No matter whether one is noble or base, weighed down by every imaginable sin, tainted by the errors of dawn, ignorant, or fallen—there is hope for all. Wherever the sacred command of Bhūti is observed, that place becomes sanctified; all the holy fords and sacrifices converge there, and the divine presence is firmly established. A living being adorned with the three lines of ash, the tripuṇḍra, is honored by all gods and demons alike. Even if sinful, such a person is pure in soul—and all the more so if endowed with faith. Wherever a knower of Śiva, who observes the command of Bhūti, happens to go—even by chance—all sacred fords gather at that place. What more can be said? The wise should always bear the sacred ash, and they should worship the liṅga and recite the six-syllabled mantra without fail. The greatness of wearing ash cannot be fully described, not even by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, sages, or gods. Even one who has abandoned the duties of caste and stage of life, or whose caste rites are lost, is freed from sin by merely wearing the tripuṇḍra once. Those who, neglecting the wearer of ash, perform rituals—such people will not attain liberation from saṃsāra, even after millions of births. Whatever has been learned from the teacher, whatever has been performed, is all in vain for a brāhmaṇa who does not mark his head with the tripuṇḍra of ash. Those who, upon seeing a wearer of ash, commit violence against him—the wise know that their birth is lower than that of a caṇḍāla. A brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya, if devoted, should apply ash consecrated with the mantra ‘mānastokena’ to the prescribed limbs. A vaiśya should use the Triyambaka mantra, and a śūdra the Pañcākṣara; for others, widows, and women, the rule is as for the śūdra. For a householder, the application is prescribed with mantras beginning with the five Brahmas; for a brahmacārin, with the Triyambaka mantra. For one dwelling in the forest, the rule is with the Aghora mantra; a renunciant should make the tripuṇḍra and other marks with the Praṇava alone. One who transcends caste and stage of life through supreme contemplation, declaring ‘I am Śiva,’ as well as the Śiva yogī, should regularly apply it with the Īśāna mantra. The supreme wearing of ash is never to be abandoned by any caste; for others too, as long as life lasts, this is the command of Śiva. As many particles of ash as remain on one’s body after bathing in ash, so many liṅgas of Śiva does the wearer bear. Brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, mixed castes, women, widows, children, and even heretics—whether celibate student, householder, forest-dweller, renunciant, or one observing vows, and women as well—those who bear the marks of ash and tripuṇḍra are liberated, without doubt. Just as fire burns equally, whether fueled by knowledge or ignorance, so too does ash, worn with knowledge or ignorance, purify a person completely. One should not eat even a little water or food without wearing ash or tripuṇḍra; if one does so—whether householder, forest-dweller, king, renunciant, or of mixed caste—one goes to hell. However, by reciting the Gāyatrī, those of the prescribed castes, and for renunciants by reciting the chief Praṇava, are freed. Those who revile the tripuṇḍra revile Śiva himself; those who wear it with devotion truly wear him. Shame be upon a forehead without ash, shame upon a village that is not a dwelling of Śiva, shame upon worship of the Lord that is not genuine, and shame upon knowledge rooted in what is not Śiva. Those who revile the great Lord—the support of the three worlds, the destroyer—and those who revile the act of wearing tripuṇḍra, merely seeing them brings fault. They are born as outcastes, pigs, demons, donkeys, dogs, jackals, and worms, utterly sinful and destined only for hell. If such people are seen by the moon or sun, by night or day, or even in a dream, one should at once recite the Rudra Sūkta from the Vedas; by doing so, one is freed. Through respectful conversation with the virtuous, one is delivered from hell. But those who revile the practice of wearing ash and the like are certainly bound for hell. O sage, one who is not a follower of the Tantras, nor authorized, but wears the upward-marked tripuṇḍra or the mark of a heated disc, is excluded from Śiva’s sacrifices. There are many people, as taught in the Bṛhadjābāla, who are to be carefully examined; only those devoted to ash should be accepted. If ash is mixed with sandalwood or sandal paste and applied as tripuṇḍra, nothing else should ever be placed above the ash on the forehead, if one has discernment. Women should wear the tripuṇḍra up to the hairline; ash should be worn by twice-born and others, as well as widows. Likewise, those in the four stages of life should always wear clear vibhūti, which grants liberation and destroys all sins. Whoever properly applies the tripuṇḍra with ash according to the rite is freed from the mass of great sins and also from lesser transgressions. Whether celibate student, householder, forest-dweller, renunciant; whether brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, or even the fallen and lowest—by properly applying the sprinkling and tripuṇḍra with ash, they become pure, having cast off the heap of sins. Especially, the wearer of ash is freed from the sins of killing women or cows, and from the sins of killing a hero or a horse—there is no doubt of this. Stealing another’s property, touching another’s wife, slandering others, taking another’s field, and harming others; stealing crops or gardens, burning houses, and acts such as stealing cows, gold, buffaloes, sesame, blankets, or garments; taking food, grain, water, and the like from the lowly, and consorting with prostitutes, elephant-women, outcast women, and dancers; sexual union with menstruating women, maidens, or widows, and the sale of flesh, skin, marrow, or salt; slander, false accusation, and bearing false witness—such countless sins and offenses are instantly destroyed by the wearing of tripuṇḍra. Yet, the theft of Śiva’s offerings, blasphemy against Śiva anywhere, and the slander of Śiva’s devotees—these are not purified even by penances. One who wears rudrākṣa on his body and tripuṇḍra on his forehead, even if he is an outcaste, is to be honored as the best among all classes. Thus, the sacred ash and tripuṇḍra hold a unique and supreme place. Their observance brings purity, liberation, and the grace of Śiva, transcending all boundaries of caste, stage, and circumstance.