34 - Praise of the Yogin 

The lord said: 

1. I shall recount to you the whole story in a nutshell. I am Agni (Fire god) the creator of Soma and I am Soma that resorts to Agni. 

2. Agni carries what is consigned to it by way of Homa. Since it rests in the world, the universe consisting of the mobile and immobile beings is often burned by it. 

3. Everything reduced to ashes becomes excellent and sacred. With ashes Soma attains power and rejuvenates living beings. 

4. He who performs the rite of oblation into the fire236 as also the rite of 'Tryāyuşha237 is liberated from sins due to the virtue of ashes which constitute power. 

236. agnikāryam-sacrificial rite, 

237. tryäyuşham-ash-bath by the mantra 'tryāyusham jamadagne' VS. 3. 62.  

5. The word Bhasman is derived from 'bhās' to shine, bhāsate-shines or from causal of bhū to cause to reach, nator from 'bhakşh' to eat, since it devours all sins it is called Bhasman. 

6. The Pitrus drink fire; Devas drink Soma. The entire universe of the mobile and immobile beings is ot the nature of Agni and Soma. 

7. I am Agni of great splendour This great Umā is Soma. I am Agni and Soma together. I am Purusha as well as Prakruti. 

8. Hence, Oblessed ones! the ashes constitute my virility. I hold my virility by my physical body. This is the fact. 

9. Ever since then, protection is afforded by the ashes. At times of inauspicious events and even in lying-in chambers it is resorted to for securing protection. 

10. One whose soul is purified by applying ashes over the body, one who has conquered anger and the sense-organs, never returns after coming near me. 

11. The holy Páśhupata yoga and the Sankhya of Kapila238 have been evolved by me. It was the excellent Pāśhupata rite that was evolved at the outset. 

238. Kapilam --Samkhya-śhāstrām ST, a system of philosophy founded by Kapila and known after his name. 

12. Persons occupying different stages of life have been created by Brahmã afterwards. This creation involving bash fulness, delusion and fear has been evolved by me. 

13. Devas and sages are verily born nude. The other human beings are also born nude. 

14. A man may be clad in silken garments. But if his sense-organs are not in control he is naked. But if his sense organs are subdued he himself is well covered (even if he does not put on clothes). The cloth is not regarded as the specific cause in these cases.239 

239. Mark the contribution of ethics to the Shaivite cult. 

15. Forgiveness, fortitude, non-violence, detachment, equal reaction in regard to honour and dishonour-all these constitute excellent covering for the body. 

16-17. One who has taken holy bath of ashes, one who after smearing ashes over the body, mentally meditates on Shiva, even if he has committed thousands of faults gets all his sins washed by the ash-bath in the manner as the fire burns the forest. He who strenuously takes holy bath of ashes thrice a day would áttain the status of the lord of Gaņas. 

18-21. Those who perform sacrifices,240 observe holy rites and meditate on the great lord with devout feelings about the divine sports of the lord, attain immortality by passing through, the noble northern path. Those who resort to the cremation ground, by means of the southern path, attain the eight perfections: Animā: Garimā, Laghimā, Prāpti, Kāmāvasāyitā, Prākāmya, Ishitva Vašhitva and also immortality (in the end).241 

240. kratûn--five great sacrifices (maboyajñas) described in Ch. 26, Verses 14-19 (p. 104) 

241. The eight siddhis (attainments of supernatural power) comprise (i)animä (the power of becoming as small as an atom), (ii) laghimā (the faculty of assuming excessive lightness at will), (iii) präptı (the power of obtaining everything), (iv) prākāmya (irresistible will) (v) mahimä (the power of increasing one's size at will), (vi) išhitva (supremacy), (vii) vashitva (the power of subduing all to one's own will) and (vii) kāmävasayità (the power of suppressing desire) The last one is sometimes substituted by sarvaji itd, Linga read, iccha-kamāvasãy tvam for kaavasāystvam. 

Some other siddhas such is died Shravana (hearing from a distance), agnistambha (checking the heat of the fee) are also added these for detail, see Vachaspati's Tatta-Kaumudi or Ishvarakrishna'. Sänkhya-Karikā) 

22 Indra and other Devas who had adopted the holy rite conducive to the realisation of all desires attained the greatest power and prosperity; all of them are well known for their splendour and refulgence. 

23. One shall be devoid of delusion, arrogance, passion and the defects of tamas and rajas in his character. Understanding that things of the world are subject to decay and destruction one shall always be devoted to the yoga of Pashupati.242 

242. Pashupati yoga- a concentrated devotion in lord Shiva, who is called pashupati, the lord of the pašhus (jivas) whom he binds with the pašhas (strains) of visava, object, of sense! (Rudra shiva of Ahekala cited in ST "B limited the pasavas tesam patila pashupati sentah" different state from Brahmä in min pases, bound with the nurse of Vishayas objects of world! Pleasure. Put each pašhu can get release by escaping these vishayas and by he concentrated meditate on Shiva. 

24-26. He should meditate on the vrata of Pashupati (Shiva) that is destructive of all sins. 

He who reads this, being pure and faithful, having conquered the sense-organs, shall become purified of all sins and shall go to Rudra's world. On hearing this all those sages, Vasishtha and others and all the excellent brahmins smeared their bodies with ashes and became freed of all desires at the end of the kalpa they started towards the world of Rudra. 

27. Hence even the deformed and dirty persons are worthy of worship and should not be censured Leading brahmins whether handsome or dirty should also be worshipped. They may be leading yogins 

28. Of what avail is much talk? Excellent brahmin devotees of Shiva should be worshipped by all means like Shiva himself.

29-31. Even dirty leading brahmins may be devotees of Shiva and steady in their rites. By divotion lo Shiva much can be achieved in the world in the manner of Dadhicha who could conquer even Vishnu the lord of Devas Hence by all means, those devotees with matted hair or tonsured head, or Maked anchorites, who have smeared their bodies with ashes should be worshipped always like Shiva himself mentally, verbally and physically.