Sage Vaamadeva went on: 'My son, in ancient times, sage Sanathkumara went to the Supreme Lord and prayed to Him,
"Oh three-eyed and the five-headed one, thou shinest with the glory of the weapons in your ten hands, which ever chastise the wicked; thou the wearer of the serpent as your sacred thread, thou dressed in a tiger's skin! The crescent moon shines on thy brow. Thou with your head covered by matted locks which are sanctified by holy Ganga, thou the Supreme Lord, the One ever-united with the Mother of Creation, thou the in-dweller of your devotees' hearts, I prostrate to your feet again and again. Thou Ocean of Mercy, the Cause of the whole creation! The various kinds of yoga practices and religious sacrifices enumerated in the sastras of yore for the liberation of the souls bound in ignorance are very difficult to practise. So, Oh Lord, teach us an easier means of attaining that goal and crossing this ocean of misery of phenomenal existence".
Lord Shiva was well pleased with his adoration and said,
"my son Sanathkumaara, the easiest means of attaining liberation is the proper use of holy ash. All of one's sins are destroyed merely by the application of the ash to one's body in the prescribed manner which is as follows: The holy ashes of a religious fire-sacrifice or ashes made from cowdung-cakes should be fetched. It should be consecrated by chanting such mantras as the one commencing 'Bhasmaagnim'. Then it should be applied to the forehead and other parts of our body by holding it with the thumb and the index fingers, and chanting the mantra commencing Tryayusham'. Thus three beautiful lines (horizontal) will be drawn on the forehead. These are called the Bhasma Tripundras. They signify
- the three sounds (A,U,M),
- the 'Trinity of gods',
- the three gunas, the three souls (Jivaatma, Pratyagatma and Paramaatma),
- the three powers,
- the three chandases (metres),
- the three Vedas*++,
- the three realms or states (lokaas) of existence,
- the Trishavanas (ritual baths at dawn, noon and sunset).
- One who has reviled at cows or the ladies of another's family, or
- one who has betrayed them,
- one who spoils fullgrown crops,
- one who purposely hurts the minds of others,
- one who sets houses on fire,
- one who sells such holy things as betel leaves and the vedas,
- one who is given to uttering falsehood,
- one who accepts base things from persons of a base temperament,
- one who commits adultery with widows and Shudra women-all those who commit such other sins as these,
if they regularly apply holy ash with faith and reverence, shall be liberated. The darbha (or Kusa) grass which is capable of securing all the (four) objects of man's efforts, the holy ash and rudrakshas - by wearing these, one becomes worthy of honours even in the divine realms of existence (heaven). It needs no mention that the holy ash which can annihilate the sins of thousands of past lives can eradicate all diseases. By wearing the holy ash, one can secure all the higher states of existence (lokas) and gradually attain to Kailasa (the highest loka, the abode of Lord Shiva).
This is the easiest means which you have wished to know". Thus has the Supreme Lord expounded to sage Sanathkumaara.' So saying, sage Vaamadeva offered a little of the holy ash to the erstwhile
Brahmaraakshasa and told him to apply it to his body. The moment he did so, he left off his body of
a rakshasa and was liberated.
