How Is Vibhuti Which Is Considered Divine In Hinduism As It Is Related To God Shiva Prepared

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Vibhuti or the Holy Ash is prepared by burning a mixture of the following ingredients. Cow dung, milk, ghee, sesame seeds,honey dried wood and 108 varieties of herbs and other substances. It is made by using Agamic rituals. It it used during the  worship of all the Gods, but it is especially important when praying to God Shiva. As it is connected to God Shiva it is considered as divine. God Shiva is always depicted as wearing Vibhuti or the holy ash on the forehead in three lines. The lines of Vibhuti or the holy ash which are three in number signify that only the inner spirit survives  after all the impurities and attachments have been burnt in the fire of knowledge and spiritual realization.

 

Vibhuti or holy ash also signifies immortality of the inner spirit and the supreme state of realization that is manifest in the form of  God Shiva. The destroyer in the trinity along with God Brahma the creator and God Maha Vishnu the provider. The use of Vibhuti or the holy ash signifies that the wearer of the Vibhuti is aware of the transitory or the temporary  nature of the phase of human life which he is going through and he has realized that the soul is the only survivor and the human body is like a clothing or a covering that is destroyed with time and  the end of the life of a person in that particular janma or life.

 

Vibhuti or the holy ash is also know as Bhasma or what remains when something is burnt. When something natural is burnt it turns into Bhasma or Ash. In Ayurveda which is the medicinal side of the Vedas, Vibhuti or the holy ash is said to have medicinal values and properties and is used to cure many ailments or illnesses. It is said to have the property of absorbing additional  moisture and is also said to prevent colds, cough and headache. Vibhuti or the holy ash is also used as prasad and is distributed to devotees in temples and during pujas.

 

Whenever one visits a temple one can definitely find Vibhuti or the holy ash in front of the deity  or in different places of the temple. Devotees especially those who pray and follow God Shiva wear Vibhuti or the holy ash mandatorily. In people and children who are suffering from ailments it is applied to the body so that it provides relief to the person who is suffering from the ailments. Whenever one visits a temple and visits his or her relatives he makes sure he takes the Vibhuti as prasad and offers to the family whom he is visiting.

 

It is also said that if one has Vibhuti as his first name it makes the individual  versatile and spontaneous and also helps the individual enjoy congenial relations. One more meaning of the term Vibhuti means greatness in general. It also means greatness and the name in girls in Hindi has a reference for Goddess Laxmi. It is said to also protect the wearer from all evil and negative forces as it is nothing but a shield from God Shiva to protect the body. It signifies humbleness and the reminds the person wearing it to behave humbly. It is worn in different parts of the body sometimes totally or in three lines. The places where it is applied are forehead, shoulders on the outer side, neck, hands on the outer side. The Naga Sadhus’s who pray God Shiva wear the Vibhuti on the holy ash on the whole body and completely cover it.

 

Vibhuti or the holy ash does not get damaged for many years and retains its medicinal properties too.  Vibhuti is a sanskrit word and it is also called as Thiruneeru and  Bhasma. One more thing which Vibhuti or holy ash signifies is the burning or destroying of our sins. Vibhuti is one of the important non milk outputs coming from the cow which is revered in Hinduism. The one who is wearing Vibhuti is honoring God Shiva. One more interesting point to not that God Shiva likes the peace and tranquility of the Smashana Vatika or places where bodies are burnt and does his meditation their too.

 

So one can find if one happens to visit any Smashana Vatika God Shiva occupying a place on a high pedestal performing meditation. This also shows what was discussed earlier that the world is a temporary place for the human soul in a particular Janma or birth and the  body is just a clothing worn by the individual in that particular Janma or birth and nothing more. Ones physical aspect is made from the earth and has to go back to the earth as Bhasma or ash.

 

God Shiva is also called Bhasmewaraya too. This is because he is covered with Vibhuti or the holy ash. Many of the Sadhus or devotees who pray to God Shiva can be seen wearing the Vibhuti or the holy ash and they also wear the Rudraksha Mala obtained from Rudra tree. Again Rudra is one more name of God Shiva. There are many temples across India and other parts of the world where devotees can obtain Vibhuti and benefit from its use all through the year.