By the grace of the Supreme Lord, all virtues arise—sovereignty, knowledge, detachment, and liberation—each blossoming from His favor. There is no need for further inquiry, for all is encompassed in His grace. Even if one were to contemplate for tens of thousands of years, the full extent of His greatness could never be described. Therefore, O best of sages, one must remain steadfast in the practice of Pāśupata yoga. O best among the twice-born, among the virtuous, the self-controlled, those learned in dharma, the good, the teachers, and those whose very nature is Shiva; among the compassionate, the ascetics, the renunciants, the dispassionate, the wise, and those who have mastered themselves; among those who are generous, self-controlled, truthful, free from greed, united with yoga, and learned in the Vedas and sacred traditions—Maheshvara is pleased with those whose actions are never opposed to the codes of the Vedas and tradition. Thus, the word of Brahma is established, and, in the end, those who follow it attain the highest goal. Union with Brahma is achieved by such people. Therefore, the virtuous declare that those who possess the tenfold qualities and the eightfold means in their pursuits are truly blessed. They neither become angry nor excessively delighted; those who have mastered themselves are remembered in this way, whether regarding common or special possessions. Because Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas are united in purpose, they are called twice-born. For one established in the duties of caste and stage of life, they bring happiness such as heaven. One who knows dharma through knowledge of Vedic and traditional law is called a knower of dharma; through attainment of learning, the virtuous student is devoted to the teacher. Through accomplishment of duties, the householder is called virtuous; through accomplishment of austerity in the forest, the hermit is remembered as virtuous. The ascetic striving for restraint is remembered as virtuous through accomplishment in yoga. Thus, through accomplishment in the duties of the stages of life, the virtuous are remembered. The householder, the student, the forest-dweller, and the ascetic—all these represent both dharma and adharma, which are spoken of here. These two terms are based in action. Skillful action is remembered as dharma, and unskillful action as adharma; for the purpose of sustaining, the great word 'dharma' is proclaimed. When there is lack of sustaining and greatness, it is called adharma. Here, teachers instruct dharma as the means to attain what is desired, and adharma, which yields undesirable results, is also taught. The elders are neither greedy nor fickle; they possess self-control and are free from deceit. Such teachers are called upright, well-disciplined, and honest, for they themselves practice what they teach and establish others in proper conduct. Because he gathers the meanings of the scriptures, he is called a teacher; what is heard is called 'śrauta', and what is remembered is 'smārta'. Sacrifice based on the Vedas is śrauta; smārta is based on caste and stage of life. One who, seeing the appropriate meaning, when asked, does not conceal it, is truly wise. As is spoken according to what is seen, so truth is recited here in the Lingam. Likewise, celibacy, silence, and fasting are upheld. Nonviolence, complete tranquility, and austerity are declared; one who acts for the benefit or harm of all beings as for oneself, who acts repeatedly in this manner, embodies compassion. Whatever desirable object is obtained in due order by justice, gifts should be given according to the recipient's qualities; the donor's nature is also to be considered. Thus, giving is said to be of three kinds: inferior, superior, and middling. Out of compassion, sharing with all beings is the middle kind. The duty prescribed by scripture and tradition is the dharma characterized by social class and stage of life. That dharma which is not opposed to the conduct of the virtuous is called good. One who renounces the fruits of action, free from illusion, is said to possess the nature of Shiva. One who is detached from all attachments and engaged in discipline is called a yogi. But one who, out of fear, remains unattached to sense objects, after due reflection, is also recognized. He who is not greedy, who is self-controlled, even when requested from all sides, whether for his own sake or for others, whose senses do not act falsely—this is indeed the mark of tranquility. He is not disturbed by unpleasant things, nor does he rejoice in what is desired. Withdrawal from delight, pain, and sorrow is called dispassion; renunciation is the abandonment of actions, both performed and unperformed. The giving up of both good and bad actions is called renunciation. In this insentient transformation, from the unmanifest to the undifferentiated end, knowledge is said to be the discernment of the difference between the sentient and the insentient. Thus, for one endowed with knowledge and faith, O Shankara, there is no doubt that he attains peace. This is dharma, O best of twice-born. But now, I will declare the most secret teaching, concerning the Supreme Lord who is everywhere. There is no doubt that devotion arises in existence; endowed with that, one is liberated. Even for the unfit, the Blessed Lord, the Supreme Lord, is pleased with the devotee. There is no doubt that He is pleased, restraining all kinds of darkness: teaching knowledge, offering oblations, meditation, sacrifice, austerity, and study—giving, and all study—are for the sake of devotion to existence, without doubt. Even with thousands of Cāndrāyaṇa rites and hundreds of Prājāpatya rites, and with other monthly fasts, O best of sages, devotion is supreme. Those without devotion to the Blessed Lord, who dwells in the mountain cave in this world, fall for the sake of their own enjoyment; but the devotee is liberated by devotion. By merely seeing devotees, O twice-born, people attain heaven and more. There is no doubt that such things are not difficult for devotees; how much more so for Brahma, Vishnu, Indra, and others, and for the rest as well. By devotion alone, sages attain strength and good fortune; so it is said, having observed Uma by Pinākin. Long ago, O twice-born, in Varanasi, the god spoke sweetly to the goddess, as Rudra, the Supreme Self, sat in Avimukta.