Vibhuti
Encyclopedia
Vibhuti is a word that has several meanings in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

.

Sacred ash

Vibhuti is the sacred ash used in religious worship in Hinduism. The main ingredient of Vibuthi is a special kind of wood, but several other substances, such as milk and ghee, prescribed in scriptures are also added. These substances are burned in a sacred fire (Homa
Homa (ritual)
Homa is a Sanskrit word which refers to any ritual in which making offerings into a consecrated fire is the primary action...

). Vibhuti is placed on the forehead as it is considered sacred and holy. Many devotees add an amount to the tongue to receive the blessings of the deity.

The ash has several symbolic meanings:
  • When eaten, Vibuthi imparts the blessings (Sanskrit: adhishthana) of the divine.
  • Placed on the forehead of devotees, it serves as a sectarian mark (tilaka
    Tilaka
    200px|thumb|right|Indian woman with tilaka and [[Bindi |bindi]]In Hinduism, the tilaka or tika or tilak is a mark worn on the forehead and other parts of the body...

    ).
  • In worship connected with Lord Shiva
    Shiva
    Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

     it is a symbol of purity and is one of the main sacraments given at pūjā in all Śaivite temples and shrines.
  • It serves as a reminder to the believer to cast away selfish and worldly desires that wrap the self
    Atman (Hinduism)
    Ātman is a Sanskrit word that means 'self'. In Hindu philosophy, especially in the Vedanta school of Hinduism it refers to one's true self beyond identification with phenomena...

     in maya
    Maya (illusion)
    Maya , in Indian religions, has multiple meanings, usually quoted as "illusion", centered on the fact that we do not experience the environment itself but rather a projection of it, created by us. Maya is the principal deity that manifests, perpetuates and governs the illusion and dream of duality...

    , and calls to mind the story of how Shiva
    Shiva
    Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

     burned Kama (the god of desire) to ashes when Kama attempted to break Shiva's focus on the Divine Truth.

Glorious attributes

Vibhuti may refer to glorious attributes of the divine, and in this context is translated as 'all pervading', 'superhuman power', 'wealth' and so on.

The ash of any burnt object is not regarded as holy ash. Bhasma (the holy ash) is the ash from the Homa
Homa (ritual)
Homa is a Sanskrit word which refers to any ritual in which making offerings into a consecrated fire is the primary action...

 (sacrificial fire) where special wood along with ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

 and other herbs is offered as worship of the Lord. Or the deity is worshipped by pouring ash as abhisheka
Abhisheka
Abhisheka is a Sanskrit term comparable to puja, yagya and arati that denotes: a devotional activity; an enacted prayer, rite of passage and/or religious rite or ritual...

 and is then distributed as bhasma. Bhasma is generally applied on the forehead. Some apply it on other parts of the body, like the upper arms, chest, etc.

The word bhasma means “that by which our sins are destroyed and the Lord is remembered". ”Bha” implies Bhartsana (“to destroy”) and “sma” implies smaranam (“to remember”). The application of Bhasma therefore signifies destruction of the evil and remembrance of the divine. Bhasma is called Vibhuti (“glory”) as it gives glory to one who applies it and raksha (which means a source of protection) as it protects the wearer from ill health and evil, by purifying him or her. The ash we apply indicates that we should burn false identification with body and become free of the limitations of birth and death. It also reminds us that the body is perishable and shall one day be reduced to ashes. As death can come at any moment, this awareness must increase our drive to make the best use of time. This is not to be misconstrued as a morose reminder of death, but as a powerful pointer towards the fact that time and tide wait for none.

Bhasma
Bhasma
Bhasma in Ayurveda has been defined as a substance obtained by calcination.Use of both bhasma as well as in pishti form along with appropriate herbs for treatment of critical ailments is a medicinal preparation in Ayurveda and to some extent Unani Bhasma in Ayurveda has been defined as a...

 is specially associated with Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

, who applies it all over His body. According to Hindu mythology Vibhuti or Bhasma
Bhasma
Bhasma in Ayurveda has been defined as a substance obtained by calcination.Use of both bhasma as well as in pishti form along with appropriate herbs for treatment of critical ailments is a medicinal preparation in Ayurveda and to some extent Unani Bhasma in Ayurveda has been defined as a...

 is said to be favorite to Lord Shiva and that's why He is often called Vibhuti Bhushan (the one having ash as his ornament). Shiva devotees apply bhasma as a tripundra
Tripundra
Tripundra or பட்டை / Pattai in Tamil is a saivite tilaka. 'Tripundra' refers to the three mukti. tri means three, pundra means one which is released. There are three horizontal lines of vibhuti on the brow, often with a dot as the third eye. The three lines represent the soul's three bonds:...

 (the form of three lines). When applied with a red spot in the centre, the mark symbolises Shiva-Shakti (the unity of energy and matter that creates the entire seen and unseen universe).

Ash is what remains when all the wood is burnt away and it does not decay. Similarly, the Lord is imperishable Truth that remains when the entire creation of innumerable names and forms is dissolved.

Bhasma is believed to have medicinal value and is used in many ayurvedic medicines. It absorbs excess moisture from the body and prevents colds and headaches. The Upanishad
Upanishad
The Upanishads are philosophical texts considered to be an early source of Hindu religion. More than 200 are known, of which the first dozen or so, the oldest and most important, are variously referred to as the principal, main or old Upanishads...

s say that the famous Mrutyunjaya mantra should be chanted whilst applying ash on the forehead, thus:
“Tryambakam yajaamahe sugandhim pushtivardhanam Urvaarukamiva bandhanat mrutyor muksheeya maa amritaat !!”

“We worship the three-eyed Lord Shiva who nourishes and spreads fragrance in our lives. May He free us from the shackles of sorrow, change and death effortlessly, like the fall of a ripe cucumber from its stem !!”


In yajna
Yajna
In Hinduism, yajna is a ritual of sacrifice derived from the practice of Vedic times. It is performed to please the gods or to attain certain wishes...

 only wood is burnt, since cow dung is not considered sufficiently sacred to be used in yajna. Mostly sandalwood
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is the name of a class of fragrant woods from trees in the genus Santalum. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and unlike many other aromatic woods they retain their fragrance for decades. As well as using the harvested and cut wood in-situ, essential oils are also extracted...

 or shami wood
Prosopis cineraria
Prosopis cineraria is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to arid portions of Western and South Asia, such as the Arabian and Thar Deserts...

 is used in yajnas.

Paranormal powers

Vibhuti (powers) can refer to paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...

 powers that some believe can be developed by yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...

 practices.

Vibhuti Pada

Patanjali
Patañjali
Patañjali is the compiler of the Yoga Sūtras, an important collection of aphorisms on Yoga practice. According to tradition, the same Patañjali was also the author of the Mahābhāṣya, a commentary on Kātyāyana's vārttikas on Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī as well as an unspecified work of medicine .In...

 in the Vibhuti Pada of the Yoga Sutras, mentions many different vibhutis:
  • Knowledge of the past and future
  • Understanding the sounds (language) of all beings
  • Knowledge of previous existences
  • Knowing the minds of others
  • Invisibility
    Invisibility
    Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be invisible . The term is usually used as a fantasy/science fiction term, where objects are literally made unseeable by magical or technological means; however, its effects can also be seen in the real...

  • Suspending the ability of the body to be heard, touched, tasted, or smelled
  • Foreknowledge of the time of death
  • Strength of any attitude (such as friendliness)
  • Super strength (such as the strength of an elephant)
  • Knowledge of subtle, hidden, remote things
  • Knowledge of worlds, realms, universes, etc.
  • Knowledge of the arrangement of stars, planets, etc.
  • Knowledge of the movement of stars, planets, etc.
  • Knowledge of the arrangement of systems in the body
  • Freedom from hunger and thirst
  • Attainment of steadiness or immobility
  • Visions of Siddha
    Siddha
    A Siddha सिद्ध in Sanskrit means "one who is accomplished" and refers to perfected masters who, according to Hindu belief, have transcended the ahamkara , have subdued their minds to be subservient to their Awareness, and have transformed their bodies into a different kind of body dominated by...

    s (perfected beings)
  • Knowledge of anything and everything
  • Knowledge of the mind
  • Knowledge of pure consciousness (purusha
    Purusha
    In some lineages of Hinduism, Purusha is the "Self" which pervades the universe. The Vedic divinities are interpretations of the many facets of Purusha...

    )
  • Psychic hearing, touch, vision, taste, and smell
  • Entering and controlling the bodies of others
  • Ability to float or walk on water, swamps, thorns, and other such objects
  • Ability to glow or radiate light around the body
  • Super hearing (hearing at vast distances)
  • Ability to fly
  • Mastery over the elements (earth, water, fire, air, space)
  • Making the body atomically small, indestructible, perfect
  • Perfection of the body in beauty, strength, grace, and brilliance
  • Mastery over the senses
  • Quickness of the mind, perception with the senses
  • Supremacy over all states of existence, omnipotence
  • Higher knowledge
  • Discriminating knowledge
  • Absolute freedom (kaivalyam)

Vibhuti Yoga in the Gita

In Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...

, titled Vibhuti Yoga, Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

 uses the term vibhuti to describe divine attributes such as magnificence, splendour, glory and prosperity.

As a personal name

Vibhuti (variant Vibhute) is used as surname in northern parts of Indian subcontinent, mostly by members of the Agrahari
Agrahari
Agrahari is a Hindu caste and trading community found in North India. They are also known as Baniya, Vaishya or Gupta.-History and origin:The Agrahari belong to Kashyap/Kuchchal Gotra in the Vaish community...

 community and also this is a common name in Bangla-spoken part of India.
The Bengali Writer Vibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay (often written as "Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay")'s book 'Pather Panchali' (The Song of the Road) was adapted into a film by Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...

.

See also

  • Abhijna
    Abhijna
    Abhijñā has been translated generally as "knowing," "direct knowing" and "direct knowledge" or, at times more technically, as "higher knowledge" and "supernormal knowledge." In Buddhism, such knowing and knowledge is obtained through virtuous living and meditation...

  • Ash Wednesday
    Ash Wednesday
    Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...

  • Iddhi
    Iddhi
    Iddhi is a Buddhist term which refers to supernormal powers. These powers are physical, as opposed to mental...

  • Sathya Sai Baba movement
    Sathya Sai Baba movement
    The Sathya Sai Baba movement is inspired by South Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba who teaches the unity of all religions. Some of his followers have faith in his claim to be a purna Avatar of Shiva and Shakti, who is believed to have been predicted in the Bhagavad Gita. This means that some of his...

  • Siddhi
    Siddhi
    is a Sanskrit noun that can be translated as "perfection", "accomplishment", "attainment", or "success". The term is first attested in the Mahabharata. In the Pancatantra, a siddhi may be any unusual skill or faculty or capability...

  • Yoga Sutras

Further reading

  • Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dallapiccola
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