दशाङ्गुलं यो ऽत्स्यतिष्टत्तमीशमजरं भदे
He who stood measuring ten fingers, I worship that ageless Lord.
गुह्याद्गुह्यतमं देवं प्रणमामि पुनः पुनः
I bow again and again to the God who is most secret among secrets.
स्वपदं यो ददातीशस्तं वन्दे पुरुषोत्तमम्
I salute the Supreme Person who gives His own abode.
मुनीश्वरा नारदसंयुतास्तु सनन्दनाद्याः प्रपुदं प्रजग्मुः
The great sages, accompanied by Narada, Sanandana and others, attained His abode.
सर्वपापविशुद्धात्मा विष्णुलोकं स गच्छति
One whose soul is purified from all sins attains the realm of Vishnu.
तन्ममाख्याहि सनक सर्वज्ञो ऽस्ति यतो भवान्
Sanaka, tell me this, for you are all-knowing and thus qualified.
तेनेदमखिलं व्यात्पं जगत्स्थावरजङ्गमम्
By him, this entire universe, both immobile and mobile, has been pervaded.
गुणभेदमधिष्ठाय मूर्त्तित्रिकमवासृजत्
Assuming the distinctions of qualities, he manifested the triad of forms.
मध्येरुद्राख्यमीथानं जगदन्तकरं मुने
In the middle, O sage, is the seat called Rudra, which brings about the end of the world.
केचिद्विष्णुं सदा सत्यं ब्रह्माणं केचिदूचिरे
Some always declare Vishnu as the truth, while others speak of Brahma.
भावाभावस्वरुपा सा विद्याविद्येति गीयते
That which is the essence of existence and non-existence is sung as knowledge and ignorance.
तदा ह्यविद्या संसिद्धा भवेद्दुःखस्य साधनम्
Then, indeed, ignorance when perfected becomes the means of suffering.
सर्वैकभावना बुद्धिः सा विद्येत्यभिधीयते
The intellect absorbed in unity is called knowledge.
अभेदबुद्ध्या दृष्टा चेत्संसारक्षयकारिणी
If perceived with the intellect of non-difference, it brings about the destruction of worldly existence.
यस्माद्भिन्नमिदं सर्वं यच्चेङ्गेद्यच्चनेङ्गति
Because all this is different, whatever moves and whatever does not move.
अविद्योपाधियोगेनतथेदमखिलं जगत्
Through the association with the limiting adjunct of ignorance, thus is this entire world.
दाहशक्तिर्यथाङ्गारे स्वाश्रयं व्याप्य तिष्टति
Just as the power of burning remains pervading its own support, the ember.
भारतीत्यपरे चैनां गिरिजेत्यम्बिकेति च
Some call her Bhārati, others Girijā, and also Ambikā.
कौमारी वैष्णवी चेति वाराह्येन्द्री च शाम्भवी
She is also called Kaumārī, Vaiṣṇavī, Vārāhī, Indrī, and Śāmbhavī.
प्रकृतिश्च परा चेति वदन्ति परमर्षस्यः
The great sages declare her as Prakṛti and also as the Supreme.
व्यक्ताव्यक्तस्वरुपेण जगह्याप्य व्यवस्थिता
She is established in the world, pervading it in the forms of manifest and unmanifest.
सृष्टिस्थितिविनाशानामेकः कारणतां गतः
She alone has become the cause of creation, preservation, and destruction.
तस्मात्परतरो देवो नित्यैत्यभिधीयते
Therefore, the Supreme God is called eternal.
रक्षां करोति यो देवो जगतां परतः पुमान्
He is the God who protects, who is beyond all worlds, the Supreme Person.
तस्मात्परतरं यत्तदव्ययं परमं पदम्
Therefore, that which is higher than the highest is the imperishable, supreme state.
यः परः कालपुपाख्यो योगिध्येयः परात्परः
He who is beyond, known as Kālapurusha, is meditated upon by yogis as the Supreme of the supreme.
ज्ञानैकवेद्यः परमः सञ्चिदानन्दविग्रहः
He is the supreme, known only through knowledge, whose form is consciousness and bliss.
देहीति प्रोच्यते मूढैरहो ऽज्ञानविडम्बनम्
Fools call him 'body'—alas, what a mockery of ignorance!
मूर्तित्रयं समापन्नः सृष्टिस्थित्यन्तकारणम्
He assumes three forms, being the cause of creation, preservation, and dissolution.
स एवानन्दरुपात्मा तस्मान्नास्त्यपरो मुने
He alone is the Self of blissful form; therefore, O sage, there is none other.