Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

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.

एतन्मनोमयं चक्रं मया सृष्टं विसृज्यते यत्रास्य शीर्यते नेमिः स देशस्तपसश्शुभः

This mental wheel, created by me, is being set forth; where its rim is destroyed, that place is auspicious for austerity.

इत्युक्त्वा सूर्यसंकाशं चक्रं दृष्ट्वा मनोमयम् प्रणिपत्य महादेवं विससर्ज पितामहः

Having spoken thus, and seeing the mental wheel shining like the sun, the Grandfather, after bowing to Mahadeva, released it.

ते ऽपि हृष्टतरा विप्राः प्रणम्य जगतां प्रभुम् प्रययुस्तस्य चक्रस्य यत्र नेमिरशीर्यत

Those delighted sages, having bowed to the Lord of the worlds, went to the place where the rim of his discus had fallen.

चक्रं तदपि संक्षिप्तं श्लक्ष्णं चारुशिलातले विमलस्वादुपानीये निजपात वने क्वचित्

That discus, compact and smooth, lay upon a beautiful stone surface, pure and with sweet water nearby, having fallen in a certain forest.

तद्वनं तेन विख्यातं नैमिषं मुनिपूजितम् अनेकयक्षगंधर्वविद्याधरसमाकुलम्

That forest became renowned as Naimisha, honored by sages, thronged with countless yakshas, gandharvas, and vidyadharas.

अष्टादश समुद्रस्य द्वीपानश्नन्पुरूरवाः विलासवशमुर्वश्या यातो दैवेन चोदितः

Pururavas, driven by fate and captivated by Urvashi's charms, traversed the islands of the eighteenfold ocean.

अक्रमेण हरन्मोहाद्यज्ञवाटं हिरण्मयम् मुनिभिर्यत्र संक्रुद्धैः कुशवज्रैर्निपातितः

There, in a fit of delusion, he unlawfully seized the golden sacrificial enclosure, which the enraged sages struck down with blades of sacred grass as thunderbolts.

विश्वं सिसृक्षमाणा वै यत्र विश्वसृजः पुरा सत्रमारेभिरे दिव्यं ब्रह्मज्ञा गार्हपत्यगाः

There, in ancient times, the creators of the worlds, desiring to bring forth the universe, began a divine sacrificial session, the knowers of Brahman tending the sacred fire.

ऋषिभिर्यत्र विद्वद्भिः शब्दार्थन्यायकोविदैः शक्तिप्रज्ञाक्रियायोगैर्विधिरासीदनुष्ठितः

There, the wise seers, skilled in the meanings of words and logic, performed the rites with power, knowledge, and disciplined action.

यत्र वेदविदो नित्यं वेदवादबहिष्कृतान् वादजल्पबलैर्घ्नंति वचोभिरतिवादिनः

There, those learned in the Vedas always vanquish, with arguments and words, the disputants who are excluded from Vedic doctrine and rely on mere sophistry.