From the Lord of all mantra bodies—He who possesses the three supreme powers, who is adorned with five faces and ten arms, and who pervades both the manifest and the unmanifest—arises the entire stream of creation. Even beyond this, from the very essence of the bindu, and further still, transcending the lords of the night, and surpassing even what is called sound, the mystery continues. It stretches beyond the Lord of the central channel, beyond the Lord of the cranial aperture, beyond the highest power, and ultimately, beyond even the principle of Śiva Himself. At the heart of all causation stands Śiva, the supreme cause—causeless Himself, the source of all sources, the unchanging object of meditation for all seekers, imperishable and eternal. He resides in the midst of the supreme ether, above the supreme Self, endowed with all sovereignty, the Lord of all, without equal or superior. From this sovereignty, from Māyā, from impurity, from humans and other beings, from the lower and the higher, and from the path of supreme purity, everything arises. Beyond even these, from pure knowledge and from the highest Unmanā—the supreme, the highest sovereignty, the beginningless—everything flows forth. Śiva is boundless, dependent on none, free from excess, and perfectly stable. Thus, in tenfold ways, is the Atharvanic revelation described. Because it is greater, the Atharva Veda pervades the universe. The Rig Veda declares this as the waking state, which has been spoken. Through this, I am always the revealer of the essence of the Self, says the Yajur Veda; in the same way, the dream state is described. Knowledge, to be experienced, is transformed in Me as the object of knowledge; the Sama Veda speaks of this as the state called deep sleep. Thus, all is declared by Me. By My meaning, O Shiva, this is called tamasic; the Atharva Veda speaks of the state called "the fourth"—turiya—and even that which is beyond the fourth. It is declared by Me; thus, I am called the one beyond the path. Yet the threefold path—consisting of the path itself—is known as the knowledge of Shiva, the Self. This threefold nature, accomplished by the three Vedas, must be purified by the seeker of the state. The state beyond the path, called the fourth, is liberation, the supreme state. That which lies beyond is due to the absence of qualities; it purifies the path. The sound, which measures both the two and marks the end of sounds, is My own nature. Therefore, by the freedom of My own meaning, the Supreme Lord is foremost. Whatever exists, all arises from the predominance of qualities. Both the collective and the particular are encompassed in the meaning of the syllable Om. Thus, this single imperishable syllable is Brahman, the signifier of all meanings. By that Om, Shiva first creates the entire world, for Shiva is indeed Om, and Om is remembered as Shiva. There is no absolute difference between the signifier and the signified, for Rudra is beyond thought, and both speech and mind are His vehicles. Not attaining that, seekers turn back; yet the signified is expressed by the single syllable. From the syllable "A," the Self is named Brahman. From the syllable "U," Vishnu is spoken of in two forms. From the syllable "M," Shiva, Rudra, is declared. From the right side of the Great Lord arose Brahma, known as the Self; from the left side arose Vishnu, therefore called Knowledge. From the heart arose Nīlarudra, called Shiva, who initiates creation as Brahma, sustains as Vishnu, and deludes the world. Rudra is likewise the agent of dissolution, and always the regulator of both creation and dissolution. Therefore, these three—Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra—are said to be the causes of the world, but Shiva is the supreme cause, the source of these three causes. Not understanding this truth, bound by passion and enmity, the sign of the liṅga was established between Brahma and Vishnu for their awakening. Thus, I am called by this name, as stated by the Atharvans: the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma verses, and countless other branches. In the Vedas, spoken directly by their own mouths, this is clearly declared; yet, as if experienced in a dream, it is not fully grasped by them. For their awakening and removal of darkness, everything is sealed within the Liṅga, as cited in the Vedas. Seeing all sealed in the Liṅga, by its grace, those two deities—Brahma and Vishnu—became calmed and awakened in mind. They beheld the origin and dissolution, the true nature of the six paths, and then the supreme abode, the Person who bears all abodes. This is the most transcendent Brahman—partless, Shiva, the eternal Lord, master of the world composed of bound souls and their bonds. He is absolutely fearless, without increase or decrease, imperishable, pervading both outside and inside, yet free from both. He is free from all excess, eternally distinct from all worlds, without mark, indescribable, beyond the reach of speech and mind. He is of a single essence of light, peaceful, serene, ever-radiant, the abode of all auspiciousness, endowed with infinite power. Knowing the god Virūpākṣa, Brahma and Nārāyaṇa, with hands joined in reverence upon their heads, fearful, spoke these words: "Whether ignorant or knowledgeable, I was created by you, O God, at the beginning; having fallen into such confusion, who here is at fault? Let my ignorance remain, O Lord, with you present; who, without fear, would speak of his own or another's duty? Even the dispute between us, O God of gods, is auspicious, for bowing at your feet yields fruit, O Master. To praise you, O Lord, words are lacking; none are worthy of your greatness. Before you, silence among the devoted is not a transgression.