Hear now the wondrous account of the Supreme Lord and Lady, as revealed in the sacred verses. Among the primordial beings, Purusha is known as Manu and Shambhu; Shatarupa is cherished by Shiva. Daksha himself is Mahadeva, and Prasuti is the Supreme Lady. Ruci is Bhava, and Akuti is called Bhavani by the wise. Bhrigu is the god who destroyed Bhaga’s eyes, and Khyati is beloved to the three-eyed one. Marichi is the blessed Rudra; Sambhuti is Sharva’s beloved. Gangadhara is known as Angiras, and Smriti is truly called Uma. Pulastya is the one with the moon-crested crown, and Priti is the beloved of Pinakin. Pulaha is the destroyer of Tripura, and his beloved is dear to Shiva. The destroyer of sacrifices is called the sacrifice itself; devotion is beloved of the Lord. The three-eyed is not three-eyed here; Uma herself is remembered as Anasuya by the wise. Kashyapa is Time’s destroyer, the god; the mother of gods is Maheshvari. Vasishtha is the enemy of Manmatha, and the goddess is truly Arundhati. Shankara is all men; all women are Maheshvari; all men and women are manifestations of these two. The Lord is the enjoyer; the Supreme Goddess is the object enjoyed. All that is to be heard is of Uma’s form; the hearer is the wielder of the trident. All that is to be asked is held by Shankara’s beloved; the questioner is the universal Self, adorned with the crescent moon. All that is to be seen is borne by the beloved of the speaker; the seer is the Lord of the universe, the god with the moon-crested crown. The essence of taste is Mahadevi; Shiva is the taster. The essence of affection is Girija; Girisha is the one who enjoys affection. The state of being thought is always held by the goddess Maheshvari; the thinker is the universal Self, the great god Maheshvara. The state of being understood is borne by Bhava’s beloved; the god himself is the knower, the lord crowned with the tender moon. Prana is Pinaki, the lord of all beings; the state of being in prana is Ambika, the one of water-form, for all. The goddess, beloved of Tripurantaka, bears the state of being the field; the lord, destroyer of death, bears the state of being the knower of the field. Day is the god with the trident weapon; night is dear to the wielder of the trident. Space is the god Shankara; earth is beloved of Shankara. The ocean is the lord; the shore is the daughter of the mountain king. The tree is the god with the bull-banner; the creeper is beloved of the Lord of the universe. The lord, ruler of cities, bears all masculine forms; the goddess, delight of the gods, bears all feminine forms. The beloved of all bears the entire web of words; the lord crowned with the tender moon bears the entire nature of meaning. For whatever entity, whichever power is declared, that is the goddess, ruler of the universe; that is the lord, Maheshvara. Whatever is supreme, pure, virtuous, or auspicious, the blessed ones say all that is the expansion of their radiance. Just as the flame of a lamp illuminates a house, so the radiance of these two pervades and illuminates the world. The supreme revelation declares that, from grass and so on up to the form of Shiva, the extraordinary sequence of manifestation in the universe occurs according to the order of proximity between the two. These two possess all forms and bestow every good; they are always to be worshipped, saluted, and contemplated. O Krishna, according to my understanding, I have explained to you today the true nature of the Supreme Lords, but not yet in its entirety. How can the true nature of the Supreme Lords be spoken? It lies beyond even the minds of all the great ones. For those whose minds are wholly dedicated to the Lord, it is internal; for others, it is not established in the intellect, or only as it is. This manifest glory, as previously described, is considered material; those who know the secret know another, supreme, immaterial, and hidden glory. That supreme, immaterial glory of the Lord is where words, along with the mind and senses, turn back, unable to reach. That alone is the highest abode here, that alone is the supreme goal here, that alone is the utmost limit—the glory of the Supreme Lord. To attain that, here, those who have conquered their breath and senses strive, just as a potter strives to make the mouth of a jar without a flaw. The wise one who knows the glory of Shiva, which is like a life-restoring medicine for those bitten by the serpent of worldly existence, does not fear anything. He who truly knows both the supreme and the non-supreme glory transcends the lower and attains the supreme glory. Thus, O Krishna, I have told you the true nature of the Supreme Self, even its secret, for you are worthy and a devotee of the radiant one. According to the Vedic injunction, one should never speak of the glory of the Lords to uninitiated, non-Shaiva, or non-devoted persons. Therefore, you should tell this only to those supremely virtuous ones, not to others; but you may tell it to those like yourself, and not otherwise. Whoever imparts this glory of Shiva to the worthy becomes liberated from the ocean of worldly existence and attains union with Shiva. By reciting this, countless great sins are destroyed; those practiced three or four times more are destroyed even further. Hostile and inauspicious forces are destroyed, friends flourish, Shaiva knowledge increases, and the mind becomes established in truth. Supreme devotion to Shiva, to Ambika, to their followers and attendants—whatever else is most desired, that too is surely attained.