Vibhuti is a Sanskrit word that means “power”.
Sacred ash with which worshippers of the deity Shiva (bhakta) brand their bodies, generally in three horizontal lines (tripundra).
The three lines are said to represent the three prongs of
Shiva's trident in one interpretation, and Shiva's third eye in another.
In a variety of circumstances, ash is linked with Shiva.
On the one hand, he is said to smear ashes from the cremation ground all over his body, indicating his disregard for all conventional distinctions between purity and impurity (ashaucha); the ash could also represent Shiva's destruction of Kama, the god of love, who is reduced to ash by Shiva's third eye.
Vibhuti was traditionally manufactured from wood ash filtered through cloth until it was as fine as talcum powder.
This is still done today, especially by ascetics who utilize
the ash from a dhuni, or smoldering ascetic fire, which is considered to give
the ash a holy nature; in contemporary times, vibhuti is sold in religious
supply shops.
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