly recall where it left off so nothing important is lost.
पुढे कथा कवणेपरी । झाली असे गुरुचरित्री । निरोप द्यावा सविस्तारी । सिद्धमुनि कृपासिंधु ॥२॥
puḍhe kathā kavaṇeparī | jhālī ase gurucaritrī | niropa dyāvā savistārī | siddhamuni kṛpāsimdhu ||2||
'How does the story of Guru-caritra continue further? Please give the full account, O Siddha muni, ocean of compassion.'
Nāmadhāraka's request is itself an act of śraddhā (faith) — he trusts that hearing the full story, not a summary, is what will actually help him.
Ask for the whole picture rather than settling for a shortcut when you truly want to understand something.
ऐसे विनवी शिष्य राणा । ऐकोनि सिद्ध प्रसन्नवदना । सांगतसे विस्तारून । भस्ममाहात्म्य परियेसा ॥३॥
aise vinavī śiṣya rāṇā | aikoni siddha prasannavadanā | sāmgatase vistārūna | bhasmamāhātmya pariyesā ||3||
Thus the disciple-prince entreats him; hearing this, Siddha, his face pleased, begins to narrate at length the greatness of bhasma, listen well.
A sincere question, asked with humility, is met with a teacher's willing and detailed response — the exchange itself models the guru-disciple relationship.
Answer a sincere question generously rather than giving the minimum needed to move on.
श्रीगुरु म्हणती त्रिविक्रमासी । भस्ममाहात्म्य मज पुससी । एकचित करूनि मानसी । सावधान ऐक पा ॥४॥
śrīguru mhaṇatī trivikramāsī | bhasmamāhātmya maja pusasī | ekacita karūni mānasī | sāvadhāna aika pā ||4||
Śrī Guru says to Trivikrama: 'You ask me about the greatness of bhasma; make your mind one-pointed and listen attentively.'
Before any deep teaching is given, the Guru asks for ekacitta (single-pointed attention) — real listening is itself a discipline that must be entered into deliberately.
Before receiving important guidance, quiet your mind and give it your full, undivided attention.
पूर्वापरी कृतयुगी । वामदेव म्हणिजे योगी । प्रसिद्ध गुरु तो जगी । वर्तत होता भूमीवरी ॥५॥
pūrvāparī kṛtayugī | vāmadeva mhaṇije yogī | prasiddha guru to jagī | vartata hotā bhūmīvarī ||5||
Long ago, in the Kṛta Yuga, there was a yogi named Vāmadeva, a renowned guru in the world, who moved about upon the earth.
The teaching begins with a story-within-the-story about the sage Vāmadeva, set in the earliest, most virtuous age — establishing that this account of bhasma's power comes from deep antiquity.
Root a new lesson in a trustworthy example so its truth feels grounded rather than abstract.
शुद्ध बुद्ध ब्रह्मज्ञानी । गृह-सारादि वर्जूनि । कामक्रोधादि त्यजूनि । हिंडत होता महीवरी ॥६॥
śuddha buddha brahmajñānī | gṛha-sārādi varjūni | kāmakrodhādi tyajūni | himḍata hotā mahīvarī ||6||
Pure, awakened, a knower of Brahman (the Absolute), having renounced home and possessions, having abandoned lust and anger, he wandered the earth.
Vāmadeva's outer wandering mirrors his inner freedom — renunciation of home, wealth, and the passions of kāma-krodha (desire and anger) is what makes his wisdom whole.
Let go of one attachment or grievance today so your mind has more room for clarity.
संतुष्ट निःस्पृह असे मौनी । भस्म सर्वांगी लावोनि । जटाधारी असे मुनि । वल्कल-वस्त्र व्याघ्राजिन ॥७॥
samtuṣṭa niḥspṛha ase maunī | bhasma sarvāmgī lāvoni | jaṭādhārī ase muni | valkala-vastra vyāghrājina ||7||
Content, desireless, silent, he smeared bhasma over his whole body; the muni wore matted locks, bark-cloth, and a tiger skin.
His outward marks — ash, matted hair, simple dress — are signs of vairāgya (dispassion); the ash itself, as the chapter will show, is no mere ornament but carries real power.
Choose simplicity in dress or habit as a daily reminder of what truly matters to you.
ऐसा मुनि भूमंडळात । नाना क्षेत्री असे हिंडत । पातला क्रौचारण्यात । जेथे नसे संचार मनुश्यमात्राचा ॥८॥
aisā muni bhūmamḍaḷāta | nānā kṣetrī ase himḍata | pātalā kraucāraṇyāta | jethe nase samcāra manuśyamātrācā ||8||
Such a muni, wandering through many holy places on earth, arrived at the Krauñca forest, where no human being ever ventured.
The sage walks fearlessly into the most desolate, dangerous wilderness — a place uninhabited even by ordinary people — showing that true renunciation fears nothing worldly.
Do not let fear of a difficult place or situation keep you from going where you are called to go.
तया स्थानी असे एक । ब्रह्मराक्षस भयानक । मनुष्यादि जीव अनेक । भक्षीतसे परियेसा ॥९॥
tayā sthānī ase eka | brahmarākṣasa bhayānaka | manuṣyādi jīva aneka | bhakṣītase pariyesā ||9||
In that place there lived a fearsome brahmarākṣasa (a demon born of a fallen brāhmaṇa's sin), who devoured many living beings, including humans.
A brahmarākṣasa is the most terrible kind of ghost in this tradition — born of a learned man's misused knowledge turned to sin — foreshadowing that even great capacity can curdle into great harm.
Remember that talent or learning used without virtue can become genuinely destructive — pair ability with conscience.
ऐशा अघोर वनात । वामदेव गेला हिंडत । ब्रह्मराक्षस अवलोकित । आला घावोनि भक्षावया ॥१०॥
aiśā aghora vanāta | vāmadeva gelā himḍata | brahmarākṣasa avalokita | ālā ghāvoni bhakṣāvayā ||10||
Into that terrible forest Vāmadeva went wandering; seeing him, the brahmarākṣasa came rushing to devour him.
The demon, driven by pure hunger and hatred, rushes at the sage — the scene sets up a collision between raw destructive force and quiet spiritual power.
Meet aggression or hostility with steadiness rather than matching its agitation.
ब्रह्मराक्षस क्षुधाक्रांत । आला असे भक्षू म्हणत । करकरा दात खात । मुख पसरूनि जवळी आला ॥११॥
brahmarākṣasa kṣudhākrāmta | ālā ase bhakṣū mhaṇata | karakarā dāta khāta | mukha pasarūni javaḷī ālā ||11||
The famished brahmarākṣasa came saying 'I will eat him,' grinding his teeth fiercely, and approached with mouth gaping wide.
The demon's hunger is described almost grotesquely — a vivid image of unchecked appetite, the very opposite of the sage's santoṣa (contentment).
Notice when a craving has grown out of control in you, and choose restraint before it consumes something valuable.
राक्षस येता देखोनि । वामदेव निःशंक धीर मनी । उभा असे महाज्ञानी । पातला राक्षस तयाजवळी ॥१२॥
rākṣasa yetā dekhoni | vāmadeva niḥśamka dhīra manī | ubhā ase mahājñānī | pātalā rākṣasa tayājavaḷī ||12||
Seeing the demon coming, Vāmadeva, fearless and steady of mind, stood as a great sage of wisdom; the demon reached him.
Vāmadeva's nihśaṅka (fearlessness) comes not from physical strength but from mahājñāna (great wisdom) — knowledge itself is his protection.
Face a threat calmly, trusting that inner clarity is a stronger shield than panic.
राक्षस मनी संतोषत । ग्रास बरवा लाधला म्हणत । भक्षावया कांक्षा बहुत । येवोनि धरिला आलिंगोनि ॥१३॥
rākṣasa manī samtoṣata | grāsa baravā lādhalā mhaṇata | bhakṣāvayā kāmkṣā bahuta | yevoni dharilā ālimgoni ||13||
The demon rejoiced inwardly, thinking 'I have found a fine meal'; with great eagerness to devour him, he came and seized him in an embrace.
The demon's triumph is about to be reversed — his very act of grabbing the sage, meant for destruction, becomes the means of his own salvation.
Recognize that an encounter you dread may turn out to be exactly what saves you, if you stay open to it.
आलिंगिता मुनीश्वरासी । भस्म लागले राक्षसासी । जाहले ज्ञान तयासी । जातिस्मरण जन्मांतरीचे ॥१४॥
ālimgitā munīśvarāsī | bhasma lāgale rākṣasāsī | jāhale jñāna tayāsī | jātismaraṇa janmāmtarīce ||14||
As he embraced the great sage, the bhasma touched the demon, and he gained knowledge — memory of his former births.
Mere physical contact with the sage's sacred ash instantly grants jātismaraṇa (memory of past lives) — the turning point of the whole episode, showing bhasma's power operates even without conscious intent.
Stay close to good and holy influences — their effect on you can begin working before you even notice it.
पातक गेले जळोनि । राक्षस झाला महाज्ञानी । जैसा लागता चिंतामणि । लोह सुवर्ण केवी होय ॥१५॥
pātaka gele jaḷoni | rākṣasa jhālā mahājñānī | jaisā lāgatā cimtāmaṇi | loha suvarṇa kevī hoya ||15||
His sins burned away, and the demon became a man of great wisdom; just as when touched by the cintāmaṇi (wish-fulfilling gem), iron becomes gold.
The image of base metal becoming gold at a touchstone's touch illustrates instant transformation — sin does not merely fade but is consumed like fuel in fire.
Believe that genuine transformation can happen quickly when you come into contact with real goodness.
जैसा मानससरोवरास । वायस जाता होय हंस । अमृत पाजिता मनुष्यास । देवत्व होय परियेसा ॥१६॥
jaisā mānasasarovarāsa | vāyasa jātā hoya hamsa | amṛta pājitā manuṣyāsa | devatva hoya pariyesā ||16||
Just as a crow becomes a swan upon reaching Mānasa lake, or a man becomes divine upon drinking amṛta (nectar of immortality).
Two more similes reinforce the same point — proximity to something sacred (a holy lake, divine nectar) elevates even the lowest creature to the highest state.
Seek out sacred or elevating environments, trusting that they can lift you beyond your present limitations.
जैसे का जंबूनदीत । घालिता मृत्तिका कांचन त्वरित । तैसा जाहला पापी पुनीत । मुनीश्वराचे अंगस्पर्श ॥१७॥
jaise kā jambūnadīta | ghālitā mṛttikā kāmcana tvarita | taisā jāhalā pāpī punīta | munīśvarāce amgasparśa ||17||
Just as clay thrown into the Jambū river instantly becomes gold, so the sinner became pure through the sage's bodily touch.
A fourth simile drives home the theme of the whole passage — contact with the satpuruṣa (true saint) is like a river that turns clay to gold, transmuting the very substance of a person.
Value time spent with genuinely wise or virtuous people — it can quietly refine your character.
समस्त मिळती कामना । दुर्लभ सत्पुरुषाचे दर्शन । स्पर्श होता श्रीगुरुचरण । पापावेगळा होय नर ॥१८॥
samasta miḷatī kāmanā | durlabha satpuruṣāce darśana | sparśa hotā śrīgurucaraṇa | pāpāvegaḷā hoya nara ||18||
All desires are fulfilled; the sight of a saint is rare — upon touching the Śrī Guru's feet, a man becomes free of sin.
The narrator draws the general principle from the demon's particular case: darśana (sacred sight) and touch of a true guru's feet are rare and potent, capable of dissolving sin outright.
Treat an opportunity to be near a wise or holy person as precious and not to be wasted.
ब्रह्मराक्षस भयानक । काय सांगो त्याची भूक । गजतुरग मनुष्यादिक । नित्य आहार करी सकळ ॥१९॥
brahmarākṣasa bhayānaka | kāya sāmgo tyācī bhūka | gajaturaga manuṣyādika | nitya āhāra karī sakaḷa ||19||
The fearsome brahmarākṣasa — what can be said of his hunger? — daily devoured elephants, horses, and men, all without limit.
The narrator pauses to underline the demon's monstrous appetite before the transformation, so the reader appreciates how total the change about to occur really is.
Don't underestimate how deep a bad habit has taken root before deciding it can never change.
इतुए भक्षिता तयासी । न वचे भूक परियेसी । तृषाक्रांत समुद्रासी । प्राशन करिता न वचे तृषा ॥२०॥
itue bhakṣitā tayāsī | na vace bhūka pariyesī | tṛṣākrāmta samudrāsī | prāśana karitā na vace tṛṣā ||20||
Even after devouring so much, his hunger did not abate — like a thirst-stricken man drinking the ocean and still not quenching his thirst.
The demon's hunger is compared to drinking the sea and remaining thirsty — a classic image for insatiable craving, which by nature can never be satisfied by more of the same.
If satisfying a craving never seems to be enough, question the craving itself rather than trying to feed it further.
ऐसा पापिष्ट राक्षस । होता मुनीचा अंगस्पर्श । गेली क्षुधा-तृषा-आक्रोश । झाला ज्ञानी परियेसा ॥२१॥
aisā pāpiṣṭa rākṣasa | hotā munīcā amgasparśa | gelī kṣudhā-tṛṣā-ākrośa | jhālā jñānī pariyesā ||21||
Such a sinful demon, once touched by the sage's body, lost his hunger, thirst, and torment, and became wise, listen well.
The single moment of contact instantly dissolves what a lifetime (many lifetimes, in fact) of craving could not satisfy — grace works where mere consumption cannot.
Look for what actually resolves a restless craving, rather than assuming more indulgence will finally do it.
राक्षस ज्ञानी होऊनि । लागला मुनीश्वराचे चरणी । त्राहि त्राहि गुरुशिरोमणि । तू साक्षात ईश्वर ॥२२॥
rākṣasa jñānī hoūni | lāgalā munīśvarāce caraṇī | trāhi trāhi guruśiromaṇi | tū sākṣāta īśvara ||22||
Having become wise, the demon fell at the sage's feet: 'Save me, save me, crown-jewel of gurus, you are the Lord himself.'
The demon's first response to wisdom is surrender and reverence — recognizing the sage as none other than the divine, he begs for rescue.
When you recognize you have been shown a great kindness, respond with humility and gratitude, not pride.
तारी तारी मुनिवरा । बुडालो अघोर सागरा । उद्धरावे दातारा । कृपासिंधु जगदीशा ॥२३॥
tārī tārī munivarā | buḍālo aghora sāgarā | uddharāve dātārā | kṛpāsimdhu jagadīśā ||23||
'Ferry me across, ferry me across, best of sages — I have drowned in a terrible ocean; save me, O generous one, ocean of compassion, lord of the world.'
The demon's plea uses the classic image of saṃsāra (worldly existence) as an ocean one drowns in, and the guru as the one who ferries souls across it.
When overwhelmed, ask directly and honestly for the help you need rather than struggling alone.
तुझ्या दर्शनमात्रेसी । जळत्या माझ्या पापराशी । तू कृपाळू भक्तांसी । तारी तारी जगद्गुरु ॥२४॥
tujhyā darśanamātresī | jaḷatyā mājhyā pāparāśī | tū kṛpāḷū bhaktāmsī | tārī tārī jagadguru ||24||
'At the mere sight of you, my heaps of sin are burning away; you are compassionate to devotees — save me, save me, guru of the world.'
Mere darśana (sight) of the sage is enough to burn away accumulated sin — the demon testifies to the power the narrative has just shown in action.
Trust that sincere devotion, even expressed simply, can begin to burn away old wrongs.
येणेपरी मुनिवरास । विनवीतसे राक्षस । वामदेव कृपासुरस । पुसतसे तये वेळी ॥२५॥
yeṇeparī munivarāsa | vinavītase rākṣasa | vāmadeva kṛpāsurasa | pusatase taye veḷī ||25||
In this way the demon entreats the great sage; then the compassionate Vāmadeva asks him a question at that time.
The sage, rather than simply granting the plea, first asks the demon his story — wisdom listens before it acts.
Before offering help, take a moment to understand the full situation of the person asking.
वामदेव म्हणे तयासी । तुवा कवणाचा कवण वंशी । ऐसा अघोर ठायी वससी । मनुष्य मात्र नसे ते ठायी ॥२६॥
vāmadeva mhaṇe tayāsī | tuvā kavaṇācā kavaṇa vamśī | aisā aghora ṭhāyī vasasī | manuṣya mātra nase te ṭhāyī ||26||
Vāmadeva says to him: 'Whose son are you, of what lineage? Why do you dwell in such a terrible place, where no human ever comes?'
The sage's question — who are you, and why here — invites the demon to tell the story of how he fell to this state, setting up the long confession that follows.
Ask someone in distress about their story with genuine curiosity rather than judgment.
ऐकोनि मुनीचे वचन । ब्रह्मराक्षस करी नमन । विनवीतसे कर जोडोन । ऐक त्रिविक्रम मुनिराया ॥२७॥
aikoni munīce vacana | brahmarākṣasa karī namana | vinavītase kara joḍona | aika trivikrama munirāyā ||27||
Hearing the sage's words, the brahmarākṣasa bows in salutation; joining his palms he entreats: 'Listen, O sage Trivikrama.'
The demon addresses the listener directly within the story (Trivikrama is the one hearing this tale from Śrī Guru), a narrative layering typical of this text.
Respond to an invitation to share your story with respect for the one who is listening.
म्हणे राक्षस तये वेळी । आपणासी ज्ञान जहाले सकळी । जातिस्मरण अनंतकाळी । पूर्वापरीचे स्वामिया ॥२८॥
mhaṇe rākṣasa taye veḷī | āpaṇāsī jñāna jahāle sakaḷī | jātismaraṇa anamtakāḷī | pūrvāparīce svāmiyā ||28||
The demon says at that moment: 'All knowledge has come to me — memory of my past lives across endless time, O master.'
The demon confirms the scope of the gift he received — not just knowledge of one past life but of an entire chain of births stretching back through time.
When you gain sudden clarity about your past mistakes, use it to understand your present, not merely to dwell in regret.
तयामध्ये माझे दोष । उत्कृष्ट जन्म पंचवीस । दिसतसे प्रकाश । ऐक स्वामी वामदेवा ॥२९॥
tayāmadhye mājhe doṣa | utkṛṣṭa janma pamcavīsa | disatase prakāśa | aika svāmī vāmadevā ||29||
'Among them are my sins across twenty-five notable births; they appear vividly before me — listen, master Vāmadeva.'
The demon is about to recount twenty-five lifetimes of wrongdoing, beginning with the most recent human life as a cruel king — the confession that follows is the heart of this section.
Be willing to look honestly and in detail at your own past mistakes rather than glossing over them.
पूर्वजन्मे पंचविसी । होया राजा यवन-देशी । ’दुर्जय’ नाम आपणासी । दुराचारी वर्तलो जाण ॥३०॥
pūrvajanme pamcavisī | hoyā rājā yavana-deśī | ’durjaya’ nāma āpaṇāsī | durācārī vartalo jāṇa ||30||
'In my most recent past birth I was a king in the land of the Yavanas, named Durjaya, and I lived a wicked life.'
The demon's confession begins: in his last human birth he was a tyrant king named Durjaya ('hard to conquer'), whose name itself signals his unchecked, dominating nature.
Recognize that unchecked power over others tends to corrupt, and guard against it in your own sphere of influence.
म्या मारिले बहुत लोक । प्रजेसी दिधले दुःख । स्त्रिया वरिल्या अनेक । राज्यमदे करूनिया ॥३१॥
myā mārile bahuta loka | prajesī didhale duḥkha | striyā varilyā aneka | rājyamade karūniyā ||31||
'I killed many people, gave suffering to my subjects, and married many women, all out of the intoxication of royal power.'
The confession catalogs the abuses of a tyrant — killing, oppressing subjects, and taking wives by force — all attributed to rājyamada (the intoxication of power).
Watch for the way power or authority can intoxicate you, and check your actions against it deliberately.
वरिल्या स्त्रियांव्यतिरिक्त । बलात्कारे धरिल्या अमित । एक दिवस देवोनि रति । पुनरपि न भोगी तयासी ॥३२॥
varilyā striyāmvyatirikta | balātkāre dharilyā amita | eka divasa devoni rati | punarapi na bhogī tayāsī ||32||
'Besides the women I married, I seized countless others by force; enjoying one for a single day, I never touched her again.'
The king's cruelty is compounded by carelessness — he discards those he has wronged as casually as he wronged them, treating people as disposable.
Treat people as ends in themselves, not as things to be used once and discarded.
एके दिवशी एकीसी । रति देऊनि त्यजी तिसी । ठेविले अंतर्गृहासी । पुनरपि तीते न देखे नयनी ॥३३॥
eke divaśī ekīsī | rati deūni tyajī tisī | ṭhevile amtargṛhāsī | punarapi tīte na dekhe nayanī ||33||
'One day, having taken a woman, I abandoned her, confined her in an inner chamber, and never looked upon her again.'
The specific image of a woman locked away and forgotten deepens the picture of the king's callousness toward those he has already harmed.
Do not compound a wrong you've done by then ignoring the person you have hurt.
ऐसे अनेक स्त्रियांसी । ठेविले म्या अंतर्गृहासी । माते शापिती अहर्निशी । दर्शन नेदी म्हणोनिया ॥३४॥
aise aneka striyāmsī | ṭhevile myā amtargṛhāsī | māte śāpitī aharniśī | darśana nedī mhaṇoniyā ||34||
'Thus I confined many women in inner chambers; they cursed my mother day and night for not letting them be seen.'
Even innocent bystanders — the king's own mother — bear the consequences of his cruelty, showing how wrongdoing ripples outward to harm the uninvolved.
Consider how your wrongdoing can burden even those close to you who had no part in it.
समस्त राजे जिंकोनिया । आणि स्त्रिया धरोनिया । एकेक दिवस भोगूनिया । त्याते ठेविले अंतर्गृहासी ॥३५॥
samasta rāje jimkoniyā | āṇi striyā dharoniyā | ekeka divasa bhogūniyā | tyāte ṭhevile amtargṛhāsī ||35||
'Conquering all the kings, seizing their women, enjoying each for a single day, I then confined them to my inner chambers.'
The demon's confession broadens from personal cruelty to systematic conquest — his violence was not isolated but a policy of domination.
Beware when a personal vice becomes something you systematize or normalize in how you treat others.
जेथे स्त्रिया सुरूपे असती । बळे आणोन देई मी रति । ज्या न येती संतोषवृत्ती । तया द्रव्य देऊनि आणवी ॥३६॥
jethe striyā surūpe asatī | baḷe āṇona deī mī rati | jyā na yetī samtoṣavṛttī | tayā dravya deūni āṇavī ||36||
'Where women were beautiful, I brought them by force and took my pleasure; those who did not come willingly I lured with wealth.'
The king's methods — force where possible, bribery where not — show that his will always found a way to override others' consent.
Respect another's genuine consent rather than seeking ways around it.
विप्र होते माझे देशी । ते जाऊनि राहिले आणि देशी । जाऊनि आणी त्यांचे स्त्रियांसी । भोगी आपण उन्मत्तपणे ॥३७॥
vipra hote mājhe deśī | te jāūni rāhile āṇi deśī | jāūni āṇī tyāmce striyāmsī | bhogī āpaṇa unmattapaṇe ||37||
'There were brāhmaṇas in my land; they fled to other lands. I would go and fetch their wives and enjoy them in my arrogance.'
The king's crimes escalate to violating even the sanctity of priestly households, driving learned men into exile — a total breakdown of social and moral order.
Recognize that unchecked wrongdoing eventually drives away the very people whose wisdom you need most.
पतिव्रता सुवासिनी । विधवा मुख्य करोनि । त्याते भोगी उन्मत्तपणी । रजस्वला स्त्रियांसी देखा ॥३८॥
pativratā suvāsinī | vidhavā mukhya karoni | tyāte bhogī unmattapaṇī | rajasvalā striyāmsī dekhā ||38||
'I violated devoted wives, widows chiefly, and enjoyed them in my arrogance, even women in their menstrual period.'
The confession lists violations that break every layer of social and ritual propriety recognized by the text, emphasizing the totality of the king's moral collapse.
Recognize that once boundaries begin to be violated, there is a tendency for every remaining boundary to fall as well — guard the first line, not just the last.
विवाह न होता कन्यांसी । बलात्कारे भोगी त्यांसी । येणेपरी समस्त देशी । उपद्रविले मदांधपणे ॥३९॥
vivāha na hotā kanyāmsī | balātkāre bhogī tyāmsī | yeṇeparī samasta deśī | upadravile madāmdhapaṇe ||39||
'Unmarried maidens too I violated by force; in this way I oppressed the whole land in my intoxicated pride.'
The list of the king's crimes closes with the violation of the most vulnerable, unmarried girls, completing a portrait of total, unrestrained abuse of power.
Use whatever power you hold to protect the vulnerable rather than exploit them.
ब्राह्मणस्त्रिया तीन शते । शतचारी क्षत्रिया ते । वैश्यिणी वरिल्या षट्शत । शूद्रस्त्रिया सहस्त्र जाण ॥४०॥
brāhmaṇastriyā tīna śate | śatacārī kṣatriyā te | vaiśyiṇī varilyā ṣaṭśata | śūdrastriyā sahastra jāṇa ||40||
'Three hundred brāhmaṇa women, four hundred kṣatriya women, six hundred vaiśya women I married, and a thousand śūdra women, know this.'
The staggering numerical tally — across every social class — is meant to convey the sheer, almost unbelievable scale of the king's excess, beyond any single story's plausibility, to emphasize the depth of the sin being purged.
Notice how a small wrong repeated without check can accumulate into something enormous.
एक शत चांडाळिणी । सहस्त्र वरिल्या पुलदिनी । पाच शत स्त्रिया डोंबिणी । रजकिणी वरिल्या शत चारी ॥४१॥
eka śata cāmḍāḷiṇī | sahastra varilyā puladinī | pāca śata striyā ḍombiṇī | rajakiṇī varilyā śata cārī ||41||
'A hundred chāṇḍāla women, a thousand hunter-tribe women, five hundred ḍombiṇī women, and four hundred washerwomen I married.'
The list continues into the lowest social ranks recognized at the time, showing the king's abuse spared no one regardless of status.
Extend the same respect to people of every station in life, not only those with power or standing.
असंख्यात वारवनिता । भोगिल्या म्या उन्मत्तता । तथापि माझे मनी तृप्तता । नाही झाली स्वामिया ॥४२॥
asamkhyāta vāravanitā | bhogilyā myā unmattatā | tathāpi mājhe manī tṛptatā | nāhī jhālī svāmiyā ||42||
'Countless courtesans I enjoyed in my intoxication; yet still my mind found no contentment, O master.'
Despite endless indulgence, the king found no tṛptatā (satisfaction) — the confession's real point: sensory excess cannot satisfy what only inner discipline can settle.
If indulgence keeps failing to satisfy you, look inward for contentment rather than outward for more.
इतुक्या स्त्रिया भोगून । संतुष्ट नव्हे माझे मन । विषयासक्त मद्यपान । करी नित्य उन्मत्ते ॥४३॥
itukyā striyā bhogūna | samtuṣṭa navhe mājhe mana | viṣayāsakta madyapāna | karī nitya unmatte ||43||
'Even after enjoying so many women, my mind was not content; addicted to sense pleasures, I drank wine constantly in my intoxication.'
The king's dissatisfaction drives him deeper into addiction rather than toward reflection — a pattern of escalating indulgence chasing an unreachable satisfaction.
When one indulgence fails to satisfy, resist the urge to simply escalate to another.
वर्तता येणेपरी देखा । व्याधिष्ठ झालो यक्ष्मादिका । परराष्ट्रराजे चालोनि ऐका । राज्य हिरतले स्वामिया ॥४४॥
vartatā yeṇeparī dekhā | vyādhiṣṭha jhālo yakṣmādikā | pararāṣṭrarāje cāloni aikā | rājya hiratale svāmiyā ||44||
'Living thus, I fell ill with consumption and other diseases; then foreign kings invaded and seized my kingdom, O master.'
Consequences finally arrive — illness and the loss of his kingdom — the natural unraveling that follows a life built on cruelty and excess.
Expect that a life built on harming others eventually loses even what it seemed to gain.
ऐसेपरी आपणासी । मरण जाहले परियेसी । नेले दूती यमपुरासी । मज नरकामध्ये घातले ॥४५॥
aiseparī āpaṇāsī | maraṇa jāhale pariyesī | nele dūtī yamapurāsī | maja narakāmadhye ghātale ||45||
'In this state death came to me; Yama's messengers took me to the city of Yama and cast me into hell.'
The narrative moves from earthly consequence to the afterlife — the king's sins are met with judgment and punishment in Yamapurī (the abode of the god of death).
Live with the awareness that consequences for how you treat others extend beyond this single life or moment.
देवांसी सहस्त्र वर्षे देखा । दहा वेळ फिरविले ऐका । पितृसहित आपण देखा । नरक भोगिले येणेपरी ॥४६॥
devāmsī sahastra varṣe dekhā | dahā veḷa phiravile aikā | pitṛsahita āpaṇa dekhā | naraka bhogile yeṇeparī ||46||
'For a thousand years of the gods' time, I was made to circle ten times through hell, along with my ancestors, suffering these torments.'
Even his ancestors share in the suffering caused by his sins — a reminder in this tradition that one's conduct can affect one's entire lineage.
Consider that your choices can affect your family's wellbeing beyond just your own.
पुढे जन्मलो प्रेतवंशी । विद्रूप देही परियेसी । सहस्त्र शिश्ने अंगासी । लागली असती परियेसी ॥४७॥
puḍhe janmalo pretavamśī | vidrūpa dehī pariyesī | sahastra śiśne amgāsī | lāgalī asatī pariyesī ||47||
'Afterward I was born into a lineage of pretas (ghosts), in a deformed body, with a thousand phalluses attached to it, listen well.'
The punishment fits the sin with grotesque symbolic precision — a lifetime of sexual violation is answered by a body of monstrous, tormenting excess.
Understand that a vice indulged without restraint tends to become its own torment over time.
येणेपरी दिव्य शत वर्षे । कष्टलो बहु क्षुधार्थै । पुनरपि पावलो यमपंथ । अनंत कष्ट भोगिले ॥४८॥
yeṇeparī divya śata varṣe | kaṣṭalo bahu kṣudhārthai | punarapi pāvalo yamapamtha | anamta kaṣṭa bhogile ||48||
'For a hundred divine years I suffered thus, greatly afflicted by hunger; then again I went the path of Yama and endured endless torments.'
The suffering is prolonged across cosmic timescales, underscoring how the consequences of the king's sins vastly outlasted the brief pleasures that caused them.
Weigh a fleeting pleasure honestly against how long its consequences might actually last.
दुसरा जन्म आपणासी । व्याघ्रजन्म जीवहिंसी । अजगर जन्म तृतीयेसी । चवथा जाहलो लांडगा ॥४९॥
dusarā janma āpaṇāsī | vyāghrajanma jīvahimsī | ajagara janma tṛtīyesī | cavathā jāhalo lāmḍagā ||49||
'My second birth was as a tiger, killing living beings; the third birth was as a python; the fourth I became a wolf.'
The demon now recounts a long chain of animal births — each a lower and more predatory form, mirroring the violence of his human life.
Recognize that habitual cruelty can shape your character into something you would not recognize or want.
पाचवा जन्म आपणासी । ग्रामसूकर परियेसी । सहावा जन्म जाहलो कैसी । सरडा होऊनि जन्मलो ॥५०॥
pācavā janma āpaṇāsī | grāmasūkara pariyesī | sahāvā janma jāhalo kaisī | saraḍā hoūni janmalo ||50||
'My fifth birth was as a village pig, listen; my sixth birth — how did it happen? — I was born a lizard.'
The list continues through humbler and humbler creatures, tracing a long, slow path of purification through repeated low births.
Take comfort that even a long, difficult process of change is still progress, however slow.
सातवा जन्म झालो श्वान । आठवा जंबुक मतिहीन । नवम जन्म रोही-हरण । दहावा झालो ससा देखा ॥५१॥
sātavā janma jhālo śvāna | āṭhavā jambuka matihīna | navama janma rohī-haraṇa | dahāvā jhālo sasā dekhā ||51||
'The seventh birth I became a dog, the eighth a witless jackal, the ninth a deer, the tenth I became a hare, behold.'
The catalog of animal births continues methodically, each one carrying the weight of a specific unpaid debt from his human cruelty.
Accept that repairing serious harm may take a long series of small steps, not one grand gesture.
मर्कट जन्म एकादश । घारी झालो मी द्वादश । जन्म तेरावा मुंगूस । वायस जाहलो चतुर्दश ॥५२॥
markaṭa janma ekādaśa | ghārī jhālo mī dvādaśa | janma terāvā mumgūsa | vāyasa jāhalo caturdaśa ||52||
'The eleventh birth was a monkey; the twelfth I became a kite; the thirteenth birth a mongoose; the fourteenth I became a crow.'
The sequence of births moves now through birds and small mammals, continuing the long arc of expiation the demon is narrating in careful detail.
Track your own progress carefully rather than losing sight of how far you have already come.
जांबुवंत झालो पंचादश । रानकुक्कुट मी षोडश । जन्म जाहलो परियेस । पुढे येणेपरी अवधारी ॥५३॥
jāmbuvamta jhālo pamcādaśa | rānakukkuṭa mī ṣoḍaśa | janma jāhalo pariyesa | puḍhe yeṇeparī avadhārī ||53||
'The fifteenth I became a bear, the sixteenth a jungle fowl; such were my births, listen further to what follows.'
The demon pauses to signal that his recitation continues — the sheer length of the list itself is part of the teaching about how long unwholesome karma can take to work through.
Be patient with a long process of self-correction rather than expecting it to resolve quickly.
सप्तदश जन्मी आपण । गर्दभ झालो अक्षहीन । मार्जारयोनी । संभवून । आलो स्वामी अष्टादशेसी ॥५४॥
saptadaśa janmī āpaṇa | gardabha jhālo akṣahīna | mārjārayonī | sambhavūna | ālo svāmī aṣṭādaśesī ||54||
'In the seventeenth birth I was a donkey, blind; then I was born a cat, and came, O lord, to the eighteenth birth.'
The demon continues his confession of successive lowly births, each a working-off of some portion of his original crimes.
Recognize disability or hardship without judgment — it is not necessarily a mark of present wrongdoing.
एकुणिसावे जन्मासी । मंडूक झालो परियेसी । कासवजन्म विशतीसी । एकविसावा मस्त्य झालो ॥५५॥
ekuṇisāve janmāsī | mamḍūka jhālo pariyesī | kāsavajanma viśatīsī | ekavisāvā mastya jhālo ||55||
'In the nineteenth birth I became a frog, listen; a tortoise in the twentieth birth; the twenty-first I became a fish.'
The births now descend even into aquatic and amphibious forms, the lowest reaches of the animal chain in this cosmology.
Do not consider any form of life or any person beneath your basic respect.
बाविसावा जन्म थोर । झालो तस्कर उंदीर । दिवांध झालो मी बधिर । उलूक जन्म तेविसावा ॥५६॥
bāvisāvā janma thora | jhālo taskara umdīra | divāmdha jhālo mī badhira | ulūka janma tevisāvā ||56||
'The twenty-second was a great birth — I became a thieving rat; blind by day and deaf, the twenty-third birth was as an owl.'
The catalogue nears its end, with the demon having passed through nearly every lowly creature imaginable before his final births.
Trust that even a difficult, humbling period of your life is not the end of the story.
जन्म चतुर्विशतीसी । झालो कुंजर तामसी । पंचविंशति जन्मासी । ब्रह्मराक्षस आपण देखा ॥५७॥
janma caturviśatīsī | jhālo kumjara tāmasī | pamcavimśati janmāsī | brahmarākṣasa āpaṇa dekhā ||57||
'The twenty-fourth birth I became a dull elephant; in the twenty-fifth birth I became this very brahmarākṣasa, behold.'
The chain of twenty-five births culminates in his present demonic form — the very state in which Vāmadeva found him, closing the loop of his confession.
See your present struggle as the latest stage of a long journey, not a final verdict on who you are.
क्षुधाक्रांत अहर्निशी । कष्टतसे परियेसी । निराहारी अरण्यावासी । वर्ततसे स्वामिया ॥५८॥
kṣudhākrāmta aharniśī | kaṣṭatase pariyesī | nirāhārī araṇyāvāsī | vartatase svāmiyā ||58||
'Tormented by hunger day and night, I suffer, listen; without food, dwelling in the forest, I remain, O master.'
The demon describes his current wretched state — perpetual hunger and isolation — the direct experiential consequence of his accumulated sins.
Recognize unrelenting craving or isolation as a signal to seek help, not something to endure silently.
तुम्हा देखता अंतःकरणी । वासना झालो भक्षीन म्हणोनि । यालागी आलो धावोनि । पापरूपी आपण देखा ॥५९॥
tumhā dekhatā amtaḥkaraṇī | vāsanā jhālo bhakṣīna mhaṇoni | yālāgī ālo dhāvoni | pāparūpī āpaṇa dekhā ||59||
'Seeing you, a desire arose in my heart to devour you; for that reason I came rushing, being myself the very form of sin.'
The demon admits his original murderous intent honestly, without excuse — an honest confession is part of what makes his transformation genuine.
Own your bad intentions honestly when confessing a fault, rather than softening or hiding them.
तुझा अंगस्पर्श होता । जातिस्मरण झाले आता । सहस्त्र जन्मीचे दुष्कृत । दिसतसे स्वामिया ॥६०॥
tujhā amgasparśa hotā | jātismaraṇa jhāle ātā | sahastra janmīce duṣkṛta | disatase svāmiyā ||60||
'When your body touched mine, memory of my past lives arose now; the misdeeds of a thousand births appear before me, O master.'
The demon reiterates the power of the sage's touch — a single contact revealed the full weight of a thousand lifetimes' wrongdoing.
Be willing to face the full scope of your past when the moment for honest reckoning arrives.
माते आता जन्म पुरे । तुझ्या अनुग्रहे मी तरे । घोरांधार संसार । आता यातना कडे करी ॥६१॥
māte ātā janma pure | tujhyā anugrahe mī tare | ghorāmdhāra samsāra | ātā yātanā kaḍe karī ||61||
'Mother, let this be my last birth; by your grace may I be liberated; this dark and terrible worldly existence — now end its torments.'
The demon addresses the sage as 'mother,' a term of deep tenderness, begging for final release from saṃsāra (the cycle of rebirth).
Ask for help ending a destructive cycle in your life with the same directness and humility as this plea.
तू तारक विश्वासी । म्हणोनि माते भेटलासी । तुझी दर्शनमहिमा कैसी । स्पर्श होता ज्ञान झाले ॥६२॥
tū tāraka viśvāsī | mhaṇoni māte bheṭalāsī | tujhī darśanamahimā kaisī | sparśa hotā jñāna jhāle ||62||
'You are the savior of the world; that is why you have met me, mother. How great is the glory of your sight — at your touch, knowledge dawned.'
The demon marvels that mere touch could bring such total knowledge — reinforcing the chapter's central claim about the sage's (and by extension, bhasma's) power.
Marvel at and be grateful for the moments when a small encounter changes you profoundly.
भूमीवरी मनुष्य असती । तैसा रूप दिससी यति । परि तुझी महिमा ख्याति । निरुपम असे दातारा ॥६३॥
bhūmīvarī manuṣya asatī | taisā rūpa disasī yati | pari tujhī mahimā khyāti | nirupama ase dātārā ||63||
'On earth there are men who look like ascetics in form as you do, but your glory and fame are without compare, O generous one.'
The demon distinguishes outward appearance from inner reality — many look like sages, but true spiritual power is something else entirely.
Judge a teacher or guide by the substance of their impact on you, not merely by outward appearance.
महापापी दुराचारी । आपण असे वनांतरी । तुझे अंगस्पर्शमात्री । ज्ञान जाहले अखिल जन्मांचे ॥६४॥
mahāpāpī durācārī | āpaṇa ase vanāmtarī | tujhe amgasparśamātrī | jñāna jāhale akhila janmāmce ||64||
'I, a great sinner and evildoer, was dwelling in the forest; by the mere touch of your body, knowledge of all my births arose.'
The demon restates his transformation once more, emphasizing 'mere touch' — the effortlessness of grace compared to the effort of his long fall.
Recognize that receiving grace or help does not require you to have earned it through effort alone.
कैसा महिमा तुझ्या अंगी । ईश्वर होशील की जगी । आम्हा उद्धारावयालागी । आलासी स्वामी वामदेवा ॥६५॥
kaisā mahimā tujhyā amgī | īśvara hośīla kī jagī | āmhā uddhārāvayālāgī | ālāsī svāmī vāmadevā ||65||
'What greatness dwells in your body — will you become God himself in this world? You have come to uplift us, O master Vāmadeva.'
The demon's wonder turns to a direct question about the nature of the sage's power, which Vāmadeva will now answer by explaining the source: bhasma itself.
Stay curious about the source of goodness you encounter rather than taking it for granted.
ऐसे म्हणता, राक्षसासी । वामदेव सांगे संतोषी । भस्ममहिमा आहे ऐशी । माझे अंगीची परियेसा ॥६६॥
aise mhaṇatā, rākṣasāsī | vāmadeva sāmge samtoṣī | bhasmamahimā āhe aiśī | mājhe amgīcī pariyesā ||66||
As he spoke thus, Vāmadeva tells the demon with pleasure: 'Such is the greatness of the bhasma upon my body, listen.'
Vāmadeva now redirects credit — it was not his personal power but the bhasma (sacred ash) itself that worked the transformation, humbly locating the true source.
When praised for helping someone, redirect credit honestly to whatever tool, tradition, or grace actually did the work.
सर्वांग माझे भस्मांकित । तुझे अंगा लागले क्वचित । त्याणे झाले तुज चेत । ज्ञानप्रकाश शत जन्मांतरीचे ॥६७॥
sarvāmga mājhe bhasmāmkita | tujhe amgā lāgale kvacita | tyāṇe jhāle tuja ceta | jñānaprakāśa śata janmāmtarīce ||67||
'My whole body is marked with bhasma; when it touched your body even slightly, it awakened in you the light of knowledge of a hundred past births.'
Vāmadeva explains the mechanism plainly — even a small amount of contact with the sacred ash was enough to unlock a hundred lifetimes of buried memory and sin.
Do not underestimate how much good even a small, incidental act of contact with truth or virtue can do.
भस्ममहिमा अपरांपर । परि ब्रह्मादिका अगोचर । याचिकारणे कर्पूरगौर । भूषण करी सर्वांगी ॥६८॥
bhasmamahimā aparāmpara | pari brahmādikā agocara | yācikāraṇe karpūragaura | bhūṣaṇa karī sarvāmgī ||68||
'The greatness of bhasma is boundless, beyond the grasp even of Brahmā and the gods; for this reason the camphor-white lord adorns his whole body with it.'
Even Śiva, described as 'camphor-white' for the ash covering him, wears bhasma constantly — the highest deity honors this substance, showing its greatness is not merely human superstition.
Take seriously a practice or symbol that even those wiser than you hold in high regard.
ईश्वरे वंदिल्या वस्तूसी । वर्णिता अशक्य आम्हांसी । तोचि शंकर व्योमकेशी । जाणे भस्ममहिमान ॥६९॥
īśvare vamdilyā vastūsī | varṇitā aśakya āmhāmsī | toci śamkara vyomakeśī | jāṇe bhasmamahimāna ||69||
'A thing honored by God himself is impossible for us to fully describe; only Śiva, the matted-locked one, truly knows the greatness of bhasma.'
Vāmadeva admits the limits of his own explanation — some things can be pointed to but not fully captured in words, and full understanding belongs to Śiva alone.
Approach the deepest truths with humility, accepting that words can only point toward them, not exhaust them.
जरी तू पुससी आम्हांसी । सांगेन दृष्टांत परियेसी । आम्ही देखिले दृष्टीसी । अपार महिमा भस्माचा ॥७०॥
jarī tū pusasī āmhāmsī | sāmgena dṛṣṭāmta pariyesī | āmhī dekhile dṛṣṭīsī | apāra mahimā bhasmācā ||70||
'If you ask me, I will tell you an example, listen — we ourselves have seen with our own eyes the boundless greatness of bhasma.'
Vāmadeva offers to ground the abstract claim in a concrete, eyewitnessed story — the tradition favors direct testimony over mere assertion.
When teaching a truth, offer a concrete example you have witnessed rather than relying only on abstract claims.
विप्र एक द्रविडदेशी । आचारहीन परियेसी । सदा रत शूद्रिणीसी । कर्मभ्रष्ट वर्तत होता ॥७१॥
vipra eka draviḍadeśī | ācārahīna pariyesī | sadā rata śūdriṇīsī | karmabhraṣṭa vartata hotā ||71||
'There was a brāhmaṇa in the Draviḍa country, without proper conduct, always devoted to a śūdra woman, fallen from his prescribed duties.'
A second story begins — a brāhmaṇa who abandoned his ritual and social duties, setting up another demonstration of bhasma's power to redeem even a fallen man.
Recognize that abandoning your responsibilities, even for what feels like personal happiness, has real costs.
समस्त मिळोनि विप्रयाति । तया द्विजा बहिष्कारिती । मातापिता दाईज गोती । त्यजिती त्यासी बंधुवर्ग ॥७२॥
samasta miḷoni viprayāti | tayā dvijā bahiṣkāritī | mātāpitā dāīja gotī | tyajitī tyāsī bamdhuvarga ||72||
'All the brāhmaṇa community together excommunicated that twice-born man; his mother, father, relatives, and kin, all his brothers, abandoned him.'
The consequences of his fallen conduct are total social exile — even family bonds break under the weight of his transgression, in a society where caste conduct carried immense weight.
Understand that persistent wrongdoing can cost you the support of even those closest to you.
येणेपरी तो ब्राह्मण । प्रख्यात झाला आचारहीन । शूद्रिणीते वरून । होता काळ रमूनिया ॥७३॥
yeṇeparī to brāhmaṇa | prakhyāta jhālā ācārahīna | śūdriṇīte varūna | hotā kāḷa ramūniyā ||73||
'Thus that brāhmaṇa became notorious as a man without proper conduct; having taken the śūdra woman as his own, he spent his time absorbed in her.'
Having lost everything else, the brāhmaṇa doubles down on the very relationship that caused his fall, drifting further from his former identity.
Notice when losing social standing over a mistake tempts you to abandon your values further rather than reconsidering them.
ऐसा पापी दुराचारी । तस्करविद्येने उदर भरी । आणिक स्त्रियांशी व्यभिचारी । उन्मत्तपणे परियेसा ॥७४॥
aisā pāpī durācārī | taskaravidyene udara bharī | āṇika striyāmśī vyabhicārī | unmattapaṇe pariyesā ||74||
'Such a sinful, ill-conducted man filled his belly through the craft of thievery, and was also unfaithful with other women, behaving in his intoxication.'
The brāhmaṇa's decline continues — from ritual lapse, to social exile, to outright crime and further moral corruption, a downward spiral.
Address a first moral lapse early, before it becomes the start of a longer downward spiral.
वर्तता ऐसे एके दिवसी । गेला होता व्यभिचारासी । तस्करविद्या करिता निशी । वधिले त्यासी एके शूद्र ॥७५॥
vartatā aise eke divasī | gelā hotā vyabhicārāsī | taskaravidyā karitā niśī | vadhile tyāsī eke śūdra ||75||
Living thus, one day he had gone out to commit adultery; while practicing thievery at night, he was killed by a certain śūdra.
The brāhmaṇa's criminal night ends in his violent death — killed in the very act of theft, his life cut short mid-sin.
Consider how continuing down a harmful path can end your story abruptly, before you get the chance to change it.
वधूनिया विप्रासी । ओढोनि नेले तेचि निशी । टाकिले बहिर्ग्रामेसी । अघोर स्थळी परियेसा ॥७६॥
vadhūniyā viprāsī | oḍhoni nele teci niśī | ṭākile bahirgrāmesī | aghora sthaḷī pariyesā ||76||
'Having killed the brāhmaṇa, they dragged him away that very night and threw him outside the village, in a desolate place, listen.'
His body is discarded without any funeral rites, in a place of ill omen — a final indignity that would ordinarily mean a terrible fate in the afterlife.
Do not judge someone's worth by how their life outwardly ends; the deeper story may not be what it appears.
श्वान एक तये नगरी । बैसला होता भस्मावरी । क्षुधाक्रांत अवसरी । गेला हिंडत प्रेतघ्राणी ॥७७॥
śvāna eka taye nagarī | baisalā hotā bhasmāvarī | kṣudhākrāmta avasarī | gelā himḍata pretaghrāṇī ||77||
'A dog in that town, which had been sitting upon a heap of bhasma, being famished, went wandering about, drawn by the scent of the corpse.'
By pure chance — or providence — a dog that had been sitting on sacred ash, itself now dusted with bhasma, comes upon the discarded corpse.
Stay open to how seemingly random circumstances can carry unexpected grace.
देखोनि तया प्रेतासी । गेला श्वान भक्षावयासी । प्रेतावरी बैसून हर्षी । क्षुधानिवारण करीत होता ॥७८॥
dekhoni tayā pretāsī | gelā śvāna bhakṣāvayāsī | pretāvarī baisūna harṣī | kṣudhānivāraṇa karīta hotā ||78||
'Seeing that corpse, the dog went to eat it; sitting upon the corpse with relish, it satisfied its hunger.'
The scene is stark and unflattering, yet it is precisely through this humble, hungry dog that the sacred ash will reach the dead man's body.
Do not dismiss an unglamorous or humble means as unworthy of carrying something sacred.
भस्म होते श्वानाचे पोटी । लागले प्रेताचे ललाटी । वक्षःस्थळी बाहुवटी । लागले भस्म परियेसा ॥७९॥
bhasma hote śvānāce poṭī | lāgale pretāce lalāṭī | vakṣaḥsthaḷī bāhuvaṭī | lāgale bhasma pariyesā ||79||
'Bhasma was on the dog's belly; it rubbed off onto the corpse's forehead, chest, and arms — the ash touched the body, listen well.'
Through the dog's incidental contact, sacred ash is transferred onto the dead brāhmaṇa's forehead, chest, and arms — an accidental blessing with no ritual intent behind it at all.
Trust that grace can reach someone through the most indirect and unplanned of circumstances.
प्राण त्यजिता द्विजवर । नेत होते यमकिंकर । नानापरी करीत मार । यमपुरा नेताति ॥८०॥
prāṇa tyajitā dvijavara | neta hote yamakimkara | nānāparī karīta māra | yamapurā netāti ||80||
'As the brāhmaṇa gave up his life, Yama's messengers came to take him; beating him in many ways, they were leading him to Yama's city.'
Despite the accidental blessing of ash, the death-messengers arrive as usual to claim a known sinner and thief, setting up the conflict to come.
Understand that outward reputation can follow you even after a hidden change has already occurred.
कैलासपुरीचे शिवदूत । देखोनि आले ते प्रेत । भस्म सर्वांगी उद्धूलित । म्हणती याते कवणे नेले ॥८१॥
kailāsapurīce śivadūta | dekhoni āle te preta | bhasma sarvāmgī uddhūlita | mhaṇatī yāte kavaṇe nele ||81||
'Śiva's messengers from Kailāsa, seeing that corpse covered all over with bhasma, said, Who has taken this one away?'
Śiva's own attendants intervene, recognizing the ash-marked body as belonging under their lord's protection, regardless of the man's sins in life.
Recognize that an outward sign of devotion can summon protection you did not know you had earned.
याते योग्य शिवपुर । केवी नेले ते यमकिंकर । म्हणोनि धावती वेगवक्त्रे । यमकिंकरा मारावया ॥८२॥
yāte yogya śivapura | kevī nele te yamakimkara | mhaṇoni dhāvatī vegavaktre | yamakimkarā mārāvayā ||82||
'This one is fit for Śiva's realm — how could Yama's messengers have taken him?' saying this, they rushed with fierce faces to strike Yama's messengers.'
A cosmic jurisdictional dispute breaks out — the mark of bhasma reclassifies the dead man's destiny entirely, overriding the ordinary judgment of his deeds.
Recognize that a genuine mark of devotion can outweigh even a heavy record of past wrongdoing.
शिवदूत येता देखोनि । यमदूत जाती पळोनि । तया द्विजाते सोडूनि । गेले आपण यमपुरा ॥८३॥
śivadūta yetā dekhoni | yamadūta jātī paḷoni | tayā dvijāte soḍūni | gele āpaṇa yamapurā ||83||
'Seeing Śiva's messengers coming, Yama's messengers fled; releasing that brāhmaṇa, they went off themselves to Yama's city.'
Yama's messengers, despite their power, retreat before Śiva's attendants — the ash-mark is shown to carry authority even death itself must yield to.
Trust that genuine spiritual protection can overrule forces that otherwise seem inevitable.
जाऊनि सांगती यमासी । गेलो होतो भूमीसी । आणीत होतो पापियासी । अघोररूपेकरूनिया ॥८४॥
jāūni sāmgatī yamāsī | gelo hoto bhūmīsī | āṇīta hoto pāpiyāsī | aghorarūpekarūniyā ||84||
'Going, they tell Yama: We had gone to earth and were bringing this sinner in his terrible form.'
Yama's messengers report the incident to their lord, setting up the theological explanation that follows — why bhasma outranks even karmic law.
Report honestly to those responsible for you when something has gone against expectation, rather than hiding it.
ते देखोनि शिवदूत । धावत आले मारू म्हणत । हिरोनि घेतले प्रेत । वधीत होते आम्हांसी ॥८५॥
te dekhoni śivadūta | dhāvata āle mārū mhaṇata | hironi ghetale preta | vadhīta hote āmhāmsī ||85||
'Seeing that, Śiva's messengers came rushing, saying they would kill us; they seized the corpse from us, wanting to slay us.'
The messengers describe their fear and defeat, emphasizing how forcefully bhasma's authority was asserted over them.
Admit when you have been overruled by a higher authority rather than saving face.
आता आम्हा काय गति । कधी न वचो त्या क्षिती । आम्हांसी शिवदूत मारिती । म्हणोनि विनविती यमासी ॥८६॥
ātā āmhā kāya gati | kadhī na vaco tyā kṣitī | āmhāmsī śivadūta māritī | mhaṇoni vinavitī yamāsī ||86||
'Now what will become of us? May we never go to that place again — Śiva's messengers will kill us,' they say, entreating Yama.
Yama's messengers, themselves powerful beings, are left frightened and humbled — even death's own agents fear the power carried by bhasma.
Let a humbling encounter teach you to respect a power you had previously disregarded.
ऐकोनि दूतांचे वचन । यम निघाला कोपून । गेला त्वरित ठाकून । शिवदूताजवळी देखा ॥८७॥
aikoni dūtāmce vacana | yama nighālā kopūna | gelā tvarita ṭhākūna | śivadūtājavaḷī dekhā ||87||
Hearing his messengers' words, Yama grew angry and went at once, arriving before Śiva's messengers, behold.
Yama himself, lord of death and cosmic law, goes personally to confront Śiva's messengers, escalating the dispute to the highest level.
When a disagreement matters enough, address it directly at the appropriate level rather than through intermediaries alone.
यम म्हणे शिवदूतांसी । का मारिले माझ्या किंकरासी । हिरोनि घेतले पापियासी । केवी नेता शिवमंदिरा ॥८८॥
yama mhaṇe śivadūtāmsī | kā mārile mājhyā kimkarāsī | hironi ghetale pāpiyāsī | kevī netā śivamamdirā ||88||
Yama says to Śiva's messengers: 'Why did you strike my servants? Why did you seize this sinner and take him away to Śiva's temple?'
Yama frames his challenge in terms of ordinary justice — this man was a sinner by his deeds, and by the normal rules he belongs to hell, not heaven.
State your case plainly and directly when you believe an unfair exception has been made.
याचे पाप असे प्रबळ । जितकी गंगेत असे वाळू । तयाहूनि अधिक केवळ । अघोररूप असे देखा ॥८९॥
yāce pāpa ase prabaḷa | jitakī gamgeta ase vāḷū | tayāhūni adhika kevaḷa | aghorarūpa ase dekhā ||89||
'His sin is exceedingly great — more than the grains of sand in the Ganges is his terrible wickedness, behold.'
Yama insists on the sheer magnitude of the man's sins by ordinary measure, setting up the explanation for why bhasma's mercy is so extraordinary.
Acknowledge the true scale of a wrong honestly, even while believing in the possibility of redemption from it.
नव्हे योग हा शिवपुरासी । याते बैसवोनि विमानेसी । केवी नेता मूढपणेसी । म्हणोनि कोपे यम देखा ॥९०॥
navhe yoga hā śivapurāsī | yāte baisavoni vimānesī | kevī netā mūḍhapaṇesī | mhaṇoni kope yama dekhā ||90||
'It is not fitting for him to go to Śiva's abode; how, placing him in a heavenly chariot, will you take him there so foolishly?' Thus Yama grows angry, behold.'
Yama's anger stems from what looks, by his logic, like an injustice — mercy that seems to override the strict accounting of deeds he is charged with enforcing.
Recognize that mercy can look unjust to those who only see the ledger of deeds, not the deeper truth.
ऐकोनि यमाचे वचन । शिवदूत सांगती विस्तारून । प्रेतकपाळी लांछन । भस्म होते परियेसा ॥९१॥
aikoni yamāce vacana | śivadūta sāmgatī vistārūna | pretakapāḷī lāmchana | bhasma hote pariyesā ||91||
Hearing Yama's words, Śiva's messengers explain at length: 'On the corpse's forehead was the mark of bhasma, listen well.'
Śiva's messengers do not deny the man's sins; they simply point to the physical fact of the ash-mark as the deciding factor, above and beyond deeds.
When defending an exception, point to the specific, concrete reason for it rather than arguing in the abstract.
वक्षःस्थळी ललाटेसी । बाहुमूळी करकंकणेसी । भस्म लाविले प्रेतासी । केवी आतळती तुझे दूत ॥९२॥
vakṣaḥsthaḷī lalāṭesī | bāhumūḷī karakamkaṇesī | bhasma lāvile pretāsī | kevī ātaḷatī tujhe dūta ||92||
'On his chest, forehead, upper arms, and wrist was bhasma applied to the corpse — how could your messengers dare to touch him?'
The ash's presence on multiple parts of the body is emphasized as an unmistakable, undeniable mark — not something ambiguous that could be argued away.
Make the signs of your own commitments visible and unambiguous, not something easily overlooked.
आम्हा आज्ञा ईश्वराची । भस्मांकित तनु मानवाची । जीव आणावा त्या नराचा । कैलासपदी शाश्वत ॥९३॥
āmhā ājñā īśvarācī | bhasmāmkita tanu mānavācī | jīva āṇāvā tyā narācā | kailāsapadī śāśvata ||93||
'It is God's own command: the body of a man marked with bhasma — his soul must be brought to the eternal abode of Kailāsa.'
The rule is revealed to come directly from Śiva himself — this is not the messengers' personal judgment but divine decree, placing bhasma above the ordinary rules of karma.
Understand that some commitments, once truly made, carry an authority beyond your own personal judgment of the moment.
भस्म कपाळी असत । केवी आतळती तुझे दूत । तात्काळी होतो वधित । सोडिले आम्हा धर्मासी ॥९४॥
bhasma kapāḷī asata | kevī ātaḷatī tujhe dūta | tātkāḷī hoto vadhita | soḍile āmhā dharmāsī ||94||
'If bhasma is on the forehead, how dare your messengers touch him? Whoever does so is instantly struck down — release us from this duty, we beg you.'
Śiva's messengers even warn of a penalty for violating this rule, and ask to be excused from any further such confrontation.
Set clear boundaries around what you will not compromise on, and communicate them plainly to others.
पुढे तरी आपुल्या दूता । बुद्धि सांगा तुम्ही आता । जे नर असती भस्मांकिता । त्याते तुम्ही न आणावे ॥९५॥
puḍhe tarī āpulyā dūtā | buddhi sāmgā tumhī ātā | je nara asatī bhasmāmkitā | tyāte tumhī na āṇāve ||95||
'Henceforth instruct your own messengers: whatever men are marked with bhasma, you should not bring them to your realm.'
Śiva's messengers ask Yama to institute a lasting policy — a standing exemption for bhasma-marked souls, going forward.
Turn a hard-won lesson into a lasting policy or habit, not just a one-time exception.
भस्मांकित नरासी । दोष न लागती परियेसी । तो योग्य होय स्वर्गासी । म्हणोनि सांगती शिवदूत ॥९६॥
bhasmāmkita narāsī | doṣa na lāgatī pariyesī | to yogya hoya svargāsī | mhaṇoni sāmgatī śivadūta ||96||
'A man marked with bhasma incurs no further sin, listen — he is fit for heaven,' thus Śiva's messengers declare.',
The theological claim is stated at its strongest: bhasma does not merely delay punishment but erases the debt of sin entirely, qualifying the wearer for heaven.
Believe that a genuine turn toward the sacred can truly close the book on a troubled past, not just postpone its reckoning.
शिवदूत वचन ऐकोन । यमधर्म गेला परतोन । आपुले दूता पाचारून । सांगतसे परियेसा ॥९७॥
śivadūta vacana aikona | yamadharma gelā paratona | āpule dūtā pācārūna | sāmgatase pariyesā ||97||
Hearing Śiva's messengers' words, Yama the lord of dharma turned back; calling his own messengers, he speaks to them, listen.
Yama, persuaded by the argument, does not resist further — even the god of justice defers to the higher truth about bhasma.
Be willing to change your position when shown a truth greater than the rule you were enforcing.
यम सांगे आपुले दूता । भूमीवरी जाऊनि आता । जे कोण असतील भस्मांकित । त्याते तुम्ही न आणावे ॥९८॥
yama sāmge āpule dūtā | bhūmīvarī jāūni ātā | je koṇa asatīla bhasmāmkita | tyāte tumhī na āṇāve ||98||
Yama tells his messengers: 'Go now to the earth; whoever is marked with bhasma, you should not bring him here.'
Yama formally institutes the rule his own messengers had faced, making it binding policy across his entire domain.
Once convinced of a better standard, apply it consistently going forward rather than treating it as a one-off.
अनेकपरी दोष जरी । केले असतील धुरंधरी । त्याते न आणावे आमुचे पुरी । त्रिपुंड टिळक नरासी ॥९९॥
anekaparī doṣa jarī | kele asatīla dhuramdharī | tyāte na āṇāve āmuce purī | tripumḍa ṭiḷaka narāsī ||99||
'However many sins such a persistent sinner may have committed, do not bring to our city one who wears the tripuṇḍra mark on his forehead.'
Yama specifies the tripuṇḍra — the three horizontal lines of ash on the forehead — as the very sign that overrides even a lifetime's accumulated sin.
Let a simple, consistent outward practice serve as an anchor for your inward commitment, however imperfect you remain.
रुद्राक्षमाळा ज्याचे गळा । असेल त्रिपुंड्र टिळा । त्याते तुम्ही नातळा । आज्ञा असे ईश्वराची ॥१००॥
rudrākṣamāḷā jyāce gaḷā | asela tripumḍra ṭiḷā | tyāte tumhī nātaḷā | ājñā ase īśvarācī ||100||
'Whoever wears a rudrākṣa garland at his neck and bears the tripuṇḍra mark, do not touch him — such is God's command.'
The rule extends to another sacred marker, the rudrākṣa beads, reinforcing that visible signs of devotion to Śiva carry real spiritual weight and protection.
Wear or keep visible reminders of your deepest commitments so they anchor you even in weak moments.
वामदेव म्हणे राक्षसासी । या विभूतीचा महिमा असे ऐशी । आम्ही लावितो भक्तीसी । देवादिका दुर्लभ ॥१॥
vāmadeva mhaṇe rākṣasāsī | yā vibhūtīcā mahimā ase aiśī | āmhī lāvito bhaktīsī | devādikā durlabha ||1||
Vāmadeva says to the demon: 'Such is the greatness of this vibhūti (sacred ash); we apply it with devotion — it is rare even for the gods.'
Vāmadeva closes the story he has just told and restates the principle plainly — bhasma applied with bhakti (devotion) carries a power that even the gods find hard to attain.
Approach even a simple daily practice with real devotion, not mere habit, and trust its power to work on you.
पाहे पा ईश्वर प्रीतीसी । सदा लावितो भस्मासी । ईश्वरे वंदिल्या वस्तूसी । कवण वर्णू शके सांग मज ॥२॥
pāhe pā īśvara prītīsī | sadā lāvito bhasmāsī | īśvare vamdilyā vastūsī | kavaṇa varṇū śake sāmga maja ||2||
'See how God himself, out of love, always wears bhasma; a thing honored by God — who can fully describe it, tell me?'
Vāmadeva returns to his earlier point — if the highest deity himself wears this ash constantly and lovingly, its worth is beyond ordinary praise.
Let the example of those you most admire guide which small daily practices you choose to keep.
ऐकोनि वामदेवाचे वचन । ब्रह्मराक्षस करी नमन । उद्धारावे जगज्जीवना । ईश्वर तूचि वामदेवा ॥३॥
aikoni vāmadevāce vacana | brahmarākṣasa karī namana | uddhārāve jagajjīvanā | īśvara tūci vāmadevā ||3||
Hearing Vāmadeva's words, the brahmarākṣasa bows in salutation: 'Save me, life of the universe — you yourself are God, Vāmadeva.'
The demon, having heard the full explanation, once more affirms Vāmadeva's divinity, preparing to ask the practical question of how to apply this ash properly.
Let a deepened understanding of a teaching increase your gratitude toward the one who taught it to you.
तुझे चरण मज भेटले । सहस्त्र जन्मीचे ज्ञान जाहाले । काही पुण्य होते केले । त्याणे गुणे भेटलासी ॥४॥
tujhe caraṇa maja bheṭale | sahastra janmīce jñāna jāhāle | kāhī puṇya hote kele | tyāṇe guṇe bheṭalāsī ||4||
'Your feet have met me; knowledge of a thousand births has arisen; surely I had done some merit, by the power of which I met you.'
The demon reflects that even his terrible fate contained a hidden thread of puṇya (merit) that eventually brought this saving encounter — nothing is entirely without hope.
Look for the thread of good you have done even in a difficult past, and trust it can still bear fruit.
आपण जधी राज्य करिता । केले पुण्य स्मरले आता । तळे बांधविले रानात । दिल्ही वृत्ति ब्राह्मणांसी ॥५॥
āpaṇa jadhī rājya karitā | kele puṇya smarale ātā | taḷe bāmdhavile rānāta | dilhī vṛtti brāhmaṇāmsī ||5||
'When I was ruling as king, some merit I performed comes to mind now: I had a tank built in the wilderness, and gave a living-grant to brāhmaṇas.'
The demon recalls a single act of merit — building a water tank and endowing brāhmaṇas — buried among a lifetime of sin, which turns out to have been decisive.
Never dismiss a single act of generosity as too small to matter — its effects can outlast far greater failures.
इतुके पुण्य आपणासी । घडले होते परियेसी । वरकड केले सर्व दोषी । राज्य करिता स्वामिया ॥६॥
ituke puṇya āpaṇāsī | ghaḍale hote pariyesī | varakaḍa kele sarva doṣī | rājya karitā svāmiyā ||6||
'This much merit alone had I accrued; all the rest was sin, done while ruling my kingdom, O master.'
The demon is unflinchingly honest about the ratio — one small act of merit against a lifetime of wrongdoing — yet that single act proved enough to change his destiny.
Take heart that even a small proportion of good, held onto sincerely, can outweigh a great deal of failure.
जधी नेले यमपुरासी । यमे पुसिले चित्रगुप्तासी । माझे पुण्य त्या यमासी । चित्रगुप्ते सांगितले ॥७॥
jadhī nele yamapurāsī | yame pusile citraguptāsī | mājhe puṇya tyā yamāsī | citragupte sāmgitale ||7||
'When I was taken to Yama's city, Yama questioned Citragupta [the keeper of records], and Citragupta told Yama of my merit.'
Citragupta, the divine record-keeper, is introduced as the one who tracks every deed precisely — even one act of merit is never lost from the record.
Trust that your good deeds are recorded and remembered, even when your failures seem to overshadow them.
तघी माते यमधर्मे आपण । सांगितले होते हे पुण्य । पंचविशति जन्मी जाण । फळासी येईल म्हणोनि ॥८॥
taghī māte yamadharme āpaṇa | sāmgitale hote he puṇya | pamcaviśati janmī jāṇa | phaḷāsī yeīla mhaṇoni ||8||
'Then Yama himself told me that this merit would bear fruit after twenty-five births, know this.'
Yama himself predicts, at the very start of the demon's long ordeal, exactly when his merit would ripen — the whole twenty-five-birth journey was, in a sense, foretold.
Trust that the fruit of a good deed may take a long time to ripen, but it will come in its own season.
तया पुण्यापासोन । भेटी जाहली तुझे चरण । करणे स्वामी उद्धारण । जगद्गुरु वामदेवा ॥९॥
tayā puṇyāpāsona | bheṭī jāhalī tujhe caraṇa | karaṇe svāmī uddhāraṇa | jagadguru vāmadevā ||9||
'From that merit came my meeting with your feet; now, O master, accomplish my liberation, world-guru Vāmadeva.'
The demon closes the circle — the single act of merit from a corrupt king's reign was the seed that, twenty-five births later, brought him to this saving encounter.
Plant a seed of merit today even if you cannot see how or when it will bear fruit.
या भस्माचे महिमान । कैसे लावावे विघान । कवण मंत्र-उद्धारण । विस्तारूनि सांग मज ॥११०॥
yā bhasmāce mahimāna | kaise lāvāve vighāna | kavaṇa mamtra-uddhāraṇa | vistārūni sāmga maja ||110||
'What is the greatness of this bhasma? How should it be applied properly? What mantra accompanies its application? Explain to me at length.'
The demon now turns from gratitude to a practical request — he wants to know the correct method (vidhāna) of applying bhasma, not just its meaning.
After understanding why a practice matters, take the next step and learn how to actually do it correctly.
वामदेव म्हणे राक्षसासी । विभूतीचे धारण मज पुससी । सांगेन आता विस्तारेसी । एकचित्ते ऐक पा ॥११॥
vāmadeva mhaṇe rākṣasāsī | vibhūtīce dhāraṇa maja pusasī | sāmgena ātā vistāresī | ekacitte aika pā ||11||
Vāmadeva says to the demon: 'You ask me about the proper application of vibhūti; I will now explain it at length — listen with a single mind.'
Vāmadeva agrees to teach the demon the precise ritual method, again asking for undivided attention — proper practice deserves the same care as proper understanding.
Give practical instruction the same careful attention you would give to a deep philosophical teaching.
पूर्वी मंदरगिरिपर्वती । क्रीडेसी गेले गिरिजापति । कोटि रुद्रादिगणसहिती । बैसले होते वोळगेसी ॥१२॥
pūrvī mamdaragiriparvatī | krīḍesī gele girijāpati | koṭi rudrādigaṇasahitī | baisale hote voḷagesī ||12||
'Long ago, on Mount Mandara, the lord of Girijā [Śiva] went for sport; surrounded by crores of Rudra attendants, he sat in assembly.'
Vāmadeva begins yet another story-within-a-story — a cosmic assembly on Mount Mandara where Śiva presides amid his countless attendant spirits, setting the scene for the teaching on bhasma's method to be delivered by the highest authority himself.
Set aside time and gather your full attention before receiving an important teaching, just as this celestial assembly did.
तेहतीस कोटी देवांसहित । देवेंद्र आला तेथे त्वरित । अग्नि वरुण यमसहित । कुबेर वायु आला तेथे ॥१३॥
tehatīsa koṭī devāmsahita | devemdra ālā tethe tvarita | agni varuṇa yamasahita | kubera vāyu ālā tethe ||13||
'Along with thirty-three crore gods, Indra came there quickly; Agni, Varuṇa, and Yama came, and Kubera and Vāyu came there too.'
The full pantheon assembles — the gods of fire, water, death, wealth, and wind — showing the universal importance of what is about to be taught.
Recognize when an occasion calls for gathering everyone who matters, rather than a partial or casual audience.
गंध्र्व यक्ष चित्रसेन । खेचर पन्नग विद्याधरण । किंपुरुष सिद्ध साध्य जाण । आले गुह्यक सभेसी ॥१४॥
gamdhrva yakṣa citrasena | khecara pannaga vidyādharaṇa | kimpuruṣa siddha sādhya jāṇa | āle guhyaka sabhesī ||14||
'Gandharvas, yakṣas, Citrasena, sky-wanderers, serpent-beings, and vidyādharas; kiṃpuruṣas, siddhas, sādhyas came, and guhyakas too, to the assembly.'
A vast array of celestial beings of every category gathers, emphasizing the cosmic scale of Śiva's court on Mount Mandara.
Value the diversity of people gathered for a shared purpose rather than expecting uniformity.
देवाचार्य बृहस्पति । वसिष्ठ नारद तेथे येती । अर्यमादि पितृसहिती । तया ईश्वर-वोळगेसी ॥१५॥
devācārya bṛhaspati | vasiṣṭha nārada tethe yetī | aryamādi pitṛsahitī | tayā īśvara-voḷagesī ||15||
'The divine teacher Bṛhaspati, Vasiṣṭha, and Nārada came there; Aryamā and the ancestral spirits came too, into that assembly of the Lord.'
Great sages and teachers of the gods themselves attend as students in this assembly, showing that even the wisest still gather to learn from the highest source.
Remain willing to learn further even after you have already attained great knowledge or standing.
दक्षादि ब्रह्मा येर सकळ । आले समस्त ऋषिकुळ । उर्वश्यादि अप्सरामेळ । आले त्या ईश्वरसभेसी ॥१६॥
dakṣādi brahmā yera sakaḷa | āle samasta ṛṣikuḷa | urvaśyādi apsarāmeḷa | āle tyā īśvarasabhesī ||16||
'Dakṣa and the rest, and Brahmā, all came; the whole community of sages came; Urvaśī and the host of apsarās came to that assembly of the Lord.'
Creation's patriarchs, sages, and celestial dancers all converge — the whole of manifest existence, high and beautiful alike, is represented in this gathering.
Make room in your life for both the serious and the joyful when marking something important.
चंडिकासहित शक्तिगण देखा । आदित्यादि द्वादशार्का । अष्ट वसू मिळोन ऐका । आले ईश्वराचे सभेसी ॥१७॥
camḍikāsahita śaktigaṇa dekhā | ādityādi dvādaśārkā | aṣṭa vasū miḷona aikā | āle īśvarāce sabhesī ||17||
'With Caṇḍikā and her host of śaktis, and the twelve Ādityas [sun-gods], and the eight Vasus, all gathered, they came to the Lord's assembly.'
Female divine energies, solar deities, and the elemental Vasus all take their place — the assembly draws together every major current of divine power.
Draw on many different sources of strength and wisdom, not just one, when facing something important.
अश्विनी देवता परियेसी । विश्वेदेव मिळून निर्दोषी । आले ईश्वरसभेसी । ऐके ब्रह्मराक्षसा ॥१८॥
aśvinī devatā pariyesī | viśvedeva miḷūna nirdoṣī | āle īśvarasabhesī | aike brahmarākṣasā ||18||
'The Aśvin gods, and the assembled Viśvedevas, faultless, came to the Lord's assembly — listen, brahmarākṣasa.'
Vāmadeva addresses the demon directly mid-narration, reminding him this is the story he asked to hear, keeping the frame of the teaching visible.
Stay engaged and present as a listener, even during a long or elaborate explanation.
भूतपति महाकाळ । नंदिकेश्वर महानीळ । काठीकर दोघे प्रबळ । उभे पार्श्वी असती देखा ॥१९॥
bhūtapati mahākāḷa | namdikeśvara mahānīḷa | kāṭhīkara doghe prabaḷa | ubhe pārśvī asatī dekhā ||19||
'Bhūtapati Mahākāla, Nandikeśvara, Mahānīla, and the two mighty gate-keepers stood on either side, behold.'
Śiva's closest attendant-guardians take their positions flanking him, establishing the formal, ceremonial order of the divine court.
Recognize the value of trusted attendants or close allies who stand by your side in important moments.
वीरभद्र शंखकर्ण । मणिभद्र षट्कर्ण । वृकोदर देवमान्य । कुंभोदर आले तेथे ॥१२०॥
vīrabhadra śamkhakarṇa | maṇibhadra ṣaṭkarṇa | vṛkodara devamānya | kumbhodara āle tethe ||120||
'Vīrabhadra, Śaṅkhakarṇa, Maṇibhadra, Ṣaṭkarṇa, Vṛkodara honored by the gods, and Kumbhodara came there.'
More named attendants of Śiva's retinue are listed, continuing the roll call that establishes the grandeur and scale of the assembly.
Give credit by name to each person who plays a role in something important, rather than lumping them together.
कुंडोदर मंडोदर । विकटकर्ण कर्णधार । घारकेतु महावीर । भुतनाथ तेथे आला ॥२१॥
kumḍodara mamḍodara | vikaṭakarṇa karṇadhāra | ghāraketu mahāvīra | bhutanātha tethe ālā ||21||
'Kuṇḍodara, Maṇḍodara, Vikaṭakarṇa, Karṇadhāra, Ghāraketu the great hero, and Bhūtanātha came there.'
The catalog of Śiva's attendant spirits continues, each name adding to the sense of an assembly beyond ordinary counting.
Appreciate the many unseen contributors behind any event, even when you cannot name them all.
भृंगी रिटी भूतनाथ । नानारूपी गण समस्त । नानावर्ण मुखे ख्यात । नानावर्ण-शरीर-अवयवी ॥२२॥
bhṛmgī riṭī bhūtanātha | nānārūpī gaṇa samasta | nānāvarṇa mukhe khyāta | nānāvarṇa-śarīra-avayavī ||22||
'Bhṛṅgī, Riṭī, Bhūtanātha, and the whole host of attendants of many forms, famed for their many-colored faces and many-colored bodies and limbs.'
The description shifts from naming individuals to describing the astonishing physical variety of Śiva's gaṇas (attendant spirits) — many shapes, many colors, many faces.
Welcome diversity of form and background among those who share your purpose.
रुद्रगणाची रूपे कैसी । सांगेन ऐका विस्तारेसी । कित्ये कृष्णवर्णैसी । श्वेत-पीत-धूम्रवर्ण ॥२३॥
rudragaṇācī rūpe kaisī | sāmgena aikā vistāresī | kitye kṛṣṇavarṇaisī | śveta-pīta-dhūmravarṇa ||23||
'What are the forms of Rudra's attendants? I will tell you, listen at length: some are black in color, some white, yellow, or smoke-colored.'
Vāmadeva begins a vivid, almost fantastical description of the gaṇas' bizarre and varied forms — a passage meant to convey the sheer, overwhelming diversity of divine creation.
Delight in the sheer variety of creation rather than expecting everything worthwhile to look the same.
हिरवे ताम्र सुवर्ण । लोहित चित्रविचित्र वर्ण । म्डूकासारिखे असे वदन । रुद्रगण आले तेथ ॥२४॥
hirave tāmra suvarṇa | lohita citravicitra varṇa | mḍūkāsārikhe ase vadana | rudragaṇa āle tetha ||24||
'Green, copper-colored, golden, red, and many strange mixed colors; some have faces like frogs — such were Rudra's attendants who came there.'
The catalog of strange and colorful forms continues, painting a picture of a cosmos far stranger and more varied than ordinary human experience.
Resist the instinct to dismiss what looks strange or unfamiliar to you as therefore lesser.
नानाआयुधे-शस्त्रेसी । नाना वाहन भूषणेसी । व्याघ्रमुख कित्येकांसी । किती सूकर-गजमुखी ॥२५॥
nānāāyudhe-śastresī | nānā vāhana bhūṣaṇesī | vyāghramukha kityekāmsī | kitī sūkara-gajamukhī ||25||
'With various weapons and arms, with various mounts and ornaments; some had tiger faces, some the faces of boars and elephants.'
The gaṇas' varied weapons, mounts, and animal faces continue to be described, building an overwhelming, almost hallucinatory picture of Śiva's cosmic retinue.
Equip yourself appropriately for your particular role rather than assuming one approach fits everyone.
कित्येक नक्रमुखी । कित्येक श्वान-मृगमुखी । उष्ट्रवदन कित्येकी । किती शरभ-शार्दूलवदने ॥२६॥
kityeka nakramukhī | kityeka śvāna-mṛgamukhī | uṣṭravadana kityekī | kitī śarabha-śārdūlavadane ||26||
'Some had crocodile faces, some the faces of dogs or deer; some had camel faces, some the faces of śarabha and lion-tiger hybrids.'
The description of hybrid, mythic creature-faces continues, part of the text's way of conveying that Śiva's domain exceeds and transcends the ordinary natural world.
Stay open to encountering things that don't fit your existing categories of understanding.
कित्येक भैरुंडमुख । सिंहमुख कित्येक । दोनमुख गण देख । चतुर्मुख गण कितीएक ॥२७॥
kityeka bhairumḍamukha | simhamukha kityeka | donamukha gaṇa dekha | caturmukha gaṇa kitīeka ||27||
'Some had bhairuṇḍa-bird faces, some lion faces; some attendants had two faces, and some had four faces.'
The variation extends even to the number of faces some attendants possess, further emphasizing the transcendence of Śiva's assembly over ordinary bodily form.
Allow that the same underlying truth can wear more than one face depending on who perceives it.
चतुर्भुज गण अगणिक । कितीएका नाही मुख । ऐसे गण तेथे येती देख । ऐक राक्षसा एकचित्ते ॥२८॥
caturbhuja gaṇa agaṇika | kitīekā nāhī mukha | aise gaṇa tethe yetī dekha | aika rākṣasā ekacitte ||28||
'Countless attendants had four arms; some had no face at all — such attendants gathered there; listen, demon, with a single mind.'
Vāmadeva again calls the demon back to attentive listening, mid-description, reinforcing that this elaborate cosmic vision is itself part of the lesson he must absorb.
Keep your attention anchored on the purpose of a teaching even when the details grow elaborate.
एकहस्त द्विहस्तेसी । पाच सहा हस्तकेसी । पाद नाही कितीएकांसी । बहुपादी किती जाणा ॥२९॥
ekahasta dvihastesī | pāca sahā hastakesī | pāda nāhī kitīekāmsī | bahupādī kitī jāṇā ||29||
'Some had one hand, some two; some had five or six hands; some had no feet at all, and some had many feet, know this.'
The description of bodily variation continues into hands and feet, part of the same larger point about the vastness of forms that make up divine creation.
Do not measure a being's worth or capability by conventional physical form.
कर्ण नाही कित्येकांसी । एककर्ण अभिनव कैसी । बहुकर्ण परियेसी । ऐसे गुण येती तेथे ॥१३०॥
karṇa nāhī kityekāmsī | ekakarṇa abhinava kaisī | bahukarṇa pariyesī | aise guṇa yetī tethe ||130||
'Some had no ears at all; some had, strangely, a single ear; some had many ears, listen — such were the attendants who came there.'
The catalog concludes its focus on ears, completing a full survey of the gaṇas' bodily variety from head to foot.
Value different ways of listening and perceiving in the people around you.
कित्येकांसी नेत्र एक । कित्येका चारी नेत्र विचित्र । किती स्थूळ कुब्जक । ऐसे गण ईश्वराचे ॥३१॥
kityekāmsī netra eka | kityekā cārī netra vicitra | kitī sthūḷa kubjaka | aise gaṇa īśvarāce ||31||
'Some had a single eye, some had four strange eyes; some were stout and hunchbacked — such were the attendants of the Lord.'
The description of Śiva's gaṇas closes with eyes and bodily stature, having now traversed the full range of their extraordinary forms.
See clearly with whatever capacity you have, rather than assuming only the ordinary form of seeing counts.
ऐशापरीच्या गणांसहित । बैसला शिव मूर्तिमंत । सिंहासन रत्नखचित । सप्त प्रभावळीचे ॥३२॥
aiśāparīcyā gaṇāmsahita | baisalā śiva mūrtimamta | simhāsana ratnakhacita | sapta prabhāvaḷīce ||32||
'Surrounded by attendants of such kinds, Śiva sat there in bodily form, upon a jewel-studded throne with seven radiant tiers.'
The scene now turns to Śiva's magnificent throne itself, described with its seven jeweled tiers — the narrative pauses to render the full splendor of the divine court before the teaching resumes.
Take a moment to appreciate beauty and grandeur fully before moving on to the lesson it contains.
आरक्त एक प्रभावळी । तयावरी रत्ने जडली । अनुपम्य दिसे निर्मळी । सिंहासन परियेसा ॥३३॥
ārakta eka prabhāvaḷī | tayāvarī ratne jaḍalī | anupamya dise nirmaḷī | simhāsana pariyesā ||33||
One canopy-tier was red, set with jewels; incomparable and radiant it appeared — behold the throne.
The description of Shiva's seven-tiered jeweled throne begins, a vision of cosmic splendor meant to convey that the Lord who grants the simple practice of bhasma (sacred ash) is himself beyond all majesty.
Let the grandeur of what you revere deepen your care in practicing it, however small the practice seems.
दुसरी एक प्रभावळी । हेमवर्ण पिवळी । मिरवीतसे रत्ने बहळी । सिंहासन ईश्वराचे ॥३४॥
dusarī eka prabhāvaḷī | hemavarṇa pivaḷī | miravītase ratne bahaḷī | simhāsana īśvarāce ||34||
A second tier was golden-yellow, adorned with many jewels — the throne of the Lord.
Each tier of the throne carries its own color and jewels, layer upon layer of glory — the poet builds awe before revealing the teaching that follows.
Approach sacred teaching only after settling the mind in reverence, not haste.
तिसरिये प्रभावळीसी । नीलवर्णे रत्ने कैसी । जडली असती कुसरीसी । सिंहासन ईश्वराचे ॥३५॥
tisariye prabhāvaḷīsī | nīlavarṇe ratne kaisī | jaḍalī asatī kusarīsī | simhāsana īśvarāce ||35||
The third canopy-tier had blue-colored jewels set with fine craftsmanship — the throne of the Lord.
The blue tier continues the vision of a throne built from the finest elements of creation, showing that nothing is too precious to offer in devotion.
Give your best, not your leftover, when offering service or worship.
शुभ्रचतुर्थ प्रभावळी । रत्नखचित असे कमळी । आरक्तवर्ण असे जडली । सिंहासन शंकराचे ॥३६॥
śubhracaturtha prabhāvaḷī | ratnakhacita ase kamaḷī | āraktavarṇa ase jaḍalī | simhāsana śamkarāce ||36||
The fourth canopy-tier was white, jewel-studded like a lotus, with red jewels set into it — the throne of Shankara.
White and red combine on the fourth tier, echoing purity and vitality together in the Lord's seat.
Hold purity and vigor together in your practice — neither cold detachment nor mere excitement alone.
वैडूर्यरत्नखचित । मोती जडली असती बहुत । पाचवी प्रभावळी ख्यात । सिंहासन ईश्वराचे ॥३७॥
vaiḍūryaratnakhacita | motī jaḍalī asatī bahuta | pācavī prabhāvaḷī khyāta | simhāsana īśvarāce ||37||
Set with cat's-eye gems and studded with many pearls — the famed fifth canopy-tier of the Lord's throne.
Pearls, symbol of purity born from the ocean's depths, adorn the fifth tier — beauty drawn even from difficulty and depth.
Trust that what is refined in you through hardship can become an offering of beauty.
सहावी भूमि नीलवर्ण । भीतरी रेखा सुवर्णवर्ण । रत्ने जडली असती गहन । अपूर्व देखा त्रिभुवनांत ॥३८॥
sahāvī bhūmi nīlavarṇa | bhītarī rekhā suvarṇavarṇa | ratne jaḍalī asatī gahana | apūrva dekhā tribhuvanāmta ||38||
The sixth level was blue with golden lines within, deeply set with jewels — unmatched in all three worlds.
The sixth tier's blue-and-gold pattern signals a throne beyond anything in the three worlds — the poet is preparing listeners for the vision of the Lord himself.
Let anticipation build your attention before receiving guidance, rather than rushing past it.
सातवी ऐसी प्रभावळी । अनेक रत६ने असे जडली । जे का विश्वकर्म्याने रचिली । अपूर्व देखा त्रिभुवनांत ॥३९॥
sātavī aisī prabhāvaḷī | aneka rata6ne ase jaḍalī | je kā viśvakarmyāne racilī | apūrva dekhā tribhuvanāmta ||39||
Such was the seventh canopy-tier, set with many jewels, crafted by Vishvakarma (the divine architect) — unmatched in all three worlds.
The seventh and final tier, made by the celestial craftsman Vishvakarma, completes the throne — creation itself has built the seat for its creator.
Bring the fullness of your own skill and effort when preparing a place for what you honor most.
ऐशा सिंहासनावरी । बैसलासे त्रिपुरारि । कोटिसूर्य तेजासरी । भासतसे परियेसा ॥१४०॥
aiśā simhāsanāvarī | baisalāse tripurāri | koṭisūrya tejāsarī | bhāsatase pariyesā ||140||
Upon such a throne sat Tripurari (destroyer of the three cities, Shiva), shining with the brilliance of a million suns.
Having built the throne, the poet now reveals Shiva himself, radiant as countless suns — the vision at the heart of the chapter's teaching on bhasma begins.
When you finally reach the heart of a teaching, give it your fullest attention.
महाप्रळयसमयासी । सप्तार्णव-मिळणी जैसी । तैसिया श्वासोच्छ्वासेसी । बैसलासे ईश्वर ॥४१॥
mahāpraḷayasamayāsī | saptārṇava-miḷaṇī jaisī | taisiyā śvāsocchvāsesī | baisalāse īśvara ||41||
Like the merging of the seven oceans at the time of great dissolution, so was the Lord's breathing as he sat there.
Shiva's very breath is likened to the cosmic flood at the end of an age — a reminder that the ordinary act of breathing carries the same power that dissolves and renews worlds.
Treat your own breath as sacred; a few conscious breaths can steady you before any task.
भाळनेत्र ज्वाळमाळा । संवर्ताग्नि जटामंडळा । कपाळी चंद्र षोडशकळा । शोभतसे सदाशिव ॥४२॥
bhāḷanetra jvāḷamāḷā | samvartāgni jaṭāmamḍaḷā | kapāḷī camdra ṣoḍaśakaḷā | śobhatase sadāśiva ||42||
His third eye blazed like a garland of flame, his matted locks like the fire of universal dissolution, and on his forehead shone the moon in its sixteen phases — thus Sadashiva (the eternal Shiva) appeared resplendent.
Fire and moon together on Shiva's brow — destruction and gentle renewal held in one form — teach that the same power which ends also nourishes.
Do not fear the fierce, ending parts of life; they make room for what is calm and renewing to follow.
तक्षक देखा वामकर्णी । वासुकी असे कानी दक्षिणी । तया दोघांचे नयन । नीलरत्नापरी शोभती ॥४३॥
takṣaka dekhā vāmakarṇī | vāsukī ase kānī dakṣiṇī | tayā doghāmce nayana | nīlaratnāparī śobhatī ||43||
The serpent Takshaka adorned his left ear, Vasuki his right ear; the eyes of both serpents shone like blue gems.
Even the fearsome serpents, otherwise poisonous and feared, become ornaments in Shiva's presence, showing that nothing is beyond transformation near the divine.
Do not write off what seems dangerous or lowly in yourself; in the right context it can become an ornament of strength.
नीलकंठ दिसे आपण नागहार आभरण । सर्पाचेचि करी कंकण । मुद्रिकाही देखा सर्पाचिया ॥४४॥
nīlakamṭha dise āpaṇa nāgahāra ābharaṇa | sarpāceci karī kamkaṇa | mudrikāhī dekhā sarpāciyā ||44||
The blue-throated Lord appeared with a garland of serpents as ornament; his very bracelet was a serpent, and his ring too was of a serpent.
Every ornament on Shiva's body, down to the smallest ring, is a living serpent, showing that even what frightens most people rests easily and beautifully upon the one who has mastered fear.
Practice steady composure so that what once alarmed you no longer disturbs your peace.
मेखला तया सर्पाचे । चर्मपरिधान व्याघ्राचे । शोभा घंटी दर्पणाचे । ऐसेपरी दिसतसे ॥४५॥
mekhalā tayā sarpāce | carmaparidhāna vyāghrāce | śobhā ghamṭī darpaṇāce | aiseparī disatase ||45||
His waistband too was a serpent, his garment a tiger's hide; small bells and a mirror-like sheen adorned him — thus he appeared.
Wild, untamed elements — serpent and tiger skin — become the Lord's simple garments, showing that renunciation itself can be his true adornment.
Find dignity in simplicity rather than seeking ornament for its own sake.
कर्कोटक-महापद्म । केली नूपुरे पाईंजण । जैसा चंद्र-संपूर्ण । तैसा शुभ्र दिसतसे ॥४६॥
karkoṭaka-mahāpadma | kelī nūpure pāīmjaṇa | jaisā camdra-sampūrṇa | taisā śubhra disatase ||46||
The serpents Karkotaka and Mahapadma became his anklets and ankle-bells; he shone white as the full moon.
Fierce serpent-names known from the underworld become mere anklets on Shiva's feet, a picture of total mastery over what is otherwise feared.
Let discipline turn your old fears into quiet strength you now walk on, not stumble over.
म्हणोनि कर्पूरगौर म्हणती । ध्यानी ध्याईजे पशुपति । ऐसा भोळाचक्रवर्ती । बैसलासे सभेत ॥४७॥
mhaṇoni karpūragaura mhaṇatī | dhyānī dhyāīje paśupati | aisā bhoḷācakravartī | baisalāse sabheta ||47||
Therefore they call him Karpuragaura (white as camphor); meditate on Pashupati (lord of creatures) in this form — thus the guileless sovereign sat in the assembly.
Karpuragaura (camphor-white) and Pashupati (protector of all beings) name Shiva's purity and his care for every creature, worth holding in meditation.
Set aside a moment today simply to hold a pure, protective image of the divine in your mind.
रत्नमुकुट असे शिरी । नागेंद्र असे केयूरी । कुंडलांची दीप्ति थोरी । दिसतसे ईश्वर ॥४८॥
ratnamukuṭa ase śirī | nāgemdra ase keyūrī | kumḍalāmcī dīpti thorī | disatase īśvara ||48||
A jeweled crown was on his head, a great serpent was his armlet, and the brilliance of his earrings was immense — thus the Lord appeared.
Royal crown and wild serpent sit together on Shiva without contradiction, showing sovereignty and asceticism as one and the same in him.
You need not choose between ambition and simplicity; let both serve the same purpose in your life.
कंठी सर्पाचे हार । नीलकंथ मनोहर । सर्वांगी सर्पाचे अलंकार । शोभतसे ईश्वर ॥४९॥
kamṭhī sarpāce hāra | nīlakamtha manohara | sarvāmgī sarpāce alamkāra | śobhatase īśvara ||49||
A serpent garland was at his throat, the blue-throated one appeared beautiful, and serpents adorned his whole body — thus the Lord shone.
The refrain of serpents-as-ornament returns, driving home that mastery over poison and fear is Shiva's constant, visible garment.
Wear your hard-won calm openly; let it be visible to others as strength, not hidden as mere endurance.
शुभ्र कमळे अर्चिला । की चंदने असे लेपिला । कर्पूरकेळीने पूजिला । ऐसा दिसे ईश्वर ॥१५०॥
śubhra kamaḷe arcilā | kī camdane ase lepilā | karpūrakeḷīne pūjilā | aisā dise īśvara ||150||
As if worshiped with white lotuses, or anointed with sandal paste, or honored with camphor and plantain — so the Lord appeared.
The poet imagines Shiva as if freshly worshiped with the finest offerings, even though his own radiance needs nothing added — devotion still delights in offering it.
Offer your best even to what is already complete; the giving itself is the practice.
दहाभुजा विस्तारेसी । एकेक हाती आयुधेसी । बैसलासे सभेसी । सर्वेश्वर शंकर ॥५१॥
dahābhujā vistāresī | ekeka hātī āyudhesī | baisalāse sabhesī | sarveśvara śamkara ||51||
With ten arms extended, each hand holding a weapon, the Lord of all, Shankara, sat in the assembly.
Ten arms bearing many weapons show that Shiva is equipped to meet every kind of challenge — nothing that arises is beyond his readiness.
Prepare more than one way to face a problem instead of relying on a single tool.
एके हाती त्रिशूळ देखा । दुसरा डमरू सुरेखा । येरे हाती खड्ग तिखा । शोभतसे ईश्वर ॥५२॥
eke hātī triśūḷa dekhā | dusarā ḍamarū surekhā | yere hātī khaḍga tikhā | śobhatase īśvara ||52||
In one hand a trident, in another a fine damaru drum, in another a sharp sword — thus the Lord shone.
Trident (destruction of the three afflictions), drum (the rhythm of creation), and sword (cutting through illusion) — each weapon names a different divine function.
Match the tool to the task: sometimes you must create rhythm, sometimes cut cleanly through confusion.
पानपात्र एका हाती । धनुष्य-बाणे कर शोभती । खट्वांग फरश येरे हाती । अंकुश करी मिरवीतसे ॥५३॥
pānapātra ekā hātī | dhanuṣya-bāṇe kara śobhatī | khaṭvāmga pharaśa yere hātī | amkuśa karī miravītase ||53||
A drinking-bowl in one hand, bow and arrows adorning others, a skull-staff and an axe in other hands, and a goad shining in another.
Even a beggar's bowl sits alongside weapons of war in Shiva's hands — the ascetic and the warrior are not opposites but one integrated power.
Do not be ashamed of simplicity alongside strength; both can belong to the same steady person.
मृग धरिला असे करी देखा । ऐसा तो हा पिनाका । दहाभुजा दिसती निका । बैसलासे सभेत ॥५४॥
mṛga dharilā ase karī dekhā | aisā to hā pinākā | dahābhujā disatī nikā | baisalāse sabheta ||54||
A deer was held in one hand — such was Pinaka (Shiva, bearer of the bow); his ten fine arms were seen as he sat in the assembly.
The deer in Shiva's hand, a symbol of the restless mind, shows that he holds even the flightiest of creatures gently and under control.
Hold your own restless thoughts gently rather than fighting them; a calm grip settles them faster than force.
पंचवक्त्र सर्वेश्वर । एकेक मुखाचा विस्तार । दिसतसे सालंकार । सांगेन ऐका श्रोतेजन ॥५५॥
pamcavaktra sarveśvara | ekeka mukhācā vistāra | disatase sālamkāra | sāmgena aikā śrotejana ||55||
The Lord of all has five faces; the nature of each face, richly adorned, will now be described — listen, O hearers.
The poet now turns to describe Shiva's five faces one by one, each representing a different aspect of his cosmic nature, an invitation to careful listening.
Give full attention when someone begins to explain something in depth; do not let your mind wander at the start of a teaching.
कलंकाविणे चंद्र जैसा । किंवा क्षीरफेन ऐसा । भस्मभूषणे रूपे कैसा । दिसे मन्मथाते दाहोनिया ॥५६॥
kalamkāviṇe camdra jaisā | kimvā kṣīraphena aisā | bhasmabhūṣaṇe rūpe kaisā | dise manmathāte dāhoniyā ||56||
Like a spotless moon, or like the foam of milk, so did his form, adorned with ash, appear to the one who had burned Manmatha (the god of desire, Kama).
The first face is described as spotless and pure, ash-white — the very ash that burned desire itself now becomes his ornament, showing mastery over craving turned to grace.
Let what you have overcome become part of your quiet dignity, not something you hide.
सूर्य-चंद्र अग्निनेत्र । नागहार कटिसूत्र । दिसे मूर्ति पवित्र । सर्वेश्वर परियेसा ॥५७॥
sūrya-camdra agninetra | nāgahāra kaṭisūtra | dise mūrti pavitra | sarveśvara pariyesā ||57||
Sun, moon, and fire are his three eyes; a serpent garland forms his waist-cord — thus the sacred form of the Lord of all appeared.
Sun, moon, and fire as the three eyes of Shiva show him seeing through all time — day, night, and the consuming force of change together.
See situations from more than one angle before judging them, as light itself takes many forms.
शुभ्र टिळक कपाळी । बरवा शोभे चंद्रमौळी । हास्यवदन केवळी । अपूर्व देखा श्रीशंकर ॥५८॥
śubhra ṭiḷaka kapāḷī | baravā śobhe camdramauḷī | hāsyavadana kevaḷī | apūrva dekhā śrīśamkara ||58||
A white mark on his forehead, the crescent moon beautifully set on his crown, a smiling face — behold the unmatched Sri Shankara.
This serene, smiling face balances all the fierce imagery elsewhere — Shiva is not only terror but also gentle joy, and both belong to him fully.
Let your own calm and your capacity for seriousness both show; neither needs to hide the other.
दुसरे मुख उत्तरेसी । शोभतसे विस्तारेसी । ताम्रवर्णाकार कमळेसी । अपूर्व दिसे परियेसा ॥५९॥
dusare mukha uttaresī | śobhatase vistāresī | tāmravarṇākāra kamaḷesī | apūrva dise pariyesā ||59||
The second face, facing north, shone broadly, coppery like a lotus in color — a wondrous sight.
The second, northern face glows copper-red like a lotus at dawn, adding warmth and vitality to the composite vision of Shiva.
Bring warmth into your dealings with others, not only firmness.
जैसे दाडिंबाचे फूल । किंवा प्रातःरविमंडळ । तैसे मिरवे मुखकमळ । ईश्वराचे परियेसा ॥१६०॥
jaise dāḍimbāce phūla | kimvā prātaḥravimamḍaḷa | taise mirave mukhakamaḷa | īśvarāce pariyesā ||160||
Like a pomegranate flower or the morning sun's orb, so shone the lotus-face of the Lord.
Fresh, dawn-like imagery continues for the northern face, tying divine radiance to the ordinary beauty of sunrise that everyone can recognize.
Notice and appreciate small daily beauty, like a sunrise, as a reminder of what is sacred.
तिसरे मुख पूर्वदिशी । गंगा अर्धचंद्र शिरसी । जटाबंदन केली कैसी । सर्पवेष्टित परियेसा ॥६१॥
tisare mukha pūrvadiśī | gamgā ardhacamdra śirasī | jaṭābamdana kelī kaisī | sarpaveṣṭita pariyesā ||61||
The third face, facing east, bore the Ganga and a half-moon on its head, its matted locks bound and wrapped with serpents.
The eastern face carries the river Ganga descending onto Shiva's head, a reminder that even the mightiest force of nature is held safely in his hair, tamed but not destroyed.
Learn to hold powerful forces — emotions, circumstances — with control rather than being swept away or trying to stop them entirely.
चवथे मुख दक्षिणेसी । मिरवे नीलवर्णेसी । विक्राळ दाढा दारुणेसी । दिसतसे तो ईश्वर ॥६२॥
cavathe mukha dakṣiṇesī | mirave nīlavarṇesī | vikrāḷa dāḍhā dāruṇesī | disatase to īśvara ||62||
The fourth face, facing south, appeared deep blue, with terrifying fangs — thus the Lord appeared.
The southern face is fierce and blue, the terrifying aspect of the same god who elsewhere smiles, reminding that divine grace and divine severity are two faces of one whole.
Accept that the same authority that protects you may sometimes need to be stern; do not fear necessary severity.
मुखांहूनि ज्वाला निघती । तैसा दिसे तीव्रमूर्ति । रुंडमाळा शोभती । सर्पवेष्टित परियेसा ॥६३॥
mukhāmhūni jvālā nighatī | taisā dise tīvramūrti | rumḍamāḷā śobhatī | sarpaveṣṭita pariyesā ||63||
Flames issued from his faces; thus his form appeared intense, adorned with a garland of skulls and wrapped with serpents.
Fire, skulls, and serpents together on the fierce fourth face depict the destroyer aspect fully, a reminder that all things, even life itself, eventually return to him.
Do not avoid thinking about mortality; let it sharpen your sense of what truly matters today.
पाचवे असे ऐसे वदन । व्यक्ताव्यक्त असे जाण । साकार निराकार सगुण । सगुण निर्गुण ईश्वर ॥६४॥
pācave ase aise vadana | vyaktāvyakta ase jāṇa | sākāra nirākāra saguṇa | saguṇa nirguṇa īśvara ||64||
The fifth face was such that it was both manifest and unmanifest — with form and without form, with attributes and beyond attributes — the Lord.
The fifth, hidden face transcends description entirely, form dissolving into formlessness, pointing beyond the vivid images of the other four to the Absolute that cannot truly be pictured.
Remember that no single image or idea fully captures what is sacred; hold your understanding of it humbly, open to more.
सलक्षण निर्लक्षण । ऐसे शोभतसे वदन । परब्रह्म वस्तु तो जाण । सर्वेश्वर पंचमुखी ॥६५॥
salakṣaṇa nirlakṣaṇa | aise śobhatase vadana | parabrahma vastu to jāṇa | sarveśvara pamcamukhī ||65||
With attributes and without attributes — thus shone that face; know it to be the Supreme Brahman itself, the five-faced Lord of all.
The description closes by naming this fifth face as Parabrahma, the ultimate reality beyond all form, completing the picture of Shiva as both intimate and infinite.
Balance concrete devotion — prayers, rituals, images — with quiet moments of simply resting in silence.
काळ व्याळ सर्प बहुत । कंठी माळ मिरवे ख्यात । चरण मिरविती आरक्त । कमळापरी ईश्वराचे ॥६६॥
kāḷa vyāḷa sarpa bahuta | kamṭhī māḷa mirave khyāta | caraṇa miravitī ārakta | kamaḷāparī īśvarāce ||66||
Many dark serpents formed a famed garland at his throat; the Lord's feet shone red like lotuses.
After the faces, the poet returns to the whole form, ending at the feet, red like lotuses, the traditional place where devotees bow and find refuge.
Remember that reverence often begins and ends at the humblest point of contact — a bowed head, a touched foot, a simple gesture of respect.
चंद्रासारिखी नखे देखा । मिरवे चरणी पादुका । अळंकार-सर्प ऐका । शोभतसे परमेश्वर ॥६७॥
camdrāsārikhī nakhe dekhā | mirave caraṇī pādukā | aḷamkāra-sarpa aikā | śobhatase parameśvara ||67||
His nails shone like the moon, sandals adorned his feet, and serpent-ornaments completed his glory — thus the Supreme Lord shone.
Even the smallest details, like fingernails compared to moonlight, are given loving attention — devotion delights in noticing every part of what it loves.
Pay attention to small details when caring for someone or something you value; care shows in the small things too.
व्याघ्रांबर पांघरुण । सर्प बांधले असे आपण । गाठी बांधिली असे जाण । नागबंधन करूनिया ॥६८॥
vyāghrāmbara pāmgharuṇa | sarpa bāmdhale ase āpaṇa | gāṭhī bāmdhilī ase jāṇa | nāgabamdhana karūniyā ||68||
He wore a tiger-skin garment, wrapped with a serpent, its knot tied in the manner of a snake-binding.
Even his knot is made from a living serpent bound in trust, a final image of total command over what most fear, worn as casually as a belt.
Build enough trust and skill that what once threatened you becomes something you can handle with ease.
नाभी चंद्रावळी शोभे । ह्रदयी कटाक्ष रोम उभे । परमार्थमूर्ति लाभे । भक्तजना मनोहर ॥६९॥
nābhī camdrāvaḷī śobhe | hradayī kaṭākṣa roma ubhe | paramārthamūrti lābhe | bhaktajanā manohara ||69||
His navel shone like a ring of moonlight; the hair on his chest stood in beauty at a mere glance — thus the form of ultimate truth was granted, delightful to devotees.
The description closes noting that this whole magnificent form exists ultimately for the devotee's sake, beauty offered as a gift to those who love him.
Remember that beauty and grandeur, wherever you meet them, are gifts meant to be received with joy, not just admired from a distance.
ऐसा रुद्र महाभोळा । सिंहासनी आरूढला । पार्वतीसहित शोभला । बैसलासे परमेश्वर ॥१७०॥
aisā rudra mahābhoḷā | simhāsanī ārūḍhalā | pārvatīsahita śobhalā | baisalāse parameśvara ||170||
Thus Rudra, the great and guileless one, was seated on the throne; the Supreme Lord shone together with Parvati.
The description of Shiva alone concludes; now Parvati joins him on the throne, and the poet turns next to describing her.
Recognize that no great figure or achievement stands alone; honor the companions who share the seat.
पार्वतीचे श्रृंगार । नानापरीचे अलंकार । मिरवीतसे अगोचर । सर्वेश्वरी परियेसा ॥७१॥
pārvatīce śrṛmgāra | nānāparīce alamkāra | miravītase agocara | sarveśvarī pariyesā ||71||
Parvati's adornment, ornaments of many kinds, shone in ways beyond ordinary perception — behold the Goddess of all.
The poet now turns to describe the Goddess's own splendor, matching in scale and beauty what was given to Shiva.
Give equal, careful attention to those who stand beside you, not only to the one in the more visible role.
कनकचाफे गोरटी । मोतियांचा हार कंठी । रत्नखचित मुकुटी । नागबंदी दिसतसे ॥७२॥
kanakacāphe goraṭī | motiyāmcā hāra kamṭhī | ratnakhacita mukuṭī | nāgabamdī disatase ||72||
Fair as a golden champak flower, a pearl garland at her throat, a jeweled crown, bound with a serpent-clasp — thus she appeared.
Parvati's beauty is described with the same care given to Shiva, gold-flower fairness matched with jewels, equal glory shared between the divine pair.
Give your full attention and appreciation to the people you love, not distracted by comparison.
नानापरीच्या पुष्पजाति । मुकुटावरी शोभती । तेथे भ्रमर आलापिती । परिमळालागी परियेसा ॥७३॥
nānāparīcyā puṣpajāti | mukuṭāvarī śobhatī | tethe bhramara ālāpitī | parimaḷālāgī pariyesā ||73||
Many kinds of flowers adorned her crown, and bees hummed there, drawn by their fragrance.
Even the bees are drawn helplessly to the fragrance of her crown, a small image of how goodness and beauty naturally attract others without effort.
Let your good qualities attract others naturally rather than forcing attention toward yourself.
मोतियांची थोर जाळी । मिरवीतसे मुकुटाजवळी । रत्ने असती जडली । शोभायमान दिसतसे ॥७४॥
motiyāmcī thora jāḷī | miravītase mukuṭājavaḷī | ratne asatī jaḍalī | śobhāyamāna disatase ||74||
A great net of pearls adorned near her crown, set with jewels, appearing resplendent.
The pearl-netting continues building the picture of the Goddess's crown, jewel by jewel — patient, loving detail as an act of devotion in itself.
Take the time to notice and appreciate details, rather than rushing past what deserves careful attention.
मुख दिसे पूर्णचंद्र । मिरवतसे हास्य मंद । जगन्माता विश्ववंद्य । दिसतसे परमेश्वरी ॥७५॥
mukha dise pūrṇacamdra | miravatase hāsya mamda | jaganmātā viśvavamdya | disatase parameśvarī ||75||
Her face appeared like the full moon, with a gentle smile; the Mother of the world, worshiped by all, thus appeared as the Supreme Goddess.
Parvati is named Jagat-mata (Mother of the World) — her gentle smile the counterpart to Shiva's terror, showing the divine as equally nurturing and fierce.
Balance firmness with gentleness in how you care for those depending on you.
नासिक बरवे सरळ । तेथे म्रिअवे मुक्ताफळ । त्यावरी रत्ने सोज्ज्वळ । जडली असती शोभायमान ॥७६॥
nāsika barave saraḷa | tethe mriave muktāphaḷa | tyāvarī ratne sojjvaḷa | jaḍalī asatī śobhāyamāna ||76||
Her nose was fine and straight, adorned with a pearl, set further with bright jewels, appearing splendid.
Continued detailed praise of Parvati's beauty, feature by feature, in the traditional style of describing the divine form with love and precision.
Practice noticing beauty in the ordinary features of daily life, not only in grand moments.
अधर पवळवेली दिसे । दंतपंक्ति रत्न जैस । ऐसी माता मिरवतसे । जगन्माता परियेसा ॥७७॥
adhara pavaḷavelī dise | damtapamkti ratna jaisa | aisī mātā miravatase | jaganmātā pariyesā ||77||
Her lips appeared like a coral vine, her row of teeth like jewels — thus the Mother of the world shone.
The praise of Parvati's beauty continues through traditional poetic comparisons, coral lips and jeweled teeth, expressing devotion through careful admiration.
Express appreciation in specific, thoughtful words rather than vague praise.
कानी तानवडे भोवरिया । रत्नखचित मिरवलिया । अलंकार महामाया । लेइली असे जगन्माता ॥७८॥
kānī tānavaḍe bhovariyā | ratnakhacita miravaliyā | alamkāra mahāmāyā | leilī ase jaganmātā ||78||
Round earrings adorned her ears, set with jewels; the great Maya (cosmic power), the Mother of the world, wore such ornaments.
She is named Mahamaya, the great creative power behind all appearance, her ornaments symbolic of the beauty woven through all creation.
See the beauty around you as evidence of a caring intelligence at work, not mere accident.
पीतवर्ण चोळी देखा । कुच तटतटित शोभे निका । एकावेळी रत्ने अनेका । शोभतसे कंठी हार ॥७९॥
pītavarṇa coḷī dekhā | kuca taṭataṭita śobhe nikā | ekāveḷī ratne anekā | śobhatase kamṭhī hāra ||79||
She wore a yellow bodice, her bosom shone firm and fair, and many jewels together shone as a necklace at her throat.
The description continues in the traditional idiom praising the Goddess's physical beauty as an expression of her full, abundant vitality.
Honor vitality and health as gifts worth caring for, not something to be ashamed of.
कालव्याल सर्प थोर । स्तनपान करिती मनोहर । कैसे भाग्य दैव थोर । त्या सर्पाचे परियेसा ॥१८०॥
kālavyāla sarpa thora | stanapāna karitī manohara | kaise bhāgya daiva thora | tyā sarpāce pariyesā ||180||
Great dark serpents drank at her breast in beauty — how fortunate, what great destiny belonged to those serpents!
Even fearsome serpents are nurtured tenderly at the Mother's breast, showing that the Goddess's compassion extends even to what the world considers most frightening or lowly.
Extend care even toward those, or those parts of yourself, that seem unworthy of tenderness.
आरक्त वस्त्र नेसली । जैसे दाडिंब पुष्पवेली । किंवा कुंकुमे डवरिली । गिरिजा माता परियेसा ॥८१॥
ārakta vastra nesalī | jaise dāḍimba puṣpavelī | kimvā kumkume ḍavarilī | girijā mātā pariyesā ||81||
She wore a red garment, like a pomegranate-flower vine, or as if covered with vermilion — thus was Mother Girija (daughter of the mountain, Parvati).
The red garment, likened to vermilion, evokes the auspicious kumkum mark of married women — Parvati embodying the ideal of devoted, sacred partnership.
Wear or use small, ordinary symbols of devotion mindfully; they carry meaning beyond their appearance.
बाहुदंड सुरेखा । करी कंकण मिरवे देखा । रत्नखचित मेखळा देखा । लेईली असे अपूर्व जे ॥८२॥
bāhudamḍa surekhā | karī kamkaṇa mirave dekhā | ratnakhacita mekhaḷā dekhā | leīlī ase apūrva je ||82||
Her fine arms bore bracelets, and she wore a jeweled girdle of rare beauty.
The description continues cataloguing the Goddess's ornaments, a devotional practice of dwelling lovingly on every part of the divine form.
Slow down enough to truly see, rather than glance past, what or whom you claim to cherish.
चरण शोभती महा बरवे । असती नेपुरे स्वभावे । ऐसे पार्वती-ध्यान ध्यावे । म्हणती गण समस्त ॥८३॥
caraṇa śobhatī mahā barave | asatī nepure svabhāve | aise pārvatī-dhyāna dhyāve | mhaṇatī gaṇa samasta ||83||
Her feet shone most beautifully, naturally adorned with anklets; 'meditate thus on Parvati,' said all the ganas (attendants).
The ganas themselves instruct that this vision of Parvati is worth holding in meditation, the description was never mere ornament but a guide for contemplation.
When you admire someone's good qualities, let that admiration turn into a model you actually try to follow.
अष्टमीच्या चंद्रासारिखा । मिरवे टिळक काअळी कैसा त्रिपुंड्र टिळा शुभ्र जैसा । मोतियांचा परियेसा ॥८४॥
aṣṭamīcyā camdrāsārikhā | mirave ṭiḷaka kāaḷī kaisā tripumḍra ṭiḷā śubhra jaisā | motiyāmcā pariyesā ||84||
Like the eighth-day crescent moon, a mark shone on her forehead; like a white tripundra mark, as if made of pearls.
Parvati too bears the tripundra (three-lined ash mark), the very symbol whose glory this whole chapter is about to explain, linking her directly to the coming teaching.
Notice how a small, consistent practice of devotion can be shared even by those already exalted; nothing is too advanced to still practice the basics.
नानापरीचे अलंकार । अनेकपरीचे श्रृंगार । कवण वर्णू शके पार । जगन्माता अंबिकेचा ॥८५॥
nānāparīce alamkāra | anekaparīce śrṛmgāra | kavaṇa varṇū śake pāra | jaganmātā ambikecā ||85||
Ornaments of many kinds, adornments of many sorts — who could describe the full extent of Mother Ambika's (Parvati's) splendor?
The poet admits the limits of description, closing the portrait of Parvati by confessing that her true glory exceeds all words, a fitting humility before the divine.
Accept that words will always fall short of the people or things you love most; let silence sometimes complete what speech cannot.
ऐसा शंभु उमेसहित । बैसलासे सभेत । तेहतीस कोटि परिवारसहित । इंद्र उभा वोळगेसी ॥८६॥
aisā śambhu umesahita | baisalāse sabheta | tehatīsa koṭi parivārasahita | imdra ubhā voḷagesī ||86||
Thus Shambhu (Shiva), together with Uma (Parvati), sat in the assembly; Indra stood in attendance with his retinue of thirty-three crore gods.
With both divine figures now fully described, the scene returns to the great assembly, Indra himself, king of gods, stands in humble service before Shiva.
However great your own position, stand ready to serve when in the presence of higher wisdom.
उभे समस्त सुरवर । देवऋषि सनत्कुमार । आले तेथे वेगवक्त्रे । तया ईश्वरसभेसी ॥८७॥
ubhe samasta suravara | devaṛṣi sanatkumāra | āle tethe vegavaktre | tayā īśvarasabhesī ||87||
All the great gods stood there; the divine sage Sanatkumara came swiftly to that assembly of the Lord.
Sanatkumara, an eternally youthful sage renowned for wisdom, now arrives; he will be the one to ask Shiva the question at the heart of this teaching.
Approach a teacher or gathering with the same eagerness Sanatkumara shows, ready to learn.
सनत्कुमार तये वेळी । लागतसे चरणकमळी । साष्टांग नमन बहाळी । विनवीतसे शिवासी ॥८८॥
sanatkumāra taye veḷī | lāgatase caraṇakamaḷī | sāṣṭāmga namana bahāḷī | vinavītase śivāsī ||88||
At that moment Sanatkumara fell at the lotus feet, offered a full prostration, and made his request to Shiva.
The sage's full prostration — sashtanga namana (bowing with eight limbs touching the ground) — models complete humility before beginning to ask a question.
Approach requests for guidance with genuine humility, not a sense of entitlement to the answer.
जय जया उमाकांता । जय जया शंभु विश्वकर्ता । त्रिभुवनी तूचि दाता । चतुर्विध पुरुषार्थ ॥८९॥
jaya jayā umākāmtā | jaya jayā śambhu viśvakartā | tribhuvanī tūci dātā | caturvidha puruṣārtha ||89||
Victory to you, beloved of Uma! Victory to you, Shambhu, creator of the universe! You alone in the three worlds are the giver of the four goals of life.
Sanatkumara's praise names the four purusharthas (dharma, artha, kama, moksha — righteousness, prosperity, desire, liberation) as gifts only Shiva can truly grant.
Before asking for help, first acknowledge and praise the source you are asking, sincerely and specifically.
समस्त धर्म आपणासी । स्वामी निरोपिले कृपेसी । भवार्णवी तरावयासी । पापक्षयाकारणे ॥१९०॥
samasta dharma āpaṇāsī | svāmī niropile kṛpesī | bhavārṇavī tarāvayāsī | pāpakṣayākāraṇe ||190||
You, Lord, have graciously taught us all forms of righteous duty, so that we may cross the ocean of worldly existence and destroy our sins.
Sanatkumara acknowledges past teachings that already help devotees cross the bhavarnava (ocean of worldly existence); he now asks for something further.
Express gratitude for guidance already received before asking for more.
आणिक एक आम्हा देणे । मुक्ति होय अल्पपुण्ये । चारी पुरुषार्थ येणे गुणे । अनायासे साधिजे ॥९१॥
āṇika eka āmhā deṇe | mukti hoya alpapuṇye | cārī puruṣārtha yeṇe guṇe | anāyāse sādhije ||91||
Grant us one more thing: a way by which liberation comes through little merit, and all four goals of life are attained without great effort.
The sage asks specifically for an easy path, one accessible even to those without vast stores of merit, through minimal but sincere effort.
Do not assume that only great, difficult efforts count; ask for and value the simple practices that are within your reach.
एर्हवी समस्त पुण्यासी । करावे कष्त असमसहासी । हितार्थ सर्व मानवांसी । निरोपावे स्वामिया ॥९२॥
erhavī samasta puṇyāsī | karāve kaṣta asamasahāsī | hitārtha sarva mānavāmsī | niropāve svāmiyā ||92||
Otherwise, all merit requires unbearable toil; for the good of all humankind, please teach us, O Lord.
Sanatkumara pleads on behalf of ordinary people who cannot manage extreme austerities; the coming teaching on bhasma is framed explicitly as being for everyone, not only ascetics.
When seeking guidance, think of those less able than yourself and ask on their behalf too.
ऐसे विनवी सनत्कुमा । मनी संतोषोनिया ईश्वर । सांगता झाला कर्पूरगौर । सनत्कुमार मुनीसी ॥९३॥
aise vinavī sanatkumā | manī samtoṣoniyā īśvara | sāmgatā jhālā karpūragaura | sanatkumāra munīsī ||93||
Thus Sanatkumara entreated; the Lord, pleased in his heart, the camphor-white one, began to speak to the sage Sanatkumara.
Shiva's pleasure at the sincere request signals that what follows, the teaching on bhasma, is given freely and joyfully, not reluctantly.
Notice that sincere, humble requests are usually met with generosity; ask plainly and trust the response.
ईश्वर म्हणे तयेवेळी । ऐका देव ऋषि सकळी । घडे धर्म तात्काळी । ऐसे पुण्य सांगेन ॥९४॥
īśvara mhaṇe tayeveḷī | aikā deva ṛṣi sakaḷī | ghaḍe dharma tātkāḷī | aise puṇya sāmgena ||94||
The Lord then said, 'Listen, all you gods and sages — I will now tell you of a merit through which righteousness is accomplished at once.'
Shiva promises an immediate, effective practice; the teaching that follows is presented as swift in its effect, not requiring years of preparation.
Trust that some good habits can begin bearing fruit right away; do not wait for perfect conditions to start.
वेदशास्त्रसंमतेसी । असे धर्म परियेसी । अनंत पुण्य त्रिपुंड्रेसी । भस्मांकित परियेसा ॥९५॥
vedaśāstrasammatesī | ase dharma pariyesī | anamta puṇya tripumḍresī | bhasmāmkita pariyesā ||95||
There is a duty sanctioned by the Vedas and scriptures; infinite merit lies in the tripundra (three-lined mark) made with sacred ash.
Shiva names the practice at last: the tripundra, the three-lined mark of bhasma on the forehead, the central teaching of this whole chapter.
Adopt one simple daily marker of your values, a small, visible practice that reminds you and others what you stand for.
ऐकोनि विनवी सनत्कुमार । कवणे विधी लाविजे नर । कवण ’स्थान’, ’द्रव्य’ परिकर । ’शक्ति’ ’देवता’ कवण असे ॥९६॥
aikoni vinavī sanatkumāra | kavaṇe vidhī lāvije nara | kavaṇa ’sthāna’, ’dravya’ parikara | ’śakti’ ’devatā’ kavaṇa ase ||96||
Hearing this, Sanatkumara asked further: by what method should a person apply it? What is its proper 'place,' 'substance,' 'power,' and 'deity'?
The sage asks for full technical detail, showing that sincere devotion also wants to understand a practice thoroughly, not perform it carelessly.
When you take up a new practice, learn its proper method carefully rather than doing it half-informed.
कवण ’कर्तृ’ किं ’प्रमाण’ । कोण ’मंत्रे’ लाविजे आपण । स्वामी सांगा विस्तारून । म्हणोनि चरणी लागला ॥९७॥
kavaṇa ’kartṛ’ kim ’pramāṇa’ | koṇa ’mamtre’ lāvije āpaṇa | svāmī sāmgā vistārūna | mhaṇoni caraṇī lāgalā ||97||
Who is its 'doer'? What is its 'authority'? With which mantra should one apply it? 'Please explain fully, Lord,' he said, and touched his feet.
The sage's detailed questions and renewed bow show that true eagerness to learn combines careful inquiry with continued humility.
Keep asking clarifying questions until you truly understand, without losing your respect for the one teaching you.
ऐसी विनंती ऐकोनि । सांगे शंकर विस्तारोनि । गोमय द्रव्य, देवता-अग्नि । भस्म करणे परियेसा ॥९८॥
aisī vinamtī aikoni | sāmge śamkara vistāroni | gomaya dravya, devatā-agni | bhasma karaṇe pariyesā ||98||
Hearing this request, Shankara explained in detail: cow-dung is the substance, sacred fire is the deity, and thus the ash should be made.
Shiva begins the technical teaching: the ash is prepared from cow-dung burned in consecrated fire, an ordinary, humble material transformed through ritual into something sacred.
Value the transformation a simple, humble material can undergo when treated with care and intention.
पुरातनीचे यज्ञस्थानी । जे का असे मेदिनी । पुण्य बहुत लाविताक्षणी । भस्मांकिता परियेसा ॥९९॥
purātanīce yajñasthānī | je kā ase medinī | puṇya bahuta lāvitākṣaṇī | bhasmāmkitā pariyesā ||99||
The ash from the ground of an ancient sacrificial site carries much merit the moment it is applied, marked with the sacred ash.
Even the ground where ancient sacrifices once took place retains sanctity, showing that holiness can linger in a place long after the original act.
Respect places with a history of good and sacred use; treat them, and what remains of them, with care.
सद्योजाता’दि मंत्रेसी । घ्यावे भस्म तळहस्तासी । अभिमंत्रावे भस्मासी । ’अग्निरित्या’दि मंत्रेकरोनि ॥२००॥
sadyojātā’di mamtresī | ghyāve bhasma taḷahastāsī | abhimamtrāve bhasmāsī | ’agnirityā’di mamtrekaroni ||200||
With the mantra beginning 'Sadyojata,' the ash should be taken into the palm; it should be consecrated with the mantra beginning 'Agnir iti.'
Specific mantras accompany each step, showing that the practice is not casual but a disciplined ritual sequence handed down with precision.
Follow the proper steps of a practice in order, rather than skipping ahead out of impatience.
’मानस्तोके’ ति मंत्रेसी । संमदावे अंगुष्ठेसी । त्र्यंबकादि मंत्रेसी । शिरसी लाविजे परियेसा ॥१॥
’mānastoke’ ti mamtresī | sammadāve amguṣṭhesī | tryambakādi mamtresī | śirasī lāvije pariyesā ||1||
With the mantra 'Ma nastoke,' it should be mixed using the thumb; with the mantra beginning 'Tryambaka,' it should be applied to the head.
Each mantra is paired with a specific gesture and body part, weaving prayer and physical action together into a single mindful ritual.
Pair meaningful words with deliberate action; let your intentions and your movements support each other.
’त्र्यायुषे’ ति मंत्रेसी । लाविजे ललाटभुजांसी । त्याणेची मंत्रे परियेसी । स्थानी स्थानी लाविजे ॥२॥
’tryāyuṣe’ ti mamtresī | lāvije lalāṭabhujāmsī | tyāṇecī mamtre pariyesī | sthānī sthānī lāvije ||2||
With the mantra 'Tryayushe,' it should be applied to the forehead and arms; with these same mantras, it should be placed at each proper spot.
The ritual detail continues, underlining that sacred practice attends to precise placement, nothing here is arbitrary or careless.
In any careful practice, place your attention exactly where it belongs, not vaguely everywhere.
तीनी रेखा एके स्थानी । लावाव्या त्याच मंत्रांनी । अधिक न लाविजे भ्रुवांहुनी । भ्रूसमान लाविजे ॥३॥
tīnī rekhā eke sthānī | lāvāvyā tyāca mamtrāmnī | adhika na lāvije bhruvāmhunī | bhrūsamāna lāvije ||3||
Three lines should be drawn at the same spot with these mantras; they should not extend beyond the eyebrows, they should be made level with the eyebrows.
Even the measurements are specified, the mark should not exceed the width of the eyebrows, showing restraint and precision as part of the sacredness itself.
Practice restraint even in devotion; doing something properly and modestly matters more than doing it excessively.
मध्यमानामिकांगुळेसी । लाविजे पहिले ललाटेसी । प्रतिलोम-अंगुष्ठेसी । मध्यरेषा काढिजे ॥४॥
madhyamānāmikāmguḷesī | lāvije pahile lalāṭesī | pratiloma-amguṣṭhesī | madhyareṣā kāḍhije ||4||
With the middle and ring fingers, the first line should be applied to the forehead; with the thumb moved in reverse, the middle line should be drawn.
Exact finger technique is described, the ritual is a full-body, hands-on practice, not merely a symbolic idea.
When learning a physical practice, pay attention to the exact technique, not just its meaning.
त्रिपुंड्र येणेपरी । लाविजे तुम्ही परिकरी । एक एक रेखेच्या विस्तारी । सांगेन ऐका एकचित्ते ॥५॥
tripumḍra yeṇeparī | lāvije tumhī parikarī | eka eka rekhecyā vistārī | sāmgena aikā ekacitte ||5||
In this way you should apply the tripundra fully; I will now explain the meaning of each single line — listen with a focused mind.
Having covered the physical method, Shiva now moves to explain the symbolic meaning of the three lines, practice and understanding go hand in hand.
Once you have learned how to do something correctly, take the next step and learn why it is done that way.
नव देवता विख्यातेसी । असती एकेक रेखेसी । ’अ’ कार गार्हपत्यासी । भूरात्मा रजोगुण ॥६॥
nava devatā vikhyātesī | asatī ekeka rekhesī | ’a’ kāra gārhapatyāsī | bhūrātmā rajoguṇa ||6||
Nine well-known deities preside, three for each line; the syllable 'A' belongs to the household fire (Garhapatya), the earth-soul, and the quality of activity (rajoguna).
Each of the three lines of ash is tied to a triad of sacred fires, cosmic principles, and inner qualities; the simple mark on the forehead encodes an entire cosmology.
Recognize that even small, familiar symbols can carry deep meaning if you take time to learn their layers.
ऋग्वेद आणि क्रियाशक्ति । प्रातःसवन असे ख्याति । महादेव-देव म्हणती । प्रथम रेखा येणेपरी ॥७॥
ṛgveda āṇi kriyāśakti | prātaḥsavana ase khyāti | mahādeva-deva mhaṇatī | prathama rekhā yeṇeparī ||7||
The Rigveda and the power of action, the morning offering — these are associated, and it is called Mahadeva; thus is the meaning of the first line.
The first line links to the Rigveda and morning ritual, action, and the name Mahadeva, the beginning of the day matched with the beginning of the sacred mark.
Start your day with a small deliberate act of intention, echoing how tradition ties the morning to sacred beginnings.
दुसरे रेखेची देवता । सांगेन ऐका विस्तारता । ’उ’ कार दक्षिणाग्नि देवता । नभ सत्त्व जाणावे ॥८॥
dusare rekhecī devatā | sāmgena aikā vistāratā | ’u’ kāra dakṣiṇāgni devatā | nabha sattva jāṇāve ||8||
I will now explain the deity of the second line: the syllable 'U' belongs to the southern fire (Dakshinagni), representing the sky and the quality of clarity (sattva).
The second line connects to clarity and the vastness of sky, the middle of the day and the balanced, luminous quality of mind.
In the middle of your day, pause to reset toward clarity and calm rather than letting momentum carry you unreflectively.
यजुर्वेद म्हणिजे त्यासी । मध्यंदिन-सवन परियेसी । इच्छाशक्ति अंतरात्मेसी । महेश्वर-देव जाण ॥९॥
yajurveda mhaṇije tyāsī | madhyamdina-savana pariyesī | icchāśakti amtarātmesī | maheśvara-deva jāṇa ||9||
It is called the Yajurveda, the midday offering; the power of will belongs to the inner self, and its deity is Maheshvara.
Will and desire, gathered in the midday offering, show that the middle portion of practice, and of the day, is about sustained intention.
Renew your intention at midday, when energy often flags, rather than only at the start.
तिसरी रेखा मधिलेसी । ’म’ कार आहवनीय परियेसी । परमात्मा दिव हर्षी । ज्ञानशक्ति तमोगुण ॥२१०॥
tisarī rekhā madhilesī | ’ma’ kāra āhavanīya pariyesī | paramātmā diva harṣī | jñānaśakti tamoguṇa ||210||
The third, middle line: the syllable 'Ma' belongs to the offertorial fire (Ahavaniya); it delights the heavens and the Supreme Self, representing the power of knowledge and the quality of inertia (tamoguna).
The third line, tied to knowledge and even to tamoguna (inertia, associated with rest and dissolution), shows that stillness and rest are also sacred, not merely lesser states.
Do not treat rest or quiet as wasted time; honor it as part of the same sacred rhythm as action.
तृतीयसवन परियेसी । सामवेद असे त्यासी । शिवदैवत निर्धारेसी । तीनि रेखा येणेविधि ॥११॥
tṛtīyasavana pariyesī | sāmaveda ase tyāsī | śivadaivata nirdhāresī | tīni rekhā yeṇevidhi ||11||
The third offering belongs to the Samaveda, and its deity is certainly Shiva — thus are the three lines explained.
The teaching completes the triad, morning, midday, evening; Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, showing the whole day and the whole body of scripture compressed into three simple lines of ash.
Let one small daily ritual carry a full rhythm of intention, action, and rest within it.
ऐसे नित्य नमस्कारूनि । त्रिपुंड्र लाविजे भस्मेनि । महेश्वराचे व्रत म्हणोनि । वेदशास्त्रे बोलताति ॥१२॥
aise nitya namaskārūni | tripumḍra lāvije bhasmeni | maheśvarāce vrata mhaṇoni | vedaśāstre bolatāti ||12||
Thus, bowing daily, one should apply the tripundra with sacred ash; the scriptures declare this to be Maheshvara's own vow.
The practice is framed as a daily discipline, a vrata (vow), not a one-time ritual but a lifelong habit sanctioned by scripture.
Turn a meaningful practice into a daily habit rather than an occasional gesture.
मुक्तिकामे जे लाविती । त्यासी पुनरावृत्ति । जे जे मनी संकल्पिती । लाधे चारी पुरुषार्थ ॥१३॥
muktikāme je lāvitī | tyāsī punarāvṛtti | je je manī samkalpitī | lādhe cārī puruṣārtha ||13||
Those who apply it desiring liberation attain it repeatedly; whatever they resolve in their mind, they attain all four goals of life.
The teaching promises that sincere intention paired with this simple daily practice can fulfill whatever a devotee resolves, desire and discipline working together.
Pair a clear intention with a consistent daily practice, and let the two reinforce each other.
ब्रह्मचारी-गृहस्थासी । वानप्रस्थ-यतीसी । समस्ती लाविजे हर्षी । भस्मांकित त्रिपुंड्र ॥१४॥
brahmacārī-gṛhasthāsī | vānaprastha-yatīsī | samastī lāvije harṣī | bhasmāmkita tripumḍra ||14||
The celibate student, the householder, the forest-dweller, and the renunciant — all should joyfully apply the ash-marked tripundra.
The practice is declared open to every stage of life, from student to renunciant, showing it is not restricted by one's station or age.
Do not think a good spiritual practice is only for the young, the old, the married, or the single; it belongs to anyone at any stage of life.
महापापी असे आपण । उपपातकी जरी जाण । भस्म लाविता तत्क्षण । पुण्यात्मा तोचि होय ॥१५॥
mahāpāpī ase āpaṇa | upapātakī jarī jāṇa | bhasma lāvitā tatkṣaṇa | puṇyātmā toci hoya ||15||
Even if one is a great sinner, guilty of lesser sins, the moment ash is applied one instantly becomes a person of merit.
The teaching begins its most striking claim: that even grave wrongdoing can be purified instantly through this simple mark, given with sincerity.
Do not let past wrongdoing convince you that change is impossible; a sincere fresh start is always available.
क्षत्रिय-वैश्य-शूद्र-स्त्रीवध्यासी । गोहत्यादि-पातकासी । वीरहत्या-आत्महत्येसी । शुद्धात्मा करी भस्मांकित ॥१६॥
kṣatriya-vaiśya-śūdra-strīvadhyāsī | gohatyādi-pātakāsī | vīrahatyā-ātmahatyesī | śuddhātmā karī bhasmāmkita ||16||
One guilty of killing a warrior, merchant, laborer, or woman, or the sin of killing a cow, or the killing of a hero, or self-harm — the ash-mark purifies such a soul.
The list of grave sins named here shows the extraordinary reach of sincere repentance and practice, not an excuse for the acts themselves; remorse and discipline together restore the soul.
Believe that even serious mistakes can be met with real repentance and disciplined amends, not despair.
विधिपूर्वक मंत्रेसी । जे लाविती भक्तीसी । त्यांची महिमा अपारेसी । वंद्य होय देवलोकी ॥१७॥
vidhipūrvaka mamtresī | je lāvitī bhaktīsī | tyāmcī mahimā apāresī | vamdya hoya devalokī ||17||
Those who apply it properly, with mantra and devotion, gain boundless glory and become worthy of reverence even in the world of the gods.
Proper method combined with devotion is emphasized once more, glory here is not automatic but earned through sincere, careful practice.
Combine correct method with genuine heartfelt intention; either alone is less complete than both together.
जरी नेणे मंत्रासी । त्याणे लाविजे भावशुद्धीसी । त्याची महिमा अपारेसी । एकचित्ते परियेसा ॥१८॥
jarī neṇe mamtrāsī | tyāṇe lāvije bhāvaśuddhīsī | tyācī mahimā apāresī | ekacitte pariyesā ||18||
Even one who does not know the mantras should apply it with pure-hearted devotion; their glory too is boundless — listen with a focused mind.
Shiva makes clear that sincerity of heart matters even more than technical knowledge; those without formal training are not excluded from grace.
Do not let lack of formal training stop you from sincere practice; honest devotion counts even without perfect technique.
परद्रव्यहारक देखा । परस्त्रीगमन ऐका असेल पापी परनिंदका । तोही पुनीत होईल जाणा ॥१९॥
paradravyahāraka dekhā | parastrīgamana aikā asela pāpī paranimdakā | tohī punīta hoīla jāṇā ||19||
One who has stolen another's wealth, or committed adultery, or slandered others — even such a sinner will be purified.
The list of purifiable sins continues, theft, adultery, slander, reinforcing that no wrongdoing, however common, is beyond the reach of sincere repentance.
If you have wronged someone through dishonesty or unkind words, let genuine remorse lead you to real change, not just guilt.
परक्षेत्रहरण देखा । परपीडक असेल जो का । सस्य आराम तोडी का । ऐसा पातकी पुनीत होई ॥२२०॥
parakṣetraharaṇa dekhā | parapīḍaka asela jo kā | sasya ārāma toḍī kā | aisā pātakī punīta hoī ||220||
One who has seized another's land, or who oppresses others, or who destroys crops and gardens — such a sinner too becomes purified.
Even harm done to others' livelihood and property, land and crops, is included among sins that can be redeemed through sincere practice.
If your actions have harmed someone's livelihood, seek to make amends concretely, not only inwardly.
गृहदाहादि केला दोष । असत्यवादी परियेस । पैशून्यपण पापास । वेदविक्रय पाप जाणा ॥२१॥
gṛhadāhādi kelā doṣa | asatyavādī pariyesa | paiśūnyapaṇa pāpāsa | vedavikraya pāpa jāṇā ||21||
The sin of arson, of lying, of malicious gossip, and of selling sacred knowledge for profit — know these as sins.
The list widens to include lying, gossip, and even the sin of commercializing sacred teaching, a reminder that some knowledge should be shared freely, not sold.
Guard your speech against gossip and falsehood, and share what wisdom you have freely rather than exploiting it.
कूटसाक्षी व्रतत्यागी । कौटिल्य करी पोटालागी । ऐसी पाप सदा भोगी । तोही पुनीत होय जाणा ॥२२॥
kūṭasākṣī vratatyāgī | kauṭilya karī poṭālāgī | aisī pāpa sadā bhogī | tohī punīta hoya jāṇā ||22||
One who bears false witness, abandons vows, or practices deceit for the sake of livelihood — such a person too, though constantly sinning, can be purified.
Even habitual, repeated wrongdoing, not a single lapse but an ongoing pattern, is not beyond the reach of sincere turning toward the sacred.
It is never too late to break a bad habit, no matter how long it has continued.
गाई-भूमि-हिरण्यदान । म्हैषी-तीळ-कंबळदान । घेतले असेल वस्त्रान्न । तोही पुनीत होय जाणा ॥२३॥
gāī-bhūmi-hiraṇyadāna | mhaiṣī-tīḷa-kambaḷadāna | ghetale asela vastrānna | tohī punīta hoya jāṇā ||23||
One who has taken back gifts of cows, land, gold, buffalo, sesame, or blankets once given, or has taken food and clothing wrongfully — such a person too becomes purified.
Reclaiming a gift once given is treated as a serious breach of integrity, yet even this dishonor can be redeemed through sincere practice.
Honor commitments you have already made, especially gifts and promises, rather than taking them back.
धान्यदान जलादिदान । घेतले असेल नीचापासून । त्याणे करणे भस्मधारण । तोही पुनीत होय जाणा ॥२४॥
dhānyadāna jalādidāna | ghetale asela nīcāpāsūna | tyāṇe karaṇe bhasmadhāraṇa | tohī punīta hoya jāṇā ||24||
One who has taken gifts of grain or water from someone of low means should apply the sacred ash; such a person too becomes purified.
Taking from those who can least afford to give is named specifically, a reminder of the particular seriousness of exploiting the vulnerable, and the possibility of amends even here.
Be especially careful never to take advantage of those with less than you, and make amends promptly if you have.
दासी-वेश्या-भुजंगीसी । वृषलस्त्री-रजस्वलेसी । केले असती जे का दोषी । तोही पुनीत जाणा ॥२५॥
dāsī-veśyā-bhujamgīsī | vṛṣalastrī-rajasvalesī | kele asatī je kā doṣī | tohī punīta jāṇā ||25||
One who has wronged a servant woman, a courtesan, or improperly approached a low-caste woman or a woman during her monthly courses — such a person too can be purified.
This verse names sexual misconduct across social boundaries as grave sin, again framed within the text's larger claim that sincere turning to the sacred can redeem even serious violations.
Treat every person with equal respect and restraint regardless of their social standing or circumstance.
कन्या विधवा अन्य स्त्रियांशी । घडला असेल संग जयासी । अनुतप्त होऊनि परियेसी । भस्म लाविता पुनीत होईल ॥२६॥
kanyā vidhavā anya striyāmśī | ghaḍalā asela samga jayāsī | anutapta hoūni pariyesī | bhasma lāvitā punīta hoīla ||26||
One who has had improper relations with an unmarried girl, a widow, or other women — becoming truly repentant, and applying the ash, will become purified.
This verse is explicit that genuine remorse (anutapta, truly repentant) is the necessary condition; the ash does not work as a magic formula but requires real inner change.
Let true remorse, not just ritual, be the foundation of any attempt to make amends for serious wrongdoing.
रस-मांस-लवणादिका । केला असेल विक्रय जो का । पुनीत होय भस्मसंपर्का । त्रिपुंड्र लाविता परियेसा ॥२७॥
rasa-māmsa-lavaṇādikā | kelā asela vikraya jo kā | punīta hoya bhasmasamparkā | tripumḍra lāvitā pariyesā ||27||
One who has sold liquids, meat, salt, and similar goods dishonestly becomes purified by contact with the ash, by applying the tripundra.
Even dishonest trade practices are named among sins that can be set right, ordinary commercial dishonesty included in the sweep of possible redemption.
Conduct your dealings and trade honestly, and if you have not, correct the wrong as soon as you recognize it.
जाणोनि अथवा अज्ञानता । पाप घडले असंख्याता । भस्म लाविता पुनीता । पुण्यात्मा होय जाणा ॥२८॥
jāṇoni athavā ajñānatā | pāpa ghaḍale asamkhyātā | bhasma lāvitā punītā | puṇyātmā hoya jāṇā ||28||
Whether knowingly or unknowingly, countless sins may have occurred; applying the ash, one becomes purified and gains a meritorious soul.
The teaching draws a distinction between intentional and unintentional wrongdoing but treats both as redeemable, mercy extends even to unwitting error.
Forgive yourself for honest mistakes made without ill intent, while still working to correct them.
नाशी समस्त पापांसी । भस्ममहिमा आहे ऐशी । शिवनिंदक पापियासी । न करी पुनीत परियेसा ॥२९॥
nāśī samasta pāpāmsī | bhasmamahimā āhe aiśī | śivanimdaka pāpiyāsī | na karī punīta pariyesā ||29||
Such is the glory of the ash — it destroys all sins; yet it does not purify one who reviles Shiva.
The teaching now sets its one clear limit: blasphemy against Shiva himself is the single sin the ash cannot erase, showing that reverence toward the sacred itself is the one non-negotiable foundation.
Whatever else you may excuse or overlook, keep your basic reverence toward what is sacred to you intact.
शिवद्रव्य अपहारकासी । निंदा करी शिवभक्तांसी । न होय निष्कृति त्यासी । पापावेगळा नव्हे जाणा ॥२३०॥
śivadravya apahārakāsī | nimdā karī śivabhaktāmsī | na hoya niṣkṛti tyāsī | pāpāvegaḷā navhe jāṇā ||230||
One who steals what belongs to Shiva, or reviles Shiva's devotees, finds no atonement; such a person does not become free of sin.
The exception widens slightly: harming devotees, not only Shiva directly, is also placed beyond the reach of this purification, respect for the community of the devoted matters as much as respect for the divine itself.
Treat the people devoted to a cause or faith with the same respect you would show the cause itself.
रुद्राक्षमाळा जयाचे गळा । लाविला असेल त्रिपुंड्र टिळा । अन्य पापी होय केवळा । तोही पूज्य तीही लोकी ॥३१॥
rudrākṣamāḷā jayāce gaḷā | lāvilā asela tripumḍra ṭiḷā | anya pāpī hoya kevaḷā | tohī pūjya tīhī lokī ||31||
One who wears a rudraksha rosary around the neck and bears the tripundra mark, even if a great sinner otherwise, becomes worthy of reverence in all three worlds.
The outward signs of devotion, rosary and ash mark, are said to command respect regardless of a person's past, underscoring how seriously visible commitment to the sacred is honored.
Do not judge someone solely by their past; notice and respect the visible steps they are currently taking toward change.
जितुकी तीर्थे भूमीवरी । असतील क्षेत्रे नानापरी । स्नान केले पुण्य-सरी । भस्म लाविता परियेसा ॥३२॥
jitukī tīrthe bhūmīvarī | asatīla kṣetre nānāparī | snāna kele puṇya-sarī | bhasma lāvitā pariyesā ||32||
Whatever sacred rivers and pilgrimage sites exist on earth, the merit of bathing in all of them is equaled simply by applying the sacred ash.
A single simple daily act, applying ash, is said to equal the merit of pilgrimage to every sacred site, making a demanding, costly practice available to anyone, anywhere.
Do not wait for the perfect grand opportunity to seek merit; a small daily practice can carry the same weight.
मंत्र असती कोटी सात । पंचाक्षरादि विख्यात । अनंत आगम असे मंत्र । जपिले फळ भस्मांकिता ॥३३॥
mamtra asatī koṭī sāta | pamcākṣarādi vikhyāta | anamta āgama ase mamtra | japile phaḷa bhasmāmkitā ||33||
There are seventy million mantras, including the famed five-syllable one; countless are the scriptural mantras — the fruit of reciting them all is gained simply by wearing the ash.
Again the ash is said to carry the accumulated merit of vast, otherwise inaccessible practices, chanting countless mantras, condensed into one simple daily act.
Trust that consistent small practices can accumulate the same value as rare, elaborate efforts.
पूर्वजन्म-सहस्त्रांती । सहस्त्र जन्म पुढे होती । भस्मधारणे पापे जाती । बेचाळीस वंशादिक ॥३४॥
pūrvajanma-sahastrāmtī | sahastra janma puḍhe hotī | bhasmadhāraṇe pāpe jātī | becāḷīsa vamśādika ||34||
Sins from a thousand past lives, and those of a thousand lives yet to come, along with those of forty-two generations of one's lineage, are removed by wearing the ash.
The scope of purification is said to extend backward and forward across lifetimes and generations, a vision of consequence and grace rippling through time far beyond a single life.
Recognize that your own good choices today can ripple outward to benefit your family and descendants, not just yourself.
इहलोकी अखिल सौख्य । होती पुरुष शतायुष्य । व्याधि न होती शरीरास । भस्म लाविता नरासी ॥३५॥
ihalokī akhila saukhya | hotī puruṣa śatāyuṣya | vyādhi na hotī śarīrāsa | bhasma lāvitā narāsī ||35||
In this world one gains complete happiness, lives a hundred years, and suffers no bodily illness by applying the ash.
Beyond spiritual purification, the teaching also promises this-worldly benefits, health and long life, showing that sacred practice is not opposed to worldly well-being.
Let simple daily disciplines serve both your inner peace and your bodily health together.
अष्टैश्वर्यै होती त्यासी । दिव्य शरीर परियेसी । अंती ज्ञान होईल निश्चयेसी । देहांती तया नरा ॥३६॥
aṣṭaiśvaryai hotī tyāsī | divya śarīra pariyesī | amtī jñāna hoīla niścayesī | dehāmtī tayā narā ||36||
One gains the eight great powers and a divine body; and at the end, certain wisdom comes to that person at the time of death.
The promise extends to a peaceful, wise death; the ultimate test of a life well lived, according to this tradition, is clarity and understanding in one's final moment.
Live and practice today in a way that you hope will bring you clarity and peace, not fear, at the end.
बैसवोनि दिव्य विमानी । देवस्त्रिया शत येऊनि । सेवा करिती येणे गुणी । घेऊनि जाती स्वर्गभुवना ॥३७॥
baisavoni divya vimānī | devastriyā śata yeūni | sevā karitī yeṇe guṇī | gheūni jātī svargabhuvanā ||37||
Seated in a divine celestial vehicle, a hundred heavenly women come to serve such a one, and carry him away to the world of heaven.
The imagery of celestial reward, a divine chariot and heavenly attendants, is traditional poetic language for the honor and peace granted to a devoted soul after death.
Do not fear death when your life has been lived with sincerity and devotion; trust that such a life is honored.
विद्याधर सिद्धजन । गंधर्वादि देवगण । इंद्रादि लोकपाळ जाण । वंदिती समस्त तयासी ॥३८॥
vidyādhara siddhajana | gamdharvādi devagaṇa | imdrādi lokapāḷa jāṇa | vamditī samasta tayāsī ||38||
The celestial beings, the perfected sages, the heavenly musicians, and even Indra and the guardians of the directions — all bow in reverence to such a person.
The ultimate honor described is universal respect, even from beings normally considered superior to ordinary humans, devotion elevates a person beyond their earthly status.
Trust that sincere devotion and integrity earn respect that outward status alone cannot buy.
अनंतकाळ तया स्थानी । सुखे असती संतोषोनि । मग जाती तेथोनि । ब्रह्मलोकी शाश्वत ॥३९॥
anamtakāḷa tayā sthānī | sukhe asatī samtoṣoni | maga jātī tethoni | brahmalokī śāśvata ||39||
For an endless time they remain there in joy and contentment; then they proceed from there to the eternal world of Brahma.
The soul's journey continues onward and upward through successive heavenly realms; the teaching maps out a long, patient path of gradual ascent, not instant finality.
Be patient with gradual spiritual growth; even great rewards often unfold in stages, not all at once.
एकशत कल्पवरी । रहाती ब्रह्मलोकी स्थिरी । तेथोनि जाती वैकुंठपुरी । विष्णुलोकी परियेसा ॥२४०॥
ekaśata kalpavarī | rahātī brahmalokī sthirī | tethoni jātī vaikumṭhapurī | viṣṇulokī pariyesā ||240||
For a hundred cosmic ages they remain steadily in the world of Brahma; from there they go to Vaikuntha, the world of Vishnu.
The journey passes through the realm of the creator god Brahma and then the realm of Vishnu the preserver, moving steadily closer to the ultimate goal.
Recognize that different stages of growth serve different purposes; do not rush past any stage of your own development.
ब्रह्मकल्प तीनवरी । रहाती नर वैकुंठपुरी । मग पावती कैलासपुरी । अक्षय काळ तेथे रहाती ॥४१॥
brahmakalpa tīnavarī | rahātī nara vaikumṭhapurī | maga pāvatī kailāsapurī | akṣaya kāḷa tethe rahātī ||41||
For three cosmic ages of Brahma, they remain in Vaikuntha; then they reach Kailasa, and remain there for an unending time.
The final destination is Kailasa, Shiva's own abode, where the soul remains eternally; the practice begun with a simple mark of ash leads all the way to the highest goal.
Let a small daily discipline be the first step of a long journey toward your highest aspirations, not dismissed as too minor to matter.
शिवसायुज्य होय त्यासी । संदेह सोडोनिया मानसी । लावा त्रिपुंड्र भक्तीसी । सनत्कुमारादि सकळिक हो ॥४२॥
śivasāyujya hoya tyāsī | samdeha soḍoniyā mānasī | lāvā tripumḍra bhaktīsī | sanatkumārādi sakaḷika ho ||42||
Such a one attains union with Shiva; abandon all doubt in your mind, and apply the tripundra with devotion, all of you led by Sanatkumara.
Shiva ends the technical teaching with the ultimate promise, union with the divine itself, and a direct instruction to abandon doubt and simply practice.
Stop overthinking whether a good practice will work; abandon hesitation and simply begin it with sincerity.
वेदशास्त्रदि उपनिषदार्थ । सार पाहिले मी अवलोकित । चतुर्विध पुरुषार्थ । भस्मधारणे होय जाणा ॥४३॥
vedaśāstradi upaniṣadārtha | sāra pāhile mī avalokita | caturvidha puruṣārtha | bhasmadhāraṇe hoya jāṇā ||43||
I have examined the essence of the Vedas, scriptures, and Upanishads; know that the four goals of life are attained through wearing the sacred ash.
Shiva claims this teaching as the distilled essence of the entire body of sacred scripture, the simplest of practices holding the deepest of wisdom.
Look for the simple core practice that captures the essence of a larger body of wisdom, rather than getting lost in complexity.
ऐसे त्रिपुंड्रमहिमान । सांगितले ईश्वरे विस्तारून । लावा तुम्ही सकळ जन । सनत्कुमारादि ऋषीश्वर हो ॥४४॥
aise tripumḍramahimāna | sāmgitale īśvare vistārūna | lāvā tumhī sakaḷa jana | sanatkumārādi ṛṣīśvara ho ||44||
Thus the Lord explained in full the glory of the tripundra: 'All of you, O great sages led by Sanatkumara, apply it.'
The extended teaching on bhasma closes with a direct call to action addressed to all the assembled sages; knowledge is meant to be put into practice, not merely admired.
After learning something valuable, actually put it into practice rather than only appreciating it intellectually.
सांगोनि सनत्कुमारासी । गेला ईश्वर कैलासासी । सनत्कुमार महाहर्षी । गेला ब्रह्मलोकाप्रती ॥४५॥
sāmgoni sanatkumārāsī | gelā īśvara kailāsāsī | sanatkumāra mahāharṣī | gelā brahmalokāpratī ||45||
Having told this to Sanatkumara, the Lord departed to Kailasa; Sanatkumara, greatly joyful, went to the world of Brahma.
The inner story ends here, each figure returning to their own realm; the teaching has been given and received, and now must be carried forward and lived.
Once you have received good guidance, go and carry it into your own life and share it with others.
वामदेव महामुनि । सांगती ऐसे विस्तारोनि । ब्रह्मराक्षसे संतोषोनि । नमन केले चरणकमलासी ॥४६॥
vāmadeva mahāmuni | sāmgatī aise vistāroni | brahmarākṣase samtoṣoni | namana kele caraṇakamalāsī ||46||
The great sage Vamadeva finished telling this story; the brahmarakshasa, filled with joy, bowed at his lotus feet.
The frame story resumes; Vamadeva has told the whole cosmic tale of Shiva's teaching to the repentant brahmarakshasa, whose gratitude now overflows into a bow.
When a teaching moves you deeply, express your gratitude to the one who shared it, not only privately but openly.
वामदे म्हणे राक्षसासी । भस्ममाहात्म्य आहे ऐसी । माझे अंगस्पर्शेसी । ज्ञान तुज प्रकाशिले ॥४७॥
vāmade mhaṇe rākṣasāsī | bhasmamāhātmya āhe aisī | mājhe amgasparśesī | jñāna tuja prakāśile ||47||
Vamadeva said to the demon, 'Such is the glory of the ash — through the touch of my body, wisdom was revealed to you.'
Vamadeva ties the whole long teaching back to the story's beginning, his own touch, carrying the ash, was what first awakened the demon's memory and understanding.
Remember that a single moment of genuine contact — a touch, a word, a gesture — can carry the weight of an entire teaching.
ऐसे म्हणोनि संतोषी अभिमंत्रोनि भस्मासी । देता झाला राक्षसासी । वामदेव तया वेळी ॥४८॥
aise mhaṇoni samtoṣī abhimamtroni bhasmāsī | detā jhālā rākṣasāsī | vāmadeva tayā veḷī ||48||
So saying, joyfully, Vamadeva consecrated the ash with mantra and gave it to the demon at that moment.
The teaching now becomes an actual gift, sanctified ash placed directly into the demon's hands, moving from words into a concrete act of grace.
Follow up meaningful words with a concrete gift or action, so the teaching becomes real and usable.
ब्रह्मराक्षस तया वेळी । लाविता त्रिपुंड्र कपाळी । दिव्यदेह तात्काळी । तेजोमूर्ति जाहला परियेसा ॥४९॥
brahmarākṣasa tayā veḷī | lāvitā tripumḍra kapāḷī | divyadeha tātkāḷī | tejomūrti jāhalā pariyesā ||49||
The demon then applied the tripundra to his forehead, and at once his body became divine, radiant with light.
The demon's outward transformation, from monstrous to luminous, physically demonstrates the truth of everything Vamadeva has taught, the story's climax.
Believe that genuine inner transformation can and does show outwardly, in how you carry yourself and how others see you.
दिव्य अवयव झाले त्यासी । जैसा सूर्यसंकाशी । झाला आनंदरूप कैसी । ब्रह्मराक्षस तया वेळी ॥२५०॥
divya avayava jhāle tyāsī | jaisā sūryasamkāśī | jhālā ānamdarūpa kaisī | brahmarākṣasa tayā veḷī ||250||
His limbs became divine, radiant like the sun; the demon became a form of pure joy at that moment.
The description lingers on the completeness of the demon's transformation, every limb divine, his very being now made of joy, grace working through the whole person, not partially.
Trust that real change can be thorough, touching every part of your life, not just a surface improvement.
नमन करूनि योगीश्वरासी । केली प्रदक्षिणा भक्तीसी । विमान आले तत्क्षणेसी । सूर्यसंकाश परियेसा ॥५१॥
namana karūni yogīśvarāsī | kelī pradakṣiṇā bhaktīsī | vimāna āle tatkṣaṇesī | sūryasamkāśa pariyesā ||51||
He bowed to the great yogi, circled him devotedly, and at once a chariot as bright as the sun arrived.
Circumambulation (pradakshina) is a traditional act of reverence, the demon's gratitude expressed through ritual action before his final ascent.
Close out an experience of grace with a deliberate act of thanks, not just an inward feeling.
दिव्य विमानी बैसोनि । गेला स्वर्गासी तत्क्षणी । वामदेव महामुनी । दिधला तयासी परलोक ॥५२॥
divya vimānī baisoni | gelā svargāsī tatkṣaṇī | vāmadeva mahāmunī | didhalā tayāsī paraloka ||52||
Seated in the divine chariot, he went at once to heaven; the great sage Vamadeva had granted him the world beyond.
The story of the brahmarakshasa closes with his ascent to heaven, directly credited to Vamadeva's grace, a full resolution of the narrative begun many verses earlier.
Recognize the people whose guidance led to your own turning points, and give credit where it belongs.
वामदेव महादेव । मनुष्यरूप दिसतो स्वभाव । प्रत्यक्ष जाणा तो शांभव । हिंडे भक्त तारावया ॥५३॥
vāmadeva mahādeva | manuṣyarūpa disato svabhāva | pratyakṣa jāṇā to śāmbhava | himḍe bhakta tārāvayā ||53||
Vamadeva is truly Mahadeva (Shiva) himself, appearing in human form by nature; know him directly as an emanation of Shiva, wandering to save devotees.
The narrator now reveals Vamadeva's true nature, not merely a wise ascetic but Shiva himself in human guise, walking the earth for the sake of devotees.
Consider that wise guidance you receive from ordinary-seeming people may carry more depth than first appears; treat teachers with due respect.
त्रयमूर्तीचा अवतारु । वामदेव तोचि गुरु । करावया जगदोद्धारु । हिंडत होता भूमीवरी ॥५४॥
trayamūrtīcā avatāru | vāmadeva toci guru | karāvayā jagadoddhāru | himḍata hotā bhūmīvarī ||54||
Vamadeva, an incarnation of the triune divine form (Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva), that very guru wandered the earth to redeem the world.
Vamadeva is now identified with the entire trinity of divine functions, wandering purposefully for the redemption of the world, his teaching carries the full weight of this identity.
See ordinary acts of guidance and kindness as potentially serving a much larger purpose than they first appear to.
भस्ममाहात्म्य असे थोरु । विशेष हस्तस्पर्श गुरु । ब्रह्मराक्षसासी दिधला वरु । उद्धार गति परियेसा ॥५५॥
bhasmamāhātmya ase thoru | viśeṣa hastasparśa guru | brahmarākṣasāsī didhalā varu | uddhāra gati pariyesā ||55||
Great indeed is the glory of the ash, but especially powerful is the touch of a guru's hand; he granted the demon the boon of liberation and a high destiny.
The narrator distinguishes between the practice itself and the guru's touch, both matter, but the direct grace of a living teacher is singled out as especially potent.
Value direct guidance and personal connection with a trustworthy teacher or mentor, not only knowledge gained from books or rules alone.
समस्त मंत्र असती । गुरूविणे साध्य नव्हती । वेदशास्त्रे वाखाणिती । ’नास्ति तत्त्वं गुरोः परम’ ॥५६॥
samasta mamtra asatī | gurūviṇe sādhya navhatī | vedaśāstre vākhāṇitī | ’nāsti tattvam guroḥ parama’ ||56||
All mantras exist, but none can be accomplished without a guru; the scriptures declare, 'There is no truth higher than the guru.'
The chapter's underlying message crystallizes into this famous scriptural line: however powerful a practice or teaching, it becomes effective only through a guru's guidance.
Seek out a trustworthy guide for any serious undertaking rather than trying to master it entirely alone.
सूत म्हणे ऋषेश्वरांसी । भस्ममाहात्म्य आहे ऐसी । गुरुहस्ते असे विशेषी । तस्माद् गुरुचि कारण ॥५७॥
sūta mhaṇe ṛṣeśvarāmsī | bhasmamāhātmya āhe aisī | guruhaste ase viśeṣī | tasmād guruci kāraṇa ||57||
Suta said to the assembled sages: 'Such is the glory of the ash — it is especially potent through the guru's hand; therefore the guru is the true cause.'
The narrator Suta, addressing the wider audience of sages listening to the whole Gurucharitra, sums up the chapter's teaching once more before the frame story concludes.
When summarizing what you have learned, name clearly what mattered most, so it stays with you afterward.
येणेपरी त्रिविक्रमासी । सांगती श्रीगुरु विस्तारेसी । त्रिविक्रमभारती हर्षी । चरणांवरी माथा ठेवित ॥५८॥
yeṇeparī trivikramāsī | sāmgatī śrīguru vistāresī | trivikramabhāratī harṣī | caraṇāmvarī māthā ṭhevita ||58||
In this way Sri Guru explained fully to Trivikrama; Trivikrama Bharati, joyful, placed his head upon his feet.
The chapter's outermost frame closes, Sri Guru (Narasimha Sarasvati) finishes telling this whole story to his disciple Trivikrama, who responds with a full bow of gratitude.
After receiving a long and valuable teaching, take a moment of quiet gratitude before moving on.
नमन करूनि श्रीगुरूसी । निघाला आपुले स्थानासी । झाले ज्ञान समस्तांसी । श्रीगुरूच्या उपदेशे ॥५९॥
namana karūni śrīgurūsī | nighālā āpule sthānāsī | jhāle jñāna samastāmsī | śrīgurūcyā upadeśe ||59||
Bowing to Sri Guru, he departed to his own place; wisdom came to all through the teaching of Sri Guru.
The chapter closes with the ripple effect of a single teaching reaching everyone present, one guru's words, passed on, illuminating an entire gathering.
Share what you have learned from a good teacher with others, so its benefit does not stop with you alone.
येणेपरी सिद्धमुनि । सांगते झाले विस्तारूनि । ऐकतो शिष्य नामकरणी । भक्तिभावेकरूनिया ॥२६०॥
yeṇeparī siddhamuni | sāmgate jhāle vistārūni | aikato śiṣya nāmakaraṇī | bhaktibhāvekarūniyā ||260||
In this way the accomplished sage Siddha finished his full narration; the disciple Namadharaka listened with devotion.
The outermost frame of the whole Gurucharitra reappears, Siddha finishes telling this chapter to his devoted listener Namadharaka, closing the layered structure of storytelling.
Listen to good teaching with the same devoted attention Namdharak shows, not distracted or half-present.
म्हणोनि सरस्वतीगंगाधर । सांगे गुरुचरित्रविस्तार । भक्तिभावे ऐकती नर । लाघे चारी पुरुषार्थ ॥२६१॥
mhaṇoni sarasvatīgamgādhara | sāmge gurucaritravistāra | bhaktibhāve aikatī nara | lāghe cārī puruṣārtha ||261||
Thus Sarasvati Gangadhar recounts the extensive Gurucharitra; those who listen with devotion attain the four goals of life.
The author names himself and states the purpose of the whole work, that sincere listeners, like sincere practitioners of bhasma, gain the full range of life's true goals.
Approach any worthwhile teaching, oral or written, as something meant to be lived out, not merely heard.
इति श्रीगुरुचरित्रामृते परमकथाकल्पतरौ श्रीनृसिंहसरस्वत्युपाख्याने सिद्ध-नामधारकसंवादे भस्ममहिमावर्णन नाम एकोनत्रिंशोऽध्यायः ॥२९॥
iti śrīgurucaritrāmṛte paramakathākalpatarau śrīnṛsimhasarasvatyupākhyāne siddha-nāmadhārakasamvāde bhasmamahimāvarṇana nāma ekonatrimśo'dhyāyaḥ ||29||
Thus ends the twenty-ninth chapter, named 'The Description of the Glory of the Sacred Ash,' in the nectar-like Gurucharitra, the wish-fulfilling tree of supreme stories, in the dialogue of Siddha and Namadharaka, in the tale of Sri Nrisimha Sarasvati.
This traditional colophon formally closes the chapter, naming it for its central subject, the glory of bhasma (sacred ash), and reaffirming its place within the larger scripture.
When you complete a significant teaching or task, mark its ending clearly instead of letting it trail off unnoticed.
श्रीगुरुदत्तात्रेयार्पणमस्तु ॥ श्रीगुरुदेव दत्त ॥
śrīgurudattātreyārpaṇamastu || śrīgurudeva datta ||
May this be offered to Sri Guru Dattatreya. Sri Gurudev Datta.
A traditional dedication offers the entire chapter back to Dattatreya, the guru's own divine source, a reminder that even the telling of the story is itself an act of worship.
Dedicate your efforts, even ordinary daily work, to something greater than yourself.
(ओवीसंख्या २६१)
(ovīsamkhyā 261)
(Verse count: 261)
A scribal note recording the total number of ovi verses in this chapter, a common convention marking the end of a manuscript section.
Keep track and take stock of what you have completed; a simple count of progress can itself be worth honoring.