Listen, O seeker, to the subtle mystery of how the soul attains purity and liberation through the grace of Shiva. Just as iron, when placed in fire, becomes red-hot and burning—not by its own nature, but by the fire’s—so too does the impure self become pure only through contact with Shiva. The heat belongs to the fire, not to the iron. In the embodied self, it is the Lord alone who is sovereign—never the individual soul. Consider: wood by itself does not burn upward; it is the fire that burns. When wood is reduced to charcoal, that state belongs to the wood, not to the fire. In the same way, whether in wood, stone, or clay, it is only by the influence of Shiva’s presence that anything attains the state of Shiva. Qualities such as friendliness are secondary; their functions are distinct and do not touch the essence. For those who possess such qualities, they may lead to merit or fault, but whatever is secondary or not, all is accepted by Shiva. His own qualities are beyond merit or fault. The wise do not call grace a secondary quality; rather, the true benefit is liberation from worldly existence, which is Shiva’s command and supremely auspicious. That which is done according to His command is truly beneficial; that benefit itself is grace. Therefore, we should engage all beings in what is beneficial, for Shiva is the universal source of grace. Even the meaning of “help” is said to be grace, for it too is of the nature of benefit. Thus, Shiva is the universal benefactor. All things—sentient and insentient—are always engaged in what is beneficial, but because of the obstruction of their own nature, not all attain benefit equally. Just as the sun causes lotuses to bloom with its rays, yet not all lotuses open equally—each according to its own nature—so too is benefit received in varying measure. The inherent nature of beings is the cause of what comes to be, but this nature cannot produce a perishing result for those who act. Only gold, not charcoal, is melted by contact with fire; in the same way, only those whose impurities are fully matured are liberated, not merely those who are devoted to Shiva. Whatever is fit to become something does not do so on its own, but only through the agency of a doer who is ever-independent. Just as Shiva, pure by nature, is the universal bestower of grace, so too those whose nature is impure are called individual souls. If it were otherwise, these beings would wander according to rule; but how could Shiva, bound by karma and illusion, be said by the wise to transmigrate? This bondage belongs only to the individual self, not to Shiva, for impurity is inherent to the self, not something that comes from outside. If impurity were adventitious, it would arise from some other cause, but this cause is unique, due to its own peculiar nature. Even though the essence of self is the same, some are bound and some are liberated; among the bound, there are those with authority over dissolution and enjoyment. Some beings possess differences in knowledge, power, and other qualities, being higher or lower; some attain embodiment, while others remain close to the source. Among the embodied, some are Śivas established at the summit of the paths; in the middle are the Maheśvaras and Rudras, and those in lower positions are below them. Even when near Māyā, due to a certain threefold cause, the self abides below, while the inner self is in the middle. Beyond all is the Supreme Self, the Paramātman; there exist Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara, and some Vasus are established in the state of the Supreme Self. Some dwell in the state of the inner self, others in the state of the self; the Śaivas are in the state beyond peace, and the Māheśvaras are in peace, after that. In the sphere of knowledge are the Raudras; in the sphere of establishment, the Vaiṣṇavas; in the sphere of withdrawal, the selves, Brahmā, and the progenitors of Brahmā. The eight principal divine births are highest, human birth is considered intermediate, and birds and the like are lowest. These five births make fourteen in all. The state of being higher or lower is to be understood as the impurity of the transmigrating soul, just as the absence of impurity is for the liberated. First there is unripe impurity, then ripened. Impurity, too, is unripe or ripe, and becomes the cause of transmigration; in the unripe, there is lowness among men, in the ripe, there is gradual elevation. The souls bound as cattle are threefold: with one, two, or three impurities. Those with one impurity are highest, those with two are intermediate, and those with three are lowest, each established in order. Those with three impurities are ruled by those with two and one impurity, in order. Thus, this distinction based on adjuncts is imagined in the universe. Śiva alone presides over all those with one, two, or three impurities; even that which is of non-Śiva nature is governed by Śiva, as is proper. Thus, the world is presided over by Rudras, even those of non-Rudra nature; from the cosmic egg down to the great earth, each is ruled by hundreds of Rudras and others. The region up to Māyā and the intermediate space are pervaded in order by the lords of immortals and others, extending from the size of a thumb to the utmost limits. The heavens, ending with Mahāmāyā, are presided over by the lords of worlds such as Vāyu and others; those who dwell at the end of the unsupported, within the paths, are similarly established. Indeed, they are directly the gods in heaven, likewise those in the intermediate space, and those on earth; thus, the gods are praised by the vows of the gods. Thus, by these three impurities, unripe and ripe, separately, the disease of transmigration arises in men as its cause. The only remedy for this disease is knowledge; there is no other. Śambhu, Śiva, the supreme cause, is the one who prescribes the medicine. Shiva, who is able to liberate beings from bondage without any suffering, how could he cause suffering? There should be no doubt about this. Indeed, all of existence is certainly suffering; how could suffering become non-suffering? For the essential nature does not change. A sick person does not become healthy merely because of the physician or medicine; but the physician, using remedies, brings relief to the one afflicted with disease. In the same way, Shiva frees beings, who are by nature impure and suffering, from their suffering by means of his own knowledge and remedies.