Devi Bhagavata Purana · Chapter 11.12

bhasmadhāraṇamāhāmyavarṇanam
śrīnārāyaṇa uvāca
devarṣe śṛṇu tatsarvaṃ bhasmoddhūlanajaṃ phalam /
sarahasyavidhānaṃ ca sarvakāmaphalapradam

kapilāyāḥ śakṛtsvacchaṃ gṛhītvā gagane'patat /
na klinnaṃ nāpi kaṭhinaṃ na durgandhaṃ na coṣitam

uparyadhaḥ parityajya gahṇīyātpatitaṃ yadi /
piṇḍīkṛtya śivāgnyādau tatkṣipenmūlamantritam

ādāya vāsasā''cchādya bhasmādhāne vinikṣipet /
sukṛte sudṛḍhe śuddhe kṣālite prokṣite śubhe

vinyasya mantrī mantreṇa pātre bhasma vinikṣipet /
taijasaṃ dāravaṃ cātha mṛṇmayaṃ cailameva ca

anyadvā śobhanaṃ śuddhaṃ bhasmādhāraṃ prakalpayet /
kṣaume caivātiśuddhe vā dhanavad‍bhasma nikṣipet

prasthito bhasma gṛhṇīyātsvayaṃ cānucaro'pi vā /
na cāyuktakare dadyānna cāśucitale kṣipet

na saṃspṛśettu nīcāṅ‌gairna kṣipenna ca laṅ‌ghayet /
tasmād‍bhasitamādāya viniyuñjīta mantritam

vibhūtidhāraṇavidhiḥ smṛtiprokto mayeritaḥ /
yadīyācaraṇenaiva śivatulyo na saṃśayaḥ

śaivaiḥ sampāditaṃ bhasma vaidikaiḥ śivasannidhau /
bhaktyā paramayā grāhyaṃ prārthayitvā tu pūjayet

tantroktavartmanā siddhaṃ bhasma tāntrikapūjakaiḥ /
yatrakutrāpi dattaṃ cettad‌grāhyaṃ naiva vaidikaiḥ

śūdraiḥ kāpālikairvātha pākhaṇḍairaparaistu tat /
tripuṇḍraṃ dhārayed‍bhaktyā manasāpi na laṅ‌ghayet

śrutyā vidhīyate yasmāttattyāgī patito bhavet /
tripuṇḍradhāraṇaṃ bhaktyā tathā dehāvaguṇṭhanam

dvijaḥ kuryāddhi mantreṇa tattyāgī patito bhavet /
uddhūlanaṃ tripuṇḍraṃ ca bhaktyā naivācaranti ye

teṣāṃ nāsti vinirmokṣaḥ saṃsārājjanmakoṭibhiḥ /
yena bhasmoktamārgeṇa dhṛtaṃ na munipuṅ‌gava

tasya viddhi mune janma niṣkalaṃ saukaraṃ yathā /
yeṣāṃ vapurmanuṣyāṇāṃ tripuṇḍreṇa vinā sthitam

śmaśānasadṛśaṃ tatsyānna prekṣyaṃ puṇyakṛjjanaiḥ /
dhigbhasmarahitaṃ bhālaṃ dhiggrāmamaśivālayam

dhiganīśārcanaṃ janma dhigvidyāmaśivāśrayām /
tripuṇḍraṃ ye vinindanti nindanti śivameva te

dhārayanti ca ye bhaktyā dhārayanti tameva te /
yathā kṛśānurahito bhūdharo na virājate

aśeṣasādhane'pyevaṃ bhasmahīnaṃ śivārcanam /
uddhūlanaṃ tripuṇḍraṃ ca śraddhayā nācaranti ye

taiḥ pūrvācaritaṃ sarvaṃ viparītaṃ bhavedapi /
bhasmanā vedamantreṇa tripuṇḍrasya ca dhāraṇam

vinā vedocitācāraṃ smārtasyānarthakāraṇam /
kṛtaṃ syādakṛtaṃ tena śrutamapyaśrutaṃ bhavet

adhītamanadhītaṃ ca tripuṇḍraṃ yo na dhārayet /
vṛthā vedā vṛthā yajñā vṛthā dānaṃ vṛthā tapaḥ

vṛthā vratopavāsena tripuṇḍraṃ yo na dhārayet /
bhasmadhāraṇakaṃ tyaktvā muktimicchati yaḥ pumān

viṣapānena nityatvaṃ kurute hyātmano hi saḥ /
sraṣṭā sṛṣṭicchalenāha tripuṇḍrasya ca dhāraṇam

sasarja sa lalāṭaṃ hi tiryagūrdhvaṃ na vartulam /
tiryagrekhāḥ pradṛśyante lalāṭe sarvadehinām

tathāpi mānavā mūrkhā na kurvanti tripuṇḍrakam /
na taddhyānaṃ na tanmokṣaṃ na tajjñānaṃ na tattapaḥ

vinā tiryaktripuṇḍraṃ ca vipreṇa yadanuṣṭhitam /
vedasyādhyayane śūdro nādhikārī yathā bhavet

tripuṇḍreṇa vinā vipro nādhikārī śivārcane /
prāṅ‌mukhaścaraṇau hastau prakṣālyācamya pūrvavat

prāṇānāyamya saṅ‌kalpya bhasmasnānaṃ samācaret /
ādāya bhasitaṃ śuddhamagnihotrasamud‍bhavam

īśānena tu mantreṇa svamūrdhani vinikṣipet /
tata ādāya tad‍bhasma mukhe ca puruṣeṇa tu

aghorākhyeṇa hṛdaye guhye vāmāhvayena ca /
sadyojātābhidhānena bhasma pādadvaye kṣipet

sarvāṅ‌gaṃ praṇavenaiva mantreṇoddhūlanaṃ tataḥ /
etadāgneyakaṃ snānamuditaṃ paramarṣibhiḥ

sarvakarmasamṛddhyarthaṃ kuryādādāvidaṃ budhaḥ /
tataḥ prakṣālya hastādīnupaspṛśya yathāvidhi

tiryaktripuṇḍraṃ vidhinā lalāṭe hṛdaye gale /
pañcabhirbrahmabhirvāpi kṛtena bhasitena ca

ghṛtametattripuṇḍraṃ syātsarvakarmasu pāvanam /
śūdrairantyajahastasthaṃ na dhāryaṃ bhasma ca kvacit

bhasmanā sāgnihotreṇa liptaḥ karma samācaret /
anyathā sarvakarmāṇi na phalanti kadācana

satyaṃ śaucaṃ japo homastīrthaṃ devādipūjanam /
tasya vyarthamidaṃ sarvaṃ yastripuṇḍraṃ na dhārayet

tripuṇḍradhṛgvipravaro yo rudrākṣadharaḥ śuciḥ /
sa hanti rogaduritavyādhidurbhikṣataskarān

samāpnoti paraṃ brahma yato nāvartate punaḥ /
sa paṅ‌ktipāvanaḥ śrāddhe pūjyo vipraiḥ surairapi

śrāddhe yajñe jape home vaiśvadeve surārcane /
dhṛtatripuṇḍraḥ pūtātmā mṛtyuṃ jayati mānavaḥ /
bhasmadhāraṇamāhātmyaṃ bhūyo'pi kathayāmi te

iti śrīmaddevībhāgavate mahāpurāṇe'ṣṭādaśasāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ ekādaśaskandhe
bhasmadhāraṇamāhāmyavarṇanaṃ nāma dvādaśo'dhyāyaḥ