Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.6.36
लिङ्गं च तापसाभीष्टं भस्मदण्डजटाजिनम् ।
अङ्गेन सन्ध्याभ्ररुचा चन्द्रलेखां च बिभ्रतम् ॥ ३६ ॥
liṅgaṁ ca tāpasābhīṣṭaṁ
[lingam cha taapasaabheeshtam]
bhasma-daṇḍa-jaṭājinam
[bhasma-danda-jataajinam]
aṅgena sandhyābhra-rucā
[angena sandhyaabhra-ruchaa]
candra-lekhāṁ ca bibhratam
[chandra-lekhaam cha bibhratam]
Word-for-word
liṅgam
—
symptom
ca
—
and
tāpasa-abhīṣṭam
—
desired by Śaivite ascetics
bhasma
—
ashes
daṇḍa
—
staff
jaṭā
—
matted hair
ajinam
—
antelope skin
aṅgena
—
with his body
sandhyā-ābhra
—
reddish
rucā
—
colored
candra-lekhām
—
the crest of a half-moon
ca
—
and
bibhratam
—
bearing.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
liṅgaṁ ca tāpasābhīṣṭaṁ
liṅgam
symptom
ca
and
tāpasa-abhīṣṭam
desired by Śaivite ascetics
bhasma
ashes
bhasma-daṇḍa-jaṭājinam
daṇḍa
staff
jaṭā
matted hair
ajinam
antelope skin
aṅgena sandhyābhra-rucā
aṅgena
with his body
sandhyā-ābhra
reddish
rucā
colored
candra-lekhāṁ ca bibhratam
candra-lekhām
the crest of a half-moon
ca
and
bibhratam
bearing.
He was seated on a deerskin and was practicing all forms of austerity. Because his body was smeared with ashes, he looked like an evening cloud. On his hair was the sign of a half-moon, a symbolic representation.
Purport
Lord Śiva’s symptoms of austerity are not exactly those of a Vaiṣṇava. Lord Śiva is certainly the number one Vaiṣṇava, but he exhibits a feature for a particular class of men who cannot follow the Vaiṣṇava principles. The Śaivites, the devotees of Lord Śiva, generally dress like Lord Śiva, and sometimes they indulge in smoking and taking intoxicants. Such practices are never accepted by the followers of Vaiṣṇava rituals.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
He was the symbol of the Śaivites, dressed in deer skin, with matted hair, staff, reddish limbs smeared with ashes, and bearing the crescent moon.
Tāpasa refers to Śaivites. Sanhyabhra-rucā means reddish.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Śiva sits on a deerskin, smeared with ashes, signaling austerity to those who can't yet follow stricter Vaiṣṇava norms. Sometimes spiritual leaders take on rough externals to meet people where they are.
Reflection Questions
- Where do I judge a teacher or friend by externals without understanding the audience they serve?
- Which 'ashes' am I wearing as a form of austerity that genuinely supports my practice?
My note
Source: vedabase.io