Listen, O sage, to the sacred tradition regarding the holy ash and the tripuṇḍra, the three horizontal lines worn upon the body. A brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya who is devoted should apply consecrated ash to the prescribed limbs, invoking the mantra ‘mānastokena’ as laid down in the scriptures. For the vaiśya, the Triyambaka mantra is used, and for the śūdra, the Pañcākṣara. The same rule applies to others—widows and women—who should follow the practice prescribed for the śūdra. A householder is to apply the ash with mantras that begin with the five Brahmas, while a brahmacārin, the celibate student, uses the Triyambaka mantra. One who dwells in the forest, the vānaprastha, should follow the Aghora mantra, but a renunciant, the sannyāsin, is to make the tripuṇḍra and other sacred marks using only the Praṇava, the primordial Om. Yet, there is one who transcends all distinctions of caste and stage of life—who, by the supreme contemplation ‘I am Śiva,’ rises above all categories. Such a Śiva yogī should regularly apply the ash with the Īśāna mantra. The supreme wearing of holy ash is never to be abandoned by any caste; indeed, this is Śiva’s command for all, for as long as life lasts. When one bathes in ash, as many particles as remain upon the body, so many liṅgas of Śiva does the wearer bear. Brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, those of mixed caste, women, widows, children, and even heretics—no one is excluded. Whether a celibate student, householder, forest-dweller, renunciant, or one observing vows, and women as well—whoever bears the marks of ash and tripuṇḍra is liberated, without a doubt. Just as fire burns equally, whether it is fueled by knowledge or ignorance, so too does the holy ash—whether worn knowingly or unknowingly—purify a person completely. One should never eat or even drink a drop of water without first wearing the ash or the tripuṇḍra. If one does so—be he householder, forest-dweller, king, renunciant, or of mixed caste—he goes to hell. However, by reciting the Gāyatrī, those of the prescribed castes, and for renunciants by reciting the chief Praṇava, may be freed from this fault. Those who revile the tripuṇḍra revile Śiva himself, but those who wear it with devotion truly wear the Lord. Shame be upon the forehead not adorned with 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 that is not rooted in Śiva. Those who revile the great Lord—the support of the three worlds, the destroyer—and those who scorn the wearing of tripuṇḍra, bring impurity even by their mere sight. Such people are reborn as outcastes, pigs, demons, donkeys, dogs, jackals, and worms, utterly sinful and destined for hell. If such a person is 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 to be freed from the taint. Through respectful conversation with the virtuous, one is delivered from hell. Yet those who revile the practice of wearing ash and the like are surely bound for hell. O sage, one who is not a follower of the Tantras, nor authorized, but who 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 who are devoted to the holy 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 the twice-born and others, as well as widows. Likewise, those in all four stages of life should always wear clear vibhūti, for it 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, as well as from lesser transgressions. Whether celibate student, householder, forest-dweller, or 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. Sins such as 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—all these 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. He 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. Wherever there are holy places in this world, wherever there are rivers like the Gaṅgā, one who wears tripuṇḍra on the forehead is considered to have bathed in them all. Seven crore great mantras, headed by the pañcākṣara, and countless other mantras that lead to Śaiva liberation, and other mantras of the gods that bestow all happiness—all these become subject to him who bears tripuṇḍra. He who applies tripuṇḍra rescues a thousand of his ancestors and a thousand of his future descendants, as well as his own kin. Here in this world, he enjoys all pleasures, lives long, and is free from disease; at the end of life, he attains death with ease. Endowed with the eight qualities of prosperity and attaining a divine body, he ascends a celestial chariot, served by the gods. Among all the Vidyādharas, the mighty Gandharvas, and the guardians of the worlds led by Indra, he moves as he wishes in their realms. Enjoying abundant pleasures in the realms of the lords of creatures, attaining the abode of Brahmā, there he delights in a hundred maidens. There, enjoying pleasures for the span of Brahmā’s life, and in Viṣṇu’s world experiencing pleasures until a hundred Brahmā-ages pass, he finally attains Śiva’s world. There, obtaining his desired, inexhaustible wishes, he achieves union with Śiva—of this, there is no doubt.