Hear now the sacred account of Shiva, the Lord of Ambikā, known as Īśāna, the bearer of the mighty Pināka bow, who rides the noble bull. He is the one Rudra, the supreme Brahman, the eternal Person—dark and tawny in hue. This Lord, supreme among all, is to be contemplated deep within the heart’s secret chamber, as subtle and minute as the tip of a tender grass blade. Within that heart-space, he appears golden-haired, with lotus-like eyes, his form tinged with red and coppery hues. This gentle god, who descends for the welfare of beings, is marked by a blue neck, golden radiance, and a serene countenance, yet he is also awe-inspiring and terrible, a wondrous blend of qualities—imperishable, immortal, and never subject to decay. He is the highest Person, the blessed one, the destroyer of death itself. Beyond both consciousness and unconsciousness, he transcends all manifestation, standing above even the highest realities. Because of Shiva’s unsurpassed nature, the wise proclaim that his knowledge and sovereignty are supreme, and that among all lords, he alone stands as the highest. At the dawn of every cosmic cycle, it is he who instructs each newly arisen Brahma in the vast expanse of the sacred scriptures, for all such creators are bound by time’s limitations. Even among teachers subject to time, Shiva is the teacher of all; he is the Lord of all lords, forever beyond the grasp of time. His power is pure and inherent, surpassing all others. His knowledge is incomparable and eternal, and his form is absolutely self-fashioned, owing nothing to any other. His sovereignty knows no equal, his bliss is supreme, and his strength, brilliance, might, patience, and compassion are all without peer. For this complete being, there is no personal motive in creation or any other act; the sole purpose and fruit of all his actions is the welfare of others. The syllable Om is spoken as the name of Shiva, the supreme Self. Among names such as Shiva and Rudra, Om is regarded as the highest. From the recitation of Om, which expresses the essence of Shambhu, supreme attainment is surely gained—of this there is no doubt. Therefore, those who have mastered the scriptures refer to the one-syllabled Lord in this way, recognizing the unity of the signifier and the signified, as do the wise. The Vedas themselves declare that Om is composed of four parts: the sounds ‘a’, ‘u’, and ‘ma’, and the resonance (nāda). The ‘a’ is said to be the Rig Veda, ‘u’ the Yajur Veda, ‘ma’ the Sāman, and the resonance is remembered as the Atharvan. Further, ‘a’ is the great seed, rajas, and the creator with four faces; ‘u’ is nature, the womb, sattva, and the preserver, Hari; ‘ma’ is the person, the seed, tamas, and the destroyer, Hara. The resonance is the supreme Lord, beyond qualities and action—Shiva himself. All that exists is encompassed by these three syllables, and by the half-syllable, the true Self of Shiva is revealed. There is nothing beyond him, nothing smaller or greater; like a tree standing firm in the sky, he alone fills all that is, the Supreme Person. His power is innate, his knowledge unique in all the universe, shining forth in countless forms like the radiance of the sun. His powers are infinite—will, knowledge, action, and others—arising from māyā as sparks leap from a blazing fire. From this power arose Sadāśiva, Īśvara, and others, as well as Vidyeśvara and Avidyeśvara; from her also came the Purushas and the supreme Prakriti. All forms, from the great principle down to the smallest particular, and even those beginning with non-being—whatever exists—is her effect, without doubt. She, the power, is all-pervading and subtle, embodying the essence of awakening; the possessor of this power is called Shiva, adorned with the crescent moon. Shiva is the knowable, Shiva is knowledge, wisdom, as well as revelation and tradition. She is firmness, stability, steadfastness, and the very powers of knowledge, will, and action. All command, the supreme Brahman, the twofold knowledge—higher and lower—pure knowledge and pure art: all arise from this power. Māyā, nature, the individual soul, transformation, modification, the real and the unreal—whatever exists, all is pervaded by her. This goddess, by her māyā, effortlessly deludes the entire universe, both moving and unmoving, and by her playful power she also grants liberation. With her, the Lord of all, in twenty-seven forms, pervades and abides in the universe; thus, liberation arises here. Once, some sages—seekers of liberation and expounders of Brahman—found their minds seized by doubt. They reflected deeply: What is the cause of all? From where are we born? By whom do we live? Where is our foundation? By whom are we established? By whom do we continue to exist, in pleasure and otherwise, day and night? And by whom is the unbreakable order of the universe maintained? They considered: The nature of time, destiny, or chance is not sufficient here; the elements, the source, the person, or the supreme yogi—these must be examined. For time and the rest are insentient, and even if the self is sentient, pleasure and pain arise from the elements and from lack of mastery—thus they pondered. Perceiving at last that divine power, which is attained through meditation and yoga, which severs bonds directly, hidden yet exceedingly endowed with her own qualities, they found their own fetters cut by her. With divine sight, they beheld the great Lord, the possessor of power, the cause of all causes. He, along with time and self, upholds all causes without remainder, immeasurable, and by this very power, governs all. Then, by the union of grace and supreme yoga, and through the visible yoga of devotion, they attained the divine state. Therefore, those who, together with that power, behold Shiva in the heart—eternal peace is theirs, not of others, so revelation declares. Indeed, there is never any separation between the possessor of power and the power itself; and from the identity of power and the possessor of power, liberation arises for both.