कस्यार्चयन्ति लोकेषु लिङ्गं भक्त्या सुरासुराः यं ब्रुवन्तीश्वरं देवा विधीन्द्राद्या महर्षयः
Whose emblem do gods and asuras worship with devotion in the worlds, whom the gods, beginning with Brahma and Indra, and the great sages call Lord?
प्रभावं प्रभवं चैष तेषामपि न वेत्थ किम् अदितिः कस्य मातेयं कस्माज्जातो जनार्दनः
Do you not know even their power and origin? Of whom is Aditi the mother? From whom was Janardana born?
अदितेः कश्यपाज्जाता देवा नारायणादयः मरीचेः कश्यपः पुत्रो ह्य् अदितिर्दक्षपुत्रिका
From Aditi and Kashyapa were born the gods, beginning with Narayana. Kashyapa is the son of Marichi, and Aditi is the daughter of Daksha.
मरीचिश्चापि दक्षश्च पुत्रौ तौ ब्रह्मणः किल ब्रह्मा हिरण्मयात्त्वण्डाद् दिव्यसिद्धिविभूतिकम्
Marichi and Daksha are said to be sons of Brahma. Brahma, from the golden egg, possessed divine powers and perfections.
कस्य प्रादुरभूद्ध्यानात् प्रक्षुब्धाः प्राकृतांशकाः प्रकृतौ तु तृतीयायां मधुद्विड्जननक्रिया
From whose meditation did the primordial elements arise, agitated? In the third stage of nature, the act of generating the slayer of Madhu occurred.
जाता ससर्ज षड्वर्गान् बुद्धिपूर्वान् स्वकर्मजान् अजातको ऽभवद्वेधा ब्रह्मणो ऽव्यक्तजन्मनः
He was born and created the six classes, each according to their own actions and with intelligence. The Unborn became the creator, born from the unmanifest Brahma.
यः स्वयोगेन संक्षोभ्य प्रकृतिं कृतवानिदम् ब्रह्मणः सिद्धसर्वार्थम् ऐश्वर्यं लोककर्तृताम्
He, by his own yoga, having stirred up nature, made this world; Brahma attained all perfections, lordship, and the role of creator of the worlds.
विदुर्विष्ण्वादयो यच्च स्वमहिम्ना सदैव हि कृत्वान्यं देहम् अन्या दृक् तादृक् कृत्वा पुनर्हरिः
What Vishnu and others always know by their own greatness is this: having assumed another body and another vision, Hari again takes form.
कुरुते जगतः कृत्यम् उत्तमाधममध्यमम् एवमेव हि संसारो यो जन्ममरणात्मकः
He performs the deeds of the world—superior, inferior, and middling; thus indeed is the cycle of existence, whose nature is birth and death.
कर्मणश्च फलं ह्येतन् नानारूपसमुद्भवम् अथ नारायणो देवः स्वकां छायां समाश्रयत्
And this is the fruit of action, arising in various forms. Then the god Narayana resorted to his own shadow.
तत्प्रेरितः प्रकुरुते जन्म नानाप्रकारकम् सापि कर्मण एवोक्ता प्रेरणा विवशात्मनाम्
Impelled by that, he produces birth of various kinds; and that impulse, it is said, is due to action, for those whose selves are powerless.
यथोन्मादादिजुष्टस्य मतिरेव हि सा भवेत् इष्टान्येव यथार्थानि विपरीतानि मन्यते
Just as the mind of one possessed by madness and the like becomes such, so too does it regard as desirable or real even what is contrary.
लोकस्य व्यवहारेषु सृष्टेषु सहते सदा धर्माधर्मफलावाप्तौ विष्णुरेव निबोधितः
In the affairs of the world, in all created things, Vishnu alone is known to endure both the attainment of the fruits of righteousness and unrighteousness.
अथानादित्वमस्यास्ति सामान्यात्तु तदात्मना न ह्यस्य जीवितं दीर्घं दृष्टं देहे तु कुत्रचित्
Moreover, this has beginninglessness, due to its universal nature; for nowhere has its life in a body been seen to be long.
भवद्भिर्यस्य नो दृष्टम् अन्तरग्रमथापि वा देहिनां धर्म एवैष क्वचिज्जायेत्कचिन्म्रियेत्
This is the law for embodied beings: for some, birth or death is seen by you; for others, it is not.
क्वचिद्गर्भगतो नश्येत् क्वचिज् जीवेज्जरामयः क्वचित्समाः शतं जीवेत् क्वचिद्बाल्ये विपद्यते
Sometimes one perishes in the womb, sometimes lives afflicted by old age and disease; sometimes lives a hundred years, sometimes dies in childhood.
शतायुः पुरुषो यस्तु सो ऽनन्तः स्वल्पजन्मनः जीवितो न म्रियत्यग्रे तस्मात्सो ऽमर उच्यते
A man who lives a hundred years is called endless; one with a short life is not said to die at the outset, therefore he is called immortal.
अदृष्टजन्मनिधना ह्य् एवं विष्ण्वादयो मताः एतत्संशुद्धमैश्वर्यं संसारे को लभेदिह
Those like Vishnu are considered to have unseen birth and death; who in this world attains such pure sovereignty in samsara?
तत्र क्षयादियोगात्तु नानाश्चर्यस्वरूपिणि तस्माद्दिवश्चरान्सर्वान् मलिनान्स्वल्पभूतिकान्
There, due to the conjunctions of decay and other causes, various wonders appear; therefore, all celestial beings are impure and possess little glory.
नाहं भद्राः किलेच्छामि ऋते शर्वात्पिनाकिनः स्थितं च तारतम्येन प्राणिनां परमं त्विदम्
O blessed ones, I desire nothing except Shiva, the wielder of the Pinaka; established by gradation, this is the supreme among living beings.
धीबलैश्वर्यकार्यादिप्रमाणं महतां महत् यस्मान्न किंचिदपरं सर्वं यस्मात्प्रवर्तते
The measure of intellect, strength, sovereignty, and action of the great is great; since nothing else exists, all proceeds from that.
यस्यैश्वर्यमनाद्यन्तं तमहं शरणं गता एष मे व्यवसायश्च दीर्घो ऽतिविपरीतकः
I have taken refuge in him whose sovereignty has neither beginning nor end; this is my resolve, long and exceedingly firm.
यात वा तिष्ठतैवाथ मुनयो मद्विधायकाः एवं निशम्य वचनं देव्या मुनिवरास्तदा
Go or stay, O sages, as you wish; hearing these words of the goddess, the eminent sages then—
आनन्दाश्रुपरीताक्षाः सस्वजुस्तां तपस्विनीम् ऊचुश्च परमप्रीताः शैलजां मधुरं वचः
With eyes filled with tears of joy, they embraced the ascetic maiden and, supremely delighted, spoke sweet words to the daughter of the mountain.
अत्यद्भुतास्यहो पुत्रि ज्ञानमूर्तिरिवामला प्रसादयति नो भावं भवभावप्रतिश्रयात्
O daughter, how wondrous you are! Pure as the embodiment of knowledge, you please our hearts, resting in the essence of existence.
ननु विद्मो वयं तस्य देवस्यैश्वर्यमद्भुतम् त्वन्निश्चयस्य दृढतां वेत्तुं वयमिहागताः
Indeed, we know the marvelous sovereignty of that god; we have come here to ascertain the firmness of your resolve.
अचिरादेव तन्वङ्गि कामस्ते ऽयं भविष्यति क्वादित्यस्य प्रभा याति रत्नेभ्यः क्व द्युतिः पृथक्
Soon, O slender-limbed one, your desire will be fulfilled; where does the sun's radiance go from gems, where does brilliance differ?
को ऽर्थो वर्णालिकाव्यक्तः कथं त्वं गिरिशं विना यामो नैकाभ्युपायने तमभ्यर्थयितुं वयम्
What is the use of indistinct words? How can we go without Girisha? We have no other means; we must entreat him.
अस्माकमपि वै सो ऽर्थः सुतरां हृदि वर्तते अतस्त्वमेव सा बुद्धिर् यतो नीतिस्त्वमेव हि
That purpose dwells deeply in our hearts as well; therefore, you alone are wisdom, and you alone are the right path.
अतो निःसंशयं कायं शंकरो ऽपि विधास्यति इत्युक्त्वा पूजिता याता मुनयो गिरिकन्यया
Thus, without doubt, Shankara himself will accomplish it; having spoken thus, the sages, honored by the mountain maiden, departed.