वेदेन गीयते यस् तु पुरुषः स परात् परः मृतो ऽपरः स विज्ञेयो ह्य् अमृतः पर उच्यते
The person who is sung of in the Veda is the supreme beyond the supreme; the one who dies is called the lower, but the immortal is said to be the higher.
यो ऽमूर्तः स परो ज्ञेयो ह्य् अपरो मूर्त उच्यते गुणाभिव्याप्तिभेदेन मूर्तो ऽसौ त्रिविधो भवेत्
The one who is formless is to be known as the higher; the one with form is called the lower. Due to differences in the manifestation of qualities, the one with form is of three kinds.
ब्रह्मा विष्णुः शिवश् चेति एक एव त्रिधोच्यते त्रयाणाम् अपि देवानां वेद्यम् एकं परं हि तत्
Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva—he alone is spoken of as threefold; for all three gods, the one to be known is indeed that supreme.
एकस्य बहुधा व्याप्तिर् गुणकर्मविभेदतः लोकानाम् उपकारार्थम् आकृतित्रितयं भवेत्
The one, by difference of qualities and actions, pervades in many ways; for the benefit of the worlds, there is a threefold form.
यस् तत्त्वं वेत्ति परमं स च विद्वान् न चेतरः तत्र यो भेदम् आचष्टे लिङ्गभेदी स उच्यते
He who knows that supreme truth is wise, not another; but one who asserts difference there is called a separatist of forms.
प्रायश्चित्तं न तस्यास्ति यश् चैषां व्याहरेद् भिदम् त्रयाणाम् अपि देवानां मूर्तिभेदः पृथक् पृथक्
There is no expiation for one who speaks of division among them; for the three gods, the distinction of forms is entirely separate.
वेदाः प्रमाणं सर्वत्र साकारेषु पृथक् पृथक् निराकारं च यत् त्व् एकं तत् तेभ्यः परमं मतम्
The Vedas are the authority everywhere, in all their various forms; but that one formless reality which is beyond them all is considered the highest.
नानेन निर्णयः कश्चिन् मयात्र विदितो भवेत् तत्राप्य् अत्र रहस्यं यत् तद् विमृश्याशु कीर्त्यताम् निःसंशयं निर्विकल्पं भाजनं सर्वसंपदाम्
By this, no definite conclusion has been reached by me here; yet, even here, there is a secret—let it be quickly and clearly stated, the undoubting, unwavering vessel of all prosperity.
एतद् आकर्ण्य भगवान् अगस्त्यो वाक्यम् अब्रवीत्
Hearing this, the venerable Agastya spoke these words:
यद्यप्य् एषां न भेदो ऽस्ति देवानां तु परस्परम् तथापि सर्वसिद्धिः स्याच् छिवाद् एव सुखात्मनः
Although there is no difference at all among these gods, still, all accomplishments arise from Shiva alone, who is the embodiment of bliss.
प्रपञ्चस्य निमित्तं यत् तज् ज्योतिश् च परं शिवः तम् एव साधय हरं भक्त्या परमया मुने गौतम्यां सकलाघौघसंहर्ता दण्डके वने
That which is the cause of the manifest world, that supreme light is Shiva; strive for him alone, O sage, with supreme devotion. In Gautami, he is the destroyer of all heaps of sin, in the Dandaka forest.
एतच् छ्रुत्वा मुनेर् वाक्यं परां प्रीतिम् उपागतः भुक्तिदो मुक्तिदः पुंसां साकारो ऽथ निराकृतिः
Hearing the sage’s words, he attained supreme delight—he who grants enjoyment and liberation to people, whether with form or formless.
सृष्ट्याकारस् ततः शक्तः पालनाकार एव च दाता च हन्ति सर्वं यो यस्माद् एतत् समाप्यते
He is capable of taking the form of creation, and likewise of preservation; he is the giver, and he destroys all—by whom all this is brought to completion.
ब्रह्माकृतिः कर्तृरूपा वैष्णवी पालनी तथा रुद्राकृतिर् निहन्त्री सा सर्ववेदेषु पठ्यते
The form of Brahma is that of the creator, the form of Vishnu is that of the preserver, and the form of Rudra is that of the destroyer—so it is taught in all the Vedas.
आपस्तम्बस् तदा गङ्गां गत्वा स्नात्वा यतव्रतः तुष्टाव शंकरं देवं स्तोत्रेणानेन नारद
Then Āpastamba, having gone to the Ganga, bathed and observed vows, praised the god Shankara with this hymn, O Narada.
काष्ठेषु वह्निः कुसुमेषु गन्धो बीजेषु वृक्षादि दृषत्सु हेम भूतेषु सर्वेषु तथास्ति यो वै तं सोमनाथं शरणं व्रजामि
As fire is in wood, fragrance in flowers, oil in seeds, gold in all metals—so is he present in all beings. To that Somanatha I take refuge.
यो लीलया विश्वम् इदं चकार धाता विधाता भुवनत्रयस्य यो विश्वरूपः सदसत्परो यः सोमेश्वरं तं शरणं व्रजामि
He who playfully created this universe, the sustainer and creator of the three worlds, who is of universal form, who transcends existence and non-existence—to that Lord of Soma I take refuge.
यं स्मृत्य दारिद्र्यमहाभिशाप रोगादिभिर् न स्पृश्यते शरीरी यम् आश्रिताश् चेप्सितम् आप्नुवन्ति सोमेश्वरं तं शरणं व्रजामि
Remembering whom, one is not touched by great curses of poverty, disease, and the like; those who take refuge in him attain their desired ends—to that Lord of Soma I take refuge.
येन त्रयीधर्मम् अवेक्ष्य पूर्वं ब्रह्मादयस् तत्र समीहिताश् च एवं द्विधा येन कृतं शरीरं सोमेश्वरं तं शरणं व्रजामि
By whom, considering the threefold Vedic law, Brahma and the others were established at first, and by whom the body was made twofold—to that Lord of Soma I take refuge.
यस्मै नमो गच्छति मन्त्रपूतं हुतं हविर् या च कृता च पूजा दत्तं हविर् येन सुरा भजन्ते सोमेश्वरं तं शरणं व्रजामि
To whom oblations purified by mantra, offerings, and worship are directed; by whom the gods partake of the given offering—to that Lord of Soma I take refuge.
यस्मात् परं नान्यद् अस्ति प्रशस्तं यस्मात् परं नैव सुसूक्ष्मम् अन्यत् यस्मात् परं नो महतां महच् च सोमेश्वरं तं शरणं व्रजामि
Beyond whom there is nothing more excellent, beyond whom there is nothing subtler, beyond whom there is nothing greater among the great—to that Lord of Soma I take refuge.
यस्याज्ञया विश्वम् इदं विचित्रम् अचिन्त्यरूपं विविधं महच् च एकक्रियं यद्वद् अनुप्रयाति सोमेश्वरं तं शरणं व्रजामि
By whose command this wondrous, diverse, and inconceivable universe, both great and small, proceeds in a single course—to that Lord of Soma I take refuge.
यस्मिन् विभूतिः सकलाधिपत्यं कर्तृत्वदातृत्वमहत्त्वम् एव प्रीतिर् यशः सौख्यम् अनादिधर्मः सोमेश्वरं तं शरणं व्रजामि
In whom are all powers, lordship over all, the greatness of being creator and giver, affection, fame, happiness, and the primordial law—to that Lord of Soma I take refuge.
नित्यं शरण्यः सकलस्य पूज्यो नित्यं प्रियो यः शरणागतस्य नित्यं शिवो यः सकलस्य रूपं सोमेश्वरं तं शरणं व्रजामि
He is always the refuge, always worthy of worship by all, always dear to those who seek refuge, always auspicious, the form of all—to that Lord of Soma I take refuge.
ततः प्रसन्नो भगवान् आह नारद तं मुनिम् आत्मार्थं च परार्थं च आपस्तम्बो ऽब्रवीच् छिवम्
Then the blessed Lord, pleased, spoke to the sage Nārada; for his own sake and for the sake of others, Āpastamba addressed Śiva.
सर्वान् कामान् आप्नुयुस् ते ये स्नात्वा देवम् ईश्वरम् पश्येयुर् जगताम् ईशम् अस्त्व् इत्य् आह शिवो मुनिम्
Those who, having bathed, behold the divine Lord, the ruler of the worlds, may attain all desires—so said Śiva to the sage.
ततः प्रभृति तत् तीर्थम् आपस्तम्बम् उदाहृतम् अनाद्य् अविद्यातिमिरव्रातनिर्मूलनक्षमम्
From that time onward, that sacred place has been called Āpastamba, capable of dispelling the multitude of beginningless darkness born of ignorance.
यमतीर्थम् इति ख्यातं पितॄणां प्रीतिवर्धनम् अशेषपापशमनं तत्र वृत्तम् इदं शृणु
It is known as Yama's Tīrtha, increasing the satisfaction of the ancestors, removing all sins; hear now what happened there.
तत्राख्यानम् इदं त्व् आसीद् इतिहासं पुरातनम् सरमेति प्रसिद्धास्ति नाम्ना देवशुनी मुने
There was an ancient story, O sage, called Sarameti, well-known by name as the divine dog.
तस्याः पुत्रौ महाश्रेष्ठौ श्वानौ नित्यं जनान् अनु गामिनौ पवनाहारौ चतुरक्षौ यमप्रियौ
She had two illustrious sons, dogs who always followed people, subsisting on wind, four-eyed, beloved of Yama.