कैलासशिखरं गत्वा गौतमो भगवान् ऋषिः किं चकार तपो वापि कां चक्रे स्तुतिम् उत्तमाम्
Having reached the peak of Kailāsa, what did the venerable sage Gautama do— did he perform austerity, or did he compose a supreme hymn?
गिरिं गत्वा ततो वत्स वाचं संयम्य गौतमः आस्तीर्य स कुशान् प्राज्ञः कैलासे पर्वतोत्तमे
Having gone to the mountain, O child, Gautama restrained his speech, spread out kuśa grass, and sat on the supreme mountain Kailāsa, wise and composed.
उपविश्य शुचिर् भूत्वा स्तोत्रं चेदं ततो जगौ अपतत् पुष्पवृष्टिश् च स्तूयमाने महेश्वरे
Sitting down, having purified himself, he then sang this hymn; as Maheśvara was being praised, a shower of flowers fell.
भोगार्थिनां भोगम् अभीप्सितं च दातुं महान्त्य् अष्टवपूंषि धत्ते सोमो जनानां गुणवन्ति नित्यं देवं महादेवम् इति स्तुवन्ति
To grant the desired enjoyments to those who seek them, Soma assumes the eight great forms, always endowed with virtues; thus they praise the god, the great Lord.
कर्तुं स्वकीयैर् विषयैः सुखानि भर्तुं समस्तं सचराचरं च संपत्तये ह्य् अस्य विवृद्धये च महीमयं रूपम् इतीश्वरस्य
To create pleasures with his own domains, to sustain all that moves and is still, for prosperity and increase, the Lord assumes the form of earth, they say.
सृष्टेः स्थितेः संहरणाय भूमेर् आधारम् आधातुम् अपां स्वरूपम् भेजे शिवः शान्ततनुर् जनानां सुखाय धर्माय जगत् प्रतिष्ठितम्
For creation, maintenance, and dissolution, to establish a support for the earth, Śiva, of peaceful form, took the form of water for the happiness and righteousness of people, and for the stability of the world.
कालव्यवस्थाम् अमृतस्रवं च जीवस्थितिं सृष्टिम् अथो विनाशनम् मुदं प्रजानां सुखम् उन्नतिं च चक्रे ऽर्कचन्द्राग्निमयं शरीरम्
He established the order of time, the flow of immortality, the existence of living beings, creation and destruction, joy, happiness, and prosperity for beings, assuming a body made of sun, moon, and fire.
वृद्धिं गतिं शक्तिम् अथाक्षराणि जीवव्यवस्थां मुदम् अप्य् अनेकाम् स्रष्टुं कृतं वायुर् इतीशरूपं त्वं वेत्सि नूनं भगवन् भवन्तम्
To create growth, movement, power, and the imperishable letters, the order of living beings, and manifold joys, the Lord took the form of wind; surely, O Lord, you know yourself.
भेदैर् विना नैव कृतिर् न धर्मो नात्मीयम् अन्यन् न दिशो ऽन्तरिक्षम् द्यावापृथिव्यौ न च भुक्तिमुक्ती तस्माद् इदं व्योमवपुस् तवेश
Without distinctions, there is no action, no righteousness, nothing of one's own, nor anything else, no directions, no space, no heaven and earth, nor enjoyment or liberation; therefore, this form of space is yours, O Lord.
धर्मं व्यवस्थापयितुं व्यवस्य ऋक्सामशास्त्राणि यजुश् च शाखाः लोके च गाथाः स्मृतयः पुराणम् इत्यादिशब्दात्मकताम् उपैति
To establish righteousness, you determined the Ṛk, Sāman, and Yajus branches, and in the world, the songs, the smṛtis, the Purāṇas— all take the form of words.
यष्टा क्रतुर् यान्य् अपि साधनानि ऋत्विक्प्रदेशं फलदेशकालाः त्वम् एव शंभो परमार्थतत्त्वं वदन्ति यज्ञाङ्गमयं वपुस् ते
You are the sacrificer, the sacrifice, and all the means; the place of the priest, the place of the fruit, and the times— you alone, O Śambhu, are the supreme reality; they say your body is composed of the limbs of sacrifice.
कर्ता प्रदाता प्रतिभूः प्रदानं सर्वज्ञसाक्षी पुरुषः परश् च प्रत्यात्मभूतः परमार्थरूपस् त्वम् एव सर्वं किम् उ वाग्विलासैः
You are the doer, the giver, the guarantor, the gift, the all-knowing witness, the supreme person, present in every soul, the ultimate reality— you are everything; what need is there for the play of words?
न वेदशास्त्रैर् गुरुभिः प्रदिष्टो न नासि बुद्ध्यादिभिर् अप्रधृष्यः अजो ऽप्रमेयः शिवशब्दवाच्यस् त्वम् अस्ति सत्यं भगवन् नमस् ते
You are not established by Vedic scriptures or by teachers, nor are you grasped by intellect or other means; you are unborn, immeasurable, denoted by the word 'Śiva.' Truly, O Lord, I bow to you.
आत्मैकतां स्वप्रकृतिं कदाचिद् ऐक्षच् छिवः संपद् इयं ममेति पृथक् तदैवाभवद् अप्रतर्क्य अचिन्त्यप्रभावो बहुविश्वमूर्तिः
Once, Śiva beheld his own unique nature as oneness of self—this wealth of 'mine' and 'not mine'—and at that very moment, he became unfathomable, of inconceivable power, and of many universal forms.
भावे ऽभिवृद्धा च भवे भवे च स्वकारणं कारणम् आस्थिता च नित्या शिवा सर्वसुलक्षणा वा विलक्षणा विश्वकरस्य शक्तिः
Increasing in being, in every existence, she abides as the cause of her own cause; eternal, auspicious, possessing all noble marks or transcending them, she is the power of the maker of the universe.
उत्पादनं संस्थितिर् अन्नवृद्धि लयाः सतां यत्र सनातनास् ते एकैव मूर्तिर् न समस्ति किंचिद् असाध्यम् अस्या दयिता हरस्य
Creation, preservation, the increase of food, and dissolution of beings—all these eternal processes reside in her alone; there is nothing impossible for her, beloved of Hara.
यदर्थम् अन्नानि धनानि जीवा यच्छन्ति कुर्वन्ति तपांसि धर्मान् सापीयम् अम्बा जगतो जनित्री प्रिया तु सोमस्य महासुकीर्तिः
For whose sake people offer food, wealth, and lives, perform austerities and righteous acts—she indeed is this Mother, the world's originator, beloved of Soma, of great renown.
यद् ईक्षितं काङ्क्षति वासवो ऽपि यन्नामतो मङ्गलम् आप्नुयाच् च या व्याप्य विश्वं विमलीकरोति सोमा सदा सोमसमानरूपा
That which even Indra desires to behold, by whose name one attains auspiciousness, who pervades and purifies the universe—she is always Soma, of form equal to Soma.
ब्रह्मादिजीवस्य चराचरस्य बुद्ध्यक्षिचैतन्यमनःसुखानि यस्याः प्रसादात् फलवन्ति नित्यं वागीश्वरी लोकगुरोः सुरम्या
By whose grace the intellect, senses, consciousness, and happiness of Brahmā and all living beings, moving and unmoving, bear fruit—she is Vāgīśvarī, the beautiful consort of the world's teacher.
चतुर्मुखस्यापि मनो मलीनं किम् अन्यजन्तोर् इति चिन्त्य माता गङ्गावतारं विविधैर् उपायैः सर्वं जगत् पावयितुं चकार
If even the mind of four-faced Brahmā is impure, what of other beings? Thus, Mother Ganga, by various means, undertook to purify the entire world through her descent.
श्रुतीः समालक्ष्य हरप्रभुत्वं विश्वस्य लोकः सकलैः प्रमाणैः कृत्वा च धर्मान् बुभुजे च भोगान् विभूतिर् एषा तु सदाशिवस्य
Having considered the scriptures, the lordship of Hara, and the universe with all valid means, she performed righteous acts and enjoyed pleasures—this is the glory of Sadāśiva.
कार्यक्रियाकारकसाधनानां वेदोदितानाम् अथ लौकिकानाम् यत् साध्यम् उत्कृष्टतमं प्रियं च प्रोक्ता च सा सिद्धिर् अनादिकर्तुः
Of all actions, agents, instruments, and means, whether prescribed by the Vedas or worldly, that which is the highest, most excellent, and dearest is called the accomplishment of the beginningless doer.
ध्यात्वा वरं ब्रह्म परं प्रधानं यत् सारभूतं यद् उपासितव्यम् यत् प्राप्य मुक्ता न पुनर् भवन्ति सद्योगिनो मुक्तिर् उमापतिः सः
Meditating on the supreme, best Brahman, the highest principle, the essence to be worshipped, by attaining which the true yogis are liberated and do not return—he is Umāpati, the giver of liberation.
यथा यथा शंभुर् अमेयमाया रूपाणि धत्ते जगतो हिताय तद्योगयोग्यानि तथैव धत्से पतिव्रतात्वं त्वयि मातर् एवम्
Just as Śambhu, of immeasurable māyā, assumes forms for the welfare of the world, so too, O Mother, you assume the state of fidelity according to his union with you.
इत्य् एवं स्तुवतस् तस्य पुरस्ताद् वृषभध्वजः उमया सहितः श्रीमान् गणेशादिगणैर् वृतः
Thus, as he was praising in this way, before him appeared the illustrious Bull-bannered One, together with Umā and surrounded by Gaṇeśa and other hosts.
साक्षाद् आगत्य तं शंभुः प्रसन्नो वाक्यम् अब्रवीत्
Śambhu himself, having come directly, graciously spoke to him.
किं ते गौतम दास्यामि भक्तिस्तोत्रव्रतैः शुभैः परितुष्टो ऽस्मि याचस्व देवानाम् अपि दुष्करम्
"What shall I give you, Gautama? I am pleased by your devotion, praise, and auspicious vows. Ask for what you wish, even that which is difficult for the gods to grant."
इति श्रुत्वा जगन्मूर्तेर् वाक्यं वाक्यविशारदः हर्षबाष्पपरीताङ्गो गौतमः पर्यचिन्तयत्
Hearing the words of the Lord of the universe, Gautama, skilled in speech, his body overcome with tears of joy, reflected deeply.
अहो दैवम् अहो धर्मो ह्य् अहो वै विप्रपूजनम् अहो लोकगतिश् चित्रा अहो धातर् नमो ऽस्तु ते
"Oh, what destiny! Oh, what righteousness! Oh, indeed, the worship of the Brāhmaṇas! Oh, how wondrous is the course of the world! Oh, Creator, I bow to you!"
जटास्थितां शुभां गङ्गां देहि मे त्रिदशार्चित यदि तुष्टो ऽसि देवेश त्रयीधाम नमो ऽस्तु ते
"Grant me the auspicious Gaṅgā, who abides in your matted locks, worshipped by the gods. If you are pleased, O Lord of the gods, abode of the three Vedas, I bow to you!"