सर्वज्ञया सर्वसाक्षिरूपिण्या परमेश्वरि । तारकेणासुरेन्द्रेण पीडिताः स्मो दिवानिशम्
O Supreme Lady, you are omniscient and witness all; we are afflicted day and night by Tāraka, the lord of the demons.
शिवाङ्गजाद्वधस्तस्य निर्मितो ब्रह्मणा शिवे । शिवाङ्गना तु नैवास्ति जानासि त्वं महेश्वरि
His death, from the body of Shiva, was ordained by Brahma and Shiva; but there is no woman from Shiva's body, you know this, O Great Goddess.
सर्वज्ञपुरतः किं वा वक्तव्यं पामरैर्जनैः । एतदुद्देशतः प्रोक्तमपरं तर्कयाम्बिके
What need is there for ordinary people to speak before the omniscient? This has been said for this purpose, O Ambika, the rest is for you to consider.
सर्वदा चरणाम्भोजे भक्तिः स्यात्तव निश्चला । प्रार्थनीयमिदं मुख्यमपरं देहहेतवे
May unwavering devotion always be at your lotus feet; this is the chief request, the rest is for the sake of the body.
इति तेषां वचः श्रुत्वा प्रोवाच परमेश्वरी । मम शक्तिस्तु या गौरी भविष्यति हिमालये
Hearing their words, the Supreme Goddess spoke: My power, Gauri, will be born in the Himalayas.
शिवाय सा प्रदेया स्यात्सा वः कार्यं विधास्यति । भक्तिर्यच्चरणाम्भोजे भूयाद्युष्माकमादरात्
She will be given to Shiva, and she will accomplish your purpose; may your devotion at my lotus feet increase with reverence.
हिमालयो हि मनसा मामुपास्तेऽतिभक्तितः । ततस्तस्य गृहे जन्म मम प्रियकरं मतम्
The Himalaya, with great devotion, worships me in his heart; therefore, my birth in his house is deemed pleasing.
व्यास उवाच हिमालयोऽपि तच्छ्रुत्वात्यनुग्रहकरं वचः । बाष्पैः संरुद्धकण्ठाक्षो महाराज्ञीं वचोऽब्रवीत्
Vyasa said: Hearing those words, so full of grace, the Himalaya, his throat and eyes choked with tears, spoke to the great Queen.
महत्तरं तं कुरुषे यस्यानुग्रहमिच्छसि । नोचेत्क्वाहं जडः स्थाणुः क्व त्वं सच्चित्स्वरूपिणी
You grant the greatest favor to whom you wish to bless; otherwise, where am I, dull and unmoving, and where are you, embodiment of truth and consciousness?
असम्भाव्यं जन्मशतैस्त्वत्पितृत्वं ममानघे । अश्वमेधादिपुण्यैर्वा पुण्यैर्वा तत्समाधिजैः
O stainless one, to be your father is impossible even in hundreds of births, whether by the merit of horse sacrifices or by merits gained through meditation.
अद्य प्रपञ्चे कीर्तिः स्याज्जगन्माता सुताभवत् । अहो हिमालयस्यास्य धन्योऽसौ भाग्यवानिति
Today, fame will arise in the world, for the Mother of the Universe has become my daughter; ah, how blessed and fortunate is this Himalaya!
यस्यास्तु जठरे सन्ति ब्रह्माण्डानां च कोटयः । सैव यस्य सुता जाता को वा स्यात्तत्समो भुवि
She whose womb contains millions of universes has become his daughter; who on earth could be equal to him?
न जानेऽस्मत्पितॄणां किं स्थानं स्यान्निर्मितं परम् । एतादृशानां वासाय येषां वंशेऽस्ति मादृशः
I do not know what place is made for my ancestors, for the residence of such as those who have one like me in their lineage.
इदं यथा च दत्तं मे कृपया प्रेमपूर्णया । सर्ववेदान्तसिद्धं च त्वद्रूपं ब्रूहि मे तथा
Just as this has been given to me by your grace, full of love, so too, tell me your form as established in all Vedanta.
योगं च भक्तिसहितं ज्ञानं च श्रुतिसम्मतम् । वदस्व परमेशानि त्वमेवाहं यतो भवेः
Speak of yoga with devotion, and knowledge approved by the scriptures; O Supreme Lady, tell me, for you alone are the source of all.
व्यास उवाच इति तस्य वचः श्रुत्वा प्रसन्नमुखपङ्कजा । वक्तुमारभताम्बा सा रहस्यं श्रुतिगूहितम्
Vyasa said: Hearing his words, with her lotus face radiant, the Mother began to speak the secret, hidden in the scriptures.
देव्या व्यष्टिसमष्टिर्पवर्णनम् श्रीदेव्युवाच शृण्वन्तु निर्जराः सर्वे व्याहरन्त्या वचो मम । यस्य श्रवणमात्रेण मद्रूपत्वं प्रपद्यते
The Blessed Goddess said: Let all the immortals listen as I speak these words; by merely hearing them, one attains my own form.
अहमेवास पूर्वं तु नान्यत्किञ्चिन्नगाधिप । तदात्मरूपं चित्संवित्परब्रह्मैकनामकम्
In the beginning, O Lord of Mountains, only I existed; there was nothing else. That essential nature is pure consciousness, known as the one Supreme Brahman.
अप्रतर्क्यमनिर्देश्यमनौपम्यमनामयम् । तस्य काचित्स्वतः सिद्धा शक्तिर्मायेति विश्रुता
It is beyond reasoning, indescribable, without comparison, and free from affliction; its inherent power, known as Māyā, is well established.
न सती सा नासती सा नोभयात्मा विरोधतः । एतद्विलक्षणा काचिद्वस्तुभूतास्ति सर्वदा
She is neither existent nor non-existent, nor of both natures, due to contradiction; there is a certain distinct entity, always present, which is real.
पावकस्योष्णतेवेयमुष्णांशोरिव दीधितिः । चन्द्रस्य चन्द्रिकेवेयं ममेयं सहजा ध्रुवा
Just as heat belongs to fire, rays to the sun, and moonlight to the moon, so too is this my innate, eternal power.
तस्यां कर्माणि जीवानां जीवाः कालाश्च सञ्चरे । अभेदेन विलीनाः स्युः सुषुप्तौ व्यवहारवत्
Within her, the actions, souls, and times of beings move about; in deep sleep, they are dissolved into her without distinction, just as in practical experience.
स्वशक्तेश्च समायोगादहं बीजात्मतां गता । स्वाधारावरणात्तस्या दोषत्वं च समागतम्
By union with my own power, I become the very essence of the seed; due to her own veiling, impurity also arises in her.
चैतन्यस्य समायोगान्निमित्तत्वं च कथ्यते । प्रपञ्चपरिणामाच्च समवायित्वमुच्यते
Because of union with consciousness, she is said to be the cause; and because of the transformation of the manifest world, she is called the inherent basis.
केचित्तां तप इत्याहुस्तमः केचिज्जडं परे । ज्ञानं मायां प्रधानं च प्रकृतिं शक्तिमप्यजाम्
Some call her darkness, others call her inertness, and others still call her knowledge, Māyā, Pradhāna, Prakṛti, power, or the unborn.
विमर्श इति तां प्राहुः शैवशास्त्रविशारदाः । अविद्यामितरे प्राहुर्वेदतत्त्वार्थचिन्तकाः
Those skilled in Śaiva scriptures call her Vimarśa (reflective awareness); others, contemplating the meaning of Vedic truth, call her ignorance (Avidyā).
एवं नानाविधानि स्युर्नामानि निगमादिषु । तस्या जडत्वं दृश्यत्वाज्ज्ञाननाशात्ततोऽसती
Thus, various names are found for her in the scriptures; her insentience is due to being an object of perception, and her unreality is due to the destruction of knowledge.
चैतन्यस्य न दृश्यत्वं दृश्यत्वे जडमेव तत् । स्वप्रकाशं च चैतन्यं न परेण प्रकाशितम्
Consciousness is not an object of perception; if it were, it would be insentient. Consciousness is self-luminous and is not revealed by anything else.
अनवस्थादोषसत्त्वान्न स्वेनापि प्रकाशितम् । कर्मकर्त्रीविरोधः स्यात्तस्मात्तद्दीपवत्स्वयम्
Because of the fault of infinite regress, it is not revealed even by itself; otherwise, there would be a contradiction between agent and action. Therefore, like a lamp, it shines by itself.
प्रकाशमानमन्येषां भासकं विद्धि पर्वत । अत एव च नित्यत्वं सिद्धसंवित्तनोर्मम
Know, O Mountain, that it illuminates others and is the source of their light; for this reason, the eternal nature of my established consciousness is proven.