VIBHUTI, THE HOLY ASH

"Holy Ash is a most sacred substance. Generally when anything is burned, the ash is dark in colour. Not so with the dung of the sacred cow when burned with milk. It burns to a clean, white ash which is regarded as holy by Hindus. Everything given by the Divine Mother in her form as Kamadenu, the milk cow, is considered as God's grace and blessing. Vibhuti has a special, godly cleansing force. When we put vibhuti on our foreheads it has the power to make the blood circulate correctly.

To receive vibhuti from an enlightened soul is a rare opportunity. Such vibhuti has the power to cure diseases, solve problems, relieve physical and mental pain and nullify the effects of past deeds."

Mother

The greatness of vibhuti or Holy Ash has been well known in the Hindu religion for thousands of years. Vibhuti is consecrated ash used essentially by devotees of Lord Shiva. Devotees of Lord Ganapati and Lord Muruga also use vibhuti. Smearing various parts of the body with Holy Ash is deemed to be the highest wealth in spiritual terms. Grey vibhuti powder represents the final stage of everything ("from dust to dust"). It is the reality that remains when desire and ego have been burnt by the fire of illumination. It symbolizes purity and renunciation of desires. It reminds us of the temporary nature of our physical body, which will, one day, be burnt to ashes after death. It also reminds us of the urgency to strive earnestly to go forward on the spiritual path and come close to God in this life itself.

The word vibhuti also means resplendence, power, glory, might and wealth.

Holy Ash is regarded as a most sacred substance. It is prepared by burning cow dung along with other precious items - milk, honey and ghee to name but a few. Often, when anything is burnt, the ash is of a dark colour. However the items burnt to make vibhuti form a clean, pure, white ash. Hindus consider this ash most holy. Everything given by the Divine Mother is regarded as God's grace and blessing. The milk cow is looked on as Gomata, a divine cow mother and milk is precious and sanctified. Milk itself symbolizes absolute purity.

Vibhuti has the capacity to retain all kinds of spiritual vibrations. It is said that the vibrations that emerge while chanting sacred mantras can be transmitted to the devotees through the means of the Holy Ash.

Vibhuti has special qualities, which give it cleansing and healing properties. When we apply vibhuti to our foreheads, it has the power to make the blood circulate correctly. We use the first three fingers of the right hand to apply vibhuti. There are magnetic energies connected within our bodies to these three fingers. Likewise there are specific energy meridians with similar qualities in the sixteen special places on the human body to which vibhuti can be applied, according to the Saivite philosophy (Saivites are those who worship Lord Shiva). The initiation of applying vibhuti on these 16 places is called Shiva Diksha.