वैराग्यं ब्रह्मणो वक्ष्ये तमोद्भूतं समासतः नारायणो ऽपि भगवान् द्विधा कृत्वात्मनस्तनुम्
I will now speak of Brahmā’s detachment, which arose from darkness, in brief; even the blessed Nārāyaṇa, having divided his own form in two—
ससर्ज सकलं तस्मात् स्वाङ्गादेव चराचरम् ततो ब्रह्माणमसृजद् ब्रह्मा रुद्रं पितामहः
From his own limb, he created all moving and unmoving beings; then Brahmā created the Brahmāṇas, and Brahmā, the Grandfather, created Rudra.
मुने कल्पान्तरे रुद्रो हरिं ब्रह्माणम् ईश्वरम् ततो ब्रह्माणमसृजन् मुने कल्पान्तरे हरिः
O sage, at the end of a kalpa, Rudra created Hari, Brahmāṇa, and Īśvara; then, at the end of a kalpa, Hari created Brahmāṇa, O sage.
नारायणं पुनर्ब्रह्मा ब्रह्माणं च पुनर्भवः तदा विचार्य वै ब्रह्मा दुःखं संसार इत्यजः
Again, Brahmā created Nārāyaṇa, and Bhava created Brahmāṇa; then Brahmā, reflecting, realized that worldly existence is suffering.
सर्गं विसृज्य चात्मानम् आत्मन्येव नियोज्य च संहृत्य प्राणसञ्चारं पाषाण इव निश्चलः
Having withdrawn creation and established himself within himself, restraining the movement of breath, he became motionless like a stone.
दशवर्षसहस्राणि समाधिस्थो ऽभवत्प्रभुः अधोमुखं तु यत्पद्मं हृदि संस्थं सुशोभनम्
The Lord remained in samādhi for ten thousand years; the downward-facing lotus, beautiful and situated in the heart—
पूरितं पूरकेणैव प्रबुद्धं चाभवत्तदा तदूर्ध्ववक्त्रम् अभवत् कुम्भकेन निरोधितम्
Was filled by the act of inhalation, and then awakened; its upward face was restrained by retention of breath.
तत्पद्मकर्णिकामध्ये स्थापयामास चेश्वरम् तदोमिति शिवं देवम् अर्धमात्रापरं परम्
In the center of that lotus’s pericarp, he established the Lord, the syllable 'Om', Śiva, the god, the supreme, which is beyond the half-measure.
मृणालतन्तुभागैकशतभागे व्यवस्थितम् यमी यमविशुद्धात्मा नियम्यैवं हृदीश्वरम्
Situated in a hundredth part of a lotus fiber, controlling the Lord in the heart in this way, the self-controlled one, pure in mind, through restraint—
यमपुष्पादिभिः पूज्यं याज्यो ह्ययजदव्ययम् तस्य हृत्कमलस्थस्य नियोगाच्चांशजो विभुः
Worshipped with yam-flower and the like, worthy of sacrifice, unaging and undecaying; by the command of him who dwells in the heart-lotus, the mighty one was born from a portion.
ललाटमस्य निर्भिद्य प्रादुरासीत्पितामहात् लोहितो ऽभूत् स्वयं नीलः शिवस्य हृदयोद्भवः
Breaking forth from his forehead, he appeared from the Grandfather; red in color, and self-existent, blue, born from the heart of Śiva.
वह्नेश्चैव तु संयोगात् प्रकृत्य पुरुषः प्रभुः नीलश् च लोहितश्चैव यतः कालाकृतिः पुमान्
By the union with fire, the Lord, the person, arose from nature; blue and red, from whom the form of Time, the man, came forth.
नीललोहित इत्युक्तस् तेन देवेन वै प्रभुः ब्रह्मणा भगवान्कालः प्रीतात्मा चाभवद्विभुः
He was called Nīlalohita, blue-red, by that god, the Lord; the blessed Kāla, Time, was created by Brahmā, content in spirit.
सुप्रीतमनसं देवं तुष्टाव च पितामहः नामाष्टकेन विश्वात्मा विश्वात्मानं महामुने
The Grandfather, with a mind full of delight, praised the god with eight names, the soul of the universe, O great sage, addressing the soul of the universe.
नमस्ते भगवन् रुद्र भास्करामिततेजसे नमो भवाय देवाय रसायाम्बुमयाय ते
Salutations to you, blessed Rudra, radiant as the sun; salutations to Bhava, the god, composed of essence and water.
शर्वाय क्षितिरूपाय सदा सुरभिणे नमः ईशाय वायवे तुभ्यं संस्पर्शाय नमो नमः
Salutations to Śarva, who is of the form of earth, always fragrant; salutations to Īśa, to you as wind, to the sense of touch, repeated salutations.
पशूनां पतये चैव पावकायातितेजसे भीमाय व्योमरूपाय शब्दमात्राय ते नमः
Homage to you, Lord of creatures, whose brilliance surpasses fire, who is terrible, whose form is space, who is of the nature of sound alone.
महादेवाय सोमाय अमृताय नमो ऽस्तु ते उग्राय यजमानाय नमस्ते कर्मयोगिने
Salutations to you, O great god, O Soma, O immortal one; salutations to you, O fierce one, O sacrificer, O practitioner of ritual action.
यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि पैतामहमिमं स्तवम् रुद्राय कथितं विप्राञ् श्रावयेद्वा समाहितः
Whoever recites or hears this ancestral hymn, which was spoken for Rudra, or causes attentive Brahmins to listen to it—
अष्टमूर्तेस्तु सायुज्यं वर्षादेकादवाप्नुयात् एवं स्तुत्वा महादेवम् अवैक्षत पितामहः
He attains union with the Eight-formed One within eleven years; thus, having praised the great god, the Grandfather beheld him.
तदाष्टधा महादेवः समातिष्ठत्समन्ततः तदा प्रकाशते भानुः कृष्णवर्त्मा निशाकरः
Then the great god assumed eight forms all around; at that time the sun shone forth, the moon with its dark path appeared.
क्षितिर्वायुः पुमानंभः सुषिरं सर्वगं तथा तदाप्रभृति तं प्राहुर् अष्टमूर्तिरितीश्वरम्
Earth, wind, man, water, ether, the all-pervading— from that time onward, he has been called the Lord with eight forms.
अष्टमूर्तेः प्रसादेन विरञ्चिश्चासृजत्पुनः सृष्ट्वैतद् अखिलं ब्रह्मा पुनः कल्पान्तरे प्रभुः
By the grace of the Eight-formed One, Virinchi (Brahma) again created; having created all this, Brahma, the lord, did so again at the end of the age.
सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तं संसुप्ते च चराचरे प्रजाः स्रष्टुमनास् तेपे तत उग्रं तपो महत्
When, for a thousand ages, all beings, moving and unmoving, were asleep, he, desiring to create creatures, performed severe and mighty austerity.
तस्यैवं तप्यमानस्य न किंचित्समवर्तत ततो दीर्घेण कालेन दुःखात्क्रोधो व्यजायत
As he was thus engaged in austerity, nothing came to be; then, after a long time, from suffering, anger arose.
क्रोधाविष्टस्य नेत्राभ्यां प्रापतन्नश्रुबिन्दवः ततस्तेभ्यो ऽश्रुबिन्दुभ्यो भूताः प्रेतास्तदाभवन्
From his eyes, filled with anger, drops of tears fell; from those drops of tears, beings called bhūtas and pretas were born at that time.
सर्वांस्तानग्रजान्दृष्ट्वा भूतप्रेतनिशाचरान् अनिन्दत तदा देवो ब्रह्मात्मानम् अजो विभुः
Seeing all those elder beings—bhūtas, pretas, and night-wanderers—the god, Brahma, the unborn, the all-pervading, then blamed himself.
जहौ प्राणांश् च भगवान् क्रोधाविष्टः प्रजापतिः ततः प्राणमयो रुद्रः प्रादुरासीत्प्रभोर्मुखात्
The blessed lord of creatures, overcome by anger, abandoned his vital breaths; then from the mouth of the lord arose Rudra, composed of vital energy.
अर्धनारीश्वरो भूत्वा बालार्कसदृशद्युतिः तदैकादशधात्मानं प्रविभज्य व्यवस्थितः
Becoming the Lord who is half male and half female, shining like the rising sun, he then divided himself into eleven forms and remained thus.
अर्धेनांशेन सर्वात्मा ससर्जासौ शिवामुमाम् सा चासृजत्तदा लक्ष्मीं दुर्गां श्रेष्ठां सरस्वतीम्
With half of his portion, the soul of all, he created Śivā, Umā; and she then created Lakṣmī, Durgā the excellent, and Sarasvatī.