Let me share with you the sacred account as revealed in the scriptures: Among the twice-born, those learned ones who cover themselves with ash are instantly freed from even the most terrible sins, those arising from great transgressions—such is the certainty proclaimed. This ash is not ordinary; it is known as the supreme power of Rudra’s fire. Therefore, whoever is adorned with ash at all times possesses that divine power. For one established in ash, all faults are destroyed by the union of ash and fire. When the mind is purified by bathing in ash, such a person is regarded as truly established in ash. One whose entire body is smeared with ash, who bears the shining three lines of ash, and who bathes in ash is remembered as established in ash by the wise. Ghosts, spirits, demons, and even the most unbearable diseases flee from the presence of one established in ash—there is no doubt in this. The ash is called ‘bhasma’ because it illumines and consumes impurities. It is the essence and maker of being, the highest protection, the giver of safety. What more can be said about its greatness? Even the god Maheshvara himself, steadfast in his vows, bathes in ash. This ash, belonging to the Supreme Lord, is the highest weapon of the Shaivas. It was by the power of this ash that the calamities which beset Dhaumya’s elder brother during his austerities were averted. Therefore, with utmost effort, after performing the Pashupata vow, one should gather ash as if it were precious wealth and be devoted to bathing in it. Now, let us turn to the story of Dhaumya’s elder brother, Shushuna. Driven by the desire for milk, Shushuna performed intense austerities. In response, the god with the trident—Shiva—granted him the ocean of milk. How did this child come to expound the teachings of Shiva, and how did he become steadfast in austerity, realizing the true nature of Shiva? And how, through his austerities, did he obtain the supreme power of Rudra’s fire—the ash that protects? This was no ordinary child performing austerity. He was Upamanyu, the son of the eminent sage Vyaghrapada, wise among sages. In a previous birth, Upamanyu had achieved perfection by some cause, but by destiny had fallen from his own state and was born as a sage’s son. Through the favor of Mahadeva and his own good fortune, he undertook austerity, prompted by the desire for milk. Thus, together with the ocean of milk, Shankara himself granted Upamanyu lordship over all the hosts and eternal youth. The knowledge of the sacred tradition was bestowed upon him solely through the grace of Śaṅkara, for the supreme knowledge—directly manifest—belongs to Kumāra and is full of power. Upamanyu’s role as a proclaimer of Shiva’s teachings was established by this grace. Kumāra, having received the ocean of knowledge from the sage, was like Nandana, radiant and wise. The cause of Upamanyu’s absorption in the knowledge of Shiva was his mother’s words, which arose from her sorrow—just as milk is produced from its source. Once, while staying at his uncle’s hermitage, Upamanyu drank only a little milk, feeling jealous as he saw his cousin fully satisfied with excellent milk. After drinking as much as he wished, and seeing his uncle’s son content, Upamanyu, the son of Vyāghrapāda, joyfully spoke to his mother: “Mother, O greatly fortunate ascetic, give me cow’s milk. I do not wish to drink a little, lukewarm milk; I desire the very sweet kind.” Hearing her son’s words, Upamanyu’s ascetic mother, the wife of Vyāghrapāda, was overcome with sorrow. Embracing her son with great affection, she lamented, recalling her own poverty. Upamanyu, remembering and forgetting, again and again, pleaded with his mother, “Give, give,” shining greatly like Rudra. Recognizing his insistence, the ascetic wife of the sage devised a gentle means to quiet his demand. She saw some seeds she had obtained by gleaning, ground them, mixed them with water, and spoke softly. Calling her son kindly, she said, “Come, come, my child,” embraced him, and, afflicted with sorrow, gave him the artificial milk. After drinking the milk his mother had given him, the boy, greatly distressed, said, “This is not milk.” Seeing him thus, his sorrowful mother smelled his head, wiped his lotus-like eyes with her hands, and spoke: “There are rivers filled with jewels, accessible in heaven and the netherworld; but those without fortune and those lacking devotion to Śiva do not see them. Kingdom, heaven, liberation, or food produced from milk—none of these dear things are attained by those for whom Śiva is not pleased. All comes from the grace of Bhava; nothing arises from the favor of other gods. Those devoted to other deities, afflicted by suffering, wander in delusion. How can we, always dwelling in the forest, obtain milk here? Where is the means for milk, child? Where are we, forest-dwellers? Because of utter poverty and being bereft of fortune, I have given you this milk, falsely mixed and churned with water. At your maternal uncle’s house, you drank a little pure, sweet, boiled milk; knowing its taste, you drank it, and now you remember that same kind. Saying, ‘This is not milk that was given,’ you cry and cause me sorrow; without the grace of Śambhu, you have no milk. Whatever is offered with devotion to the lotus feet of Sāmbā and his attendants—that is the cause of all prosperity. Now, we have not worshipped Mahādeva with wealth; he grants the fruits as spoken, according to the desires of those who seek them. We have not previously worshipped Śiva here with the aim of gaining wealth; therefore, we have become poor, and thus you have no milk.” Thus, through his mother’s words and the hardship of poverty, Upamanyu was inspired to seek Shiva’s grace, leading him to the supreme knowledge and the protective power of ash.