He {Shiva} smears his body with ashes.
One of the
lesser known names of Shiva is Bhashmeshwar Mahadev. I like to call him with
this name.
Ashes
signify the ultimate
reality of this material world. Everything in this world is destined to perish;
nothing is permanent; only a Mahadev can understand this fully.
Than it is up to the person how much he wants
to get attached to or chase material things. A person can only take his virtues
and vices with him and no material thing.
He {Shiva}
lives in the cremation grounds.
The cremation grounds represent or are a
symbolic meaning for a place not everyone wants to
frequent.
People
want to go to places where they can make money or for some
entertainment.
Staying in
a cremation ground represents Indifference and disenchantment with all worldly
things that is Freeing
from false belief or illusions of this material world.
By the metaphor of smearing his body with
ashes and staying in the cremation grounds the Mahadev sets an example of
voluntarily detaching oneself from the material world and hence earned his
name--The Bhashmeshwar Mahadev.
One has to
detach from the material world to recognize his true potential.
