Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

व्रतानि सर्वदानानि तपांसि नियमास्तथा कथितानि पुरा सद्भिर्भावार्थं नात्र संशयः

Vows, all gifts, austerities, and disciplines—these were declared by the wise of old for the sake of inner meaning; there is no doubt of this.

हरिश्चाहं च रुद्रश्च तथान्ये च सुरासुराः तपोभिरुग्रैरद्यापि तस्य दर्शनकांक्षिणः

Hari, I, Rudra, and other gods and demons—even now, with fierce austerities, we long for a vision of him.

अदृश्यः पतितैर्मूढैर्दुर्जनैरपि कुत्सितैः भक्तैरन्तर्बहिश्चापि पूज्यः संभाष्य एव च

He is unseen by the fallen, the deluded, and the wicked, even the contemptible; but by devotees, both within and without, he is to be worshiped and addressed.

तदिदं त्रिविधं रूपं स्थूलं सूक्ष्मं ततः परम् अस्मदाद्यमरैर्दृश्यं स्थूलं सूक्ष्मं तु योगिभिः

This threefold form—gross, subtle, and supreme—the gross is seen by us and the immortals; the subtle, by yogis.

ततः परं तु यन्नित्यं ज्ञानमानंदमव्ययम् तन्निष्ठैस्तत्परैर्भक्तैर्दृश्यं तद्व्रतमाश्रितैः

But that which is supreme, eternal, knowledge, bliss, and imperishable, is seen by those devoted to it, established in that vow.

बहुनात्र किमुक्तेन गुह्याद्गुह्यतरं परम् शिवे भक्तिर्न सन्देहस्तया युक्तो विमुच्यते

Why say much more? The highest secret of secrets is this: there is no doubt that devotion to Shiva, when practiced, brings liberation.

प्रसादादेव सा भक्तिः प्रसादो भक्तिसंभवः यथा चांकुरतो बीजं बीजतो वा यथांकुरः

That devotion arises only from grace, and grace is born of devotion—just as a sprout comes from a seed, and a seed from a sprout.

प्रसादपूर्विका एव पशोस्सर्वत्र सिद्धयः स एव साधनैरन्ते सर्वैरपि च साध्यते

All attainments for the soul everywhere are preceded by grace; and by all means, in the end, it is achieved only through grace.

प्रसादसाधनं धर्मस्स च वेदेन दर्शितः तदभ्यासवशात्साम्यं पूर्वयोः पुण्यपापयोः

The means to grace is dharma, as shown by the Veda; through its practice, there comes balance between merit and demerit.

साम्यात्प्रसादसंपर्को धर्मस्यातिशयस्ततः धर्मातिशयमासाद्य पशोः पापपरिक्षयः

From balance comes contact with grace, and from that, the excellence of dharma; attaining the excellence of dharma, the soul's sins are destroyed.

एवं प्रक्षीणपापस्य बहुभिर्जन्मभिः क्रमात् सांबे सर्वेश्वरे भक्तिर्ज्ञानपूर्वा प्रजायते

Thus, when sin is diminished, gradually over many births, devotion to Sāmba, the Lord of all, arises, preceded by knowledge.

भावानुगुणमीशस्य प्रसादो व्यतिरिच्यते प्रसादात्कर्मसंत्यागः फलतो न स्वरूपतः

The Lord's grace is bestowed according to one's disposition; from grace comes the abandonment of action—not in essence, but in its fruit.

तस्मात्कर्मफलत्यागाच्छिवधर्मान्वयः शुभः स च गुर्वनपेक्षश्च तदपेक्ष इति द्विधा

Therefore, from the renunciation of the fruit of action arises the auspicious path of Shiva's dharma; and this is twofold: independent of a teacher, or dependent upon one.

तत्रानपेक्षात्सापेक्षो मुख्यः शतगुणाधिकः शिवधर्मान्वयस्यास्य शिवज्ञानसमन्वयः

There, the one who acts with intention is superior by a hundredfold to the one who acts without intention; for in this lineage of Shiva's law, union with the knowledge of Shiva is foremost.

ज्ञनान्वयवशात्पुंसः संसारे दोषदर्शनम् ततो विषयवैराग्यं वैराग्याद्भावसाधनम्

Through the influence of knowledge, a person perceives the faults in worldly existence; from that arises dispassion toward sense objects, and from dispassion comes the cultivation of inner disposition.

भावसिद्ध्युपपन्नस्य ध्याने निष्ठा न कर्मणि ज्ञानध्यानाभियुक्तस्य पुंसो योगः प्रवर्तते

For one who has attained the right inner disposition, steadfastness is found in meditation, not in action; for the person engaged in knowledge and meditation, yoga is set in motion.

योगेन तु परा भक्तिः प्रसादस्तदनंतरम् प्रसादान्मुच्यते जंतुर्मुक्तः शिवसमो भवेत्

Through yoga, supreme devotion arises, and grace follows thereafter; by grace, the living being is liberated and becomes equal to Shiva.

अनुग्रहप्रकारस्य क्रमो ऽयमविवक्षितः यादृशी योग्यता पुंसस्तस्य तादृगनुग्रहः

The sequence of the mode of grace is not fixed; as is a person's fitness, so is the grace bestowed upon him.

गर्भस्थो मुच्यते कश्चिज्जायमानस्तथापरः बालो वा तरुणो वाथ वृद्धो वा मुच्यते परः

Some are liberated while still in the womb, others at birth; another is liberated as a child, a youth, or even as an old man.

तिर्यग्योनिगतः कश्चिन्मुच्यते नारको ऽपरः अपरस्तु पदं प्राप्तो मुच्यते स्वपदक्षये

Some are liberated from an animal birth, another from hell; yet another attains a certain state and is liberated when that state is exhausted.

कश्चित्क्षीणपदो भूत्वा पुनरावर्त्य मुच्यते कश्चिदध्वगतस्तस्मिन् स्थित्वास्थित्वा विमुच्यते

Some, having exhausted their allotted state, are liberated after returning again; another, having reached a certain path, is liberated after remaining there for a time.

तस्मान्नैकप्रकारेण नराणां मुक्तिरिष्यते ज्ञानभावानुरूपेण प्रसादेनैव निर्वृतिः

Therefore, liberation for people is not considered to occur in a single manner; fulfillment comes only through grace, in accordance with the state of knowledge and disposition.

तस्मादस्य प्रसादार्थं वाङ्मनोदोषवर्जिताः ध्यायंतश्शिवमेवैकं सदारतनयाग्नयः

Therefore, for the sake of that grace, always meditating solely on Shiva—free from faults of speech, mind, and body—together with wives, sons, and sacred fires.

तन्निष्ठास्तत्परास्सर्वे तद्युक्तास्तदुपाश्रयाः सर्वक्रियाः प्रकुर्वाणास्तमेव मनसागताः

All of them, steadfast in him, devoted to him, united with him, and taking refuge in him, perform all actions with their minds fixed on him alone.

दीर्घसूत्रसमारब्धं दिव्यवर्षसहस्रकम् सत्रांते मंत्रयोगेन वायुस्तत्र गमिष्यति

At the end of a sacrificial session begun with a long ritual, lasting a thousand divine years, the vital breath will depart there through the power of mantra and yoga.

स एव भवतः श्रेयः सोपायं कथयिष्यति ततो वाराणसी पुण्या पुरी परमशोभना

He himself will tell you the means to your highest good; then, the holy and supremely beautiful city of Varanasi must be reached.

गंतव्या यत्र विश्वेशो देव्या सह पिनाकधृक् सदा विहरति श्रीमान् भक्तानुग्रहकारणात्

There, where the Lord of All, bearing the bow Pinaka, always dwells with the Goddess, for the sake of bestowing grace upon devotees.

तत्राश्चर्यं महद्दृष्ट्वा मत्समीपं गमिष्यथ ततो वः कथयिष्यामि मोक्षोपाय द्विजोत्तमाः

Having seen the great wonder there, you will come to me; then I shall tell you, O best of twice-born, the means to liberation.

येनैकजन्मना मुक्तिर्युष्मत्करतले स्थिता अनेकजन्मसंसारबंधनिर्मोक्षकारिणी

By which, with a single birth, liberation will be in your grasp—bringing release from the bonds of many births in worldly existence.