Vibhuti (Sanskrit : vibhūti ; Tamil : Thiruneeru ) is a word that has
several meanings in Hinduism. Generally, it is used to denote the
sacred ash which is made of burnt dried wood in Vedic rituals. The Hindu
devotees make a paste by mixing vibhuhti with water and apply it as
three horizontal lines across the forehead and other parts of the body
to please Lord Shiva. Vibhuthi smeared across the forehead to the end of
both eyebrows is called Tripundra. .
Meaning:
In
Sanskrit, Bhoothi means Aishwaryam, meaning wealth, treasure, precious.
Vi-bhoothi with an Upasarga (preposition "vi") means very or more
valuable. The synonyms of Vibhuhti in Sanskrit as said in the
Amara-kosha is "Vibhuthi: bhoothi: Aishwaryam".Vibhuhti can also be
called as Bhoothi,Aishwaryam,Basma etc.,.
Sacred ash:
Vedic
scriptures say as follows "Lalaata Shoonyam Smashaana Tulyam",which
means that "an empty forehead is comparable to a cemetery". So, Hindus
pay special attention that their forehead is smeared with vibhooti and
it remains all the time over their body in a day. Even the Almighty Lord
Shiva who sports vibhuti all the time stands as an example to his
followers that however one be considered as great person in this mortal
world,he needs to smear his forehead and the body with holy ash prepared
from a special kind of wood as he does (Lord Shiva) in the Immortal
adobe of Kailasa. So,it is considered by vedic scholars that even great
saints,seers,yogis and the like should wear vibhuthi all the time over
forehead and other parts of the body in form of three lines to make a
Tripundra. Vibhuthi smeared horizontally to make three parallel lines
with forefinger,middle finger and ring finger across the forehead &
other parts of the body like chest,stomach,arms,elbows,wrists etc is
called as Tripundra.It is mandatory for the devotees of Lord Shiva to
have Tripundra over their body all the time.A person who smears Vibhuthi
purifies himself from sins and also removes the sins of persons who
looks at him besmeared with Vibhuthi or theeruneru.
The great
saint Thiru Gyaana Sambandar did many wonders with Vibhuthi and he
expounds the greatness of Vibhuti in one of his Pathigams called
"Thiruneetru Pathigam" as follows,
Mandhira maavadhu neeru| Vaanavar meeladhu neeru ||
Sundhara maavadhu neeru |Thudhikkap paduvadhu neeru ||
Thandhira maavadhu neeru| Chamayaththil ullaadhu neeru ||
Senthuvar vaayumai pangan|Thiruaalavaayaan Thiruneerae ||
Meaning:
Mantra is the ash; Higher than heavenly people is the ash; Beauty is
the ash; Praised is the ash; Technique is the ash; In the religion is
the ash; The Lord of Thiruaalavaay (Lord Sundareshwarar,Madurai) who
share the body with the red lipped Parvathi - His Holy Ash.
Panchakshara mantra and the above Pathigam are generally recited by
devotees while smearing Vibhuthi.Winning the Jains in the challenge on
fire Thirugnana Sambandhar sang the above marvelous hymn Thiruppaachuram
explaining the king and the world the limitless grace and glory of Lord
Shiva and won the Jains in the water challenge.Thiru Gyana sambandar
won the Jains and re-converted the king and his people back to Shaivism
by Vibhuthi reciting the above Pathigam.
Vibhuthi of Vaitheeswaran Koil and Thiruchendur Murugan Temple is famous for curing many incurable diseases.
Vibhuti is the sacred ash used in religious worship in Hinduism.The
main ingredient of Vibuthi is a special kind of wood. It is burned in a
sacred fire (Homa) to form white ash. Vibhuti is placed on the forehead
as it is considered sacred and holy.
Scriptures say that Vibhuthi
should not be wasted by spilling it in on floor or walls after
receiving it as a Prasaad (consecrated substance) from a Shiva Temple.
Goddess Bhoomi Devi (the Goddess of Earth) cannot tolerate the weight of
certain substances. They are Vibhuthi, Tulsi (basil) leaves, Sacred
Deepa (lamp), Sacred Thread etc., due to their sacredness. So,they are
kept over a Asanam (throne) to give respect to those articles. They are
not kept on the floor directly.
The ash has several symbolic meanings:
It serves as a reminder to the believer to cast away selfish and
worldly desires that wrap the self in maya, and calls to mind the story
of how Shiva burned Kama (the god of desire) to ashes when Kama
attempted to break Shiva's focus on the Divine Truth
Normally
worn along with red tilaka. Vibhuti relates to Shiva and Red tilaka to
Shakti. Reminds that Shiva and Shakti form the universe and everything
is though the union of Shiva and Shakti.
Glorious attributes
Vibhuti may refer to glorious attributes of the divine, and in this
context is translated as 'all pervading', 'superhuman power', 'wealth'
and so on.
The ash of any burnt object is not regarded as holy
ash.Vibhuti (AKA Bhasma,Thiruneeru,the holy ash) is the ash from the
Homa (consecrated fire) where wood is used to perform the ritual. Or the
deity is worshipped by pouring ash as abhisheka and is then distributed
as Prassad to devotees. Bhasma is generally applied on the
forehead,neck,chest,arms,stomach elbow,wrists etc.,. Some apply it on
other parts of the body, like the knees,toes,scalp etc.,.It is
considered very auspicious for the hindus especially shaiva sect of
people to smear vibhuthi all over the body.
Sri Adi Shankaracharya praises the greatness of Vibhuthi Of Lord Murugan in his "Sri Subramnaya Bhujanga Stotra" as follows ,
ApasmAra kushta kshayArsha prameha|
JvaronmAdha gulmAdhi rogA mahAntha||
PishAchAshcha sarve bhavatpatra bhoothim|
Vilokya kshanAth tArakAre dravanthe|| (Shloka no.25)
Meaning:
Oh Conqueror of Taraka! Severe epilepsy, leprosy, consumption, lung
diseases, venereal diseases, fevers, mental diseases of all types, they
run away the moment they see Thy Vibhuti contained in a leaf.
The
word bhasma means “that by which our sins are destroyed and the Lord is
remembered". ”Bha” implies Bhartsana (“to destroy”) and “sma” implies
smaranam (“to remember”). The application of Bhasma therefore signifies
destruction of the evil and remembrance of the divine. Bhasma is called
Vibhuti (“glory”) as it gives glory to one who applies it and raksha
(which means a source of protection) as it protects the wearer from ill
health and evil, by purifying him or her. The ash we apply indicates
that we should burn false identification with body and become free of
the limitations of birth and death. It also reminds us that the body is
perishable and shall one day be reduced to ashes. As death can come at
any moment, this awareness must increase our drive to make the best use
of time. This is not to be misconstrued as a morose reminder of death,
but as a powerful pointer towards the fact that time and tide wait for
none.
Bhasma is specially associated with Lord Shiva, who applies
it all over His body. According to Hindu mythology Vibhuti or Bhasma is
said to be favorite to Lord Shiva and that's why He is often called
Vibhuti Bhushan (the one having ash as his ornament). Shiva devotees
apply bhasma as a tripundra (the form of three lines). When applied with
a red spot in the centre, the mark symbolises Shiva-Shakti (the unity
of energy and matter that creates the entire seen and unseen universe).
Ash is what remains when all the wood is burnt away and it does not
decay. Similarly, the Lord is imperishable Truth that remains when the
entire creation of innumerable names and forms is dissolved.
Bhasma is believed to have medicinal value and is used in many ayurvedic
medicines. It absorbs excess moisture from the body and prevents colds
and headaches.
The Upanishads say that the famous Mrutyunjaya mantra should be chanted whilst applying ash on the forehead, thus:
“Om Tryambakam yajaamahe sugandhim pushtivardhanam Urvaarukamiva bandhanat mrutyor muksheeya maamritaat !!”
“We worship the three-eyed Lord Shiva who nourishes and spreads
fragrance in our lives. May He free us from the shackles of sorrow,
change and death effortlessly, like the fall of a ripe cucumber from its
stem!!”
In yajna vibhuti is considered very sacred and is used
as fuel to burn the offerings like ghee,milk,curd,rice,holy twigs
etc.,in Lord Agni who carries the offerings to the respective devata in a
yajna.The residue left over which is white in colour is considered as
vibhuthi and is given to the devotees as prasaad for daily use to please
Lord Shiva.
Common Adulterants used in Manufacturing:
Many Vibhuthi Manufacturers these days adulterate their Vibhuthi product
with Jersey and Friesian's animals dung ashes, rice bran ashes, rice
husk ashes, boiler waste ashes, Thermal Power plant ashes, Bio-gas
energy plants, white stone powder, paper cellulose, calcium carbonate,
paints, chemicals, etc... These substances make them unfit for spiritual
use. Due to lack of knowledge and awareness, the above adulterants are
used by the manufacturers to gain a huge profit, as they are cheaply
available and are considered as waste by-products by various industries.
Many people have developed skin allergies with the use of these
adulterated Vibhuthi. Special care needs to be taken by the Shiva
devotees that Vibhuthi is without adulterants and is prepared in a
traditional way (from wood) to gain the benefits of smearing Vibhuthi.
