Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

अचक्षुरपि यः पश्यत्यकर्णो ऽपि शृणोति यः सर्वं वेत्ति न वेत्तास्य तमाहुः पुरुषं परम्

Though without eyes, he sees; though without ears, he hears; he knows everything, but none knows him—they call him the Supreme Person.

अणोरणीयान्महतो महीयानयमव्ययः गुहायां निहितश्चापि जंतोरस्य महेश्वरः

He is subtler than the subtle, greater than the great, imperishable, and is hidden in the cave, in the heart of the living being, as the great Lord.

तमक्रतुं क्रतुप्रायं महिमातिशयान्वितम् धातुः प्रसादादीशानं वीतशोकः प्रपश्यति

One who is free from sorrow, by the grace of the creator, beholds that Lord, who is actionless, yet the source of all actions, endowed with supreme greatness.

वेदाहमेनमजरं पुराणं सर्वगं विभुम् निरोधं जन्मनो यस्य वदंति ब्रह्मवादिनः

I know this ageless, ancient, all-pervading, mighty one, whose cessation of birth is declared by the knowers of Brahman.

एको ऽपि त्रीनिमांल्लोकान् बहुधा शक्तियोगतः

Though one, by the union of his powers, he manifests these three worlds in manifold ways.

विश्वधात्रीत्यजाख्या च शैवी चित्रा कृतिः परा तामजां लोहितां शुक्लां कृष्णामेकां त्वजः प्रजाम्

She, called the bearer of the universe and unborn, is the supreme, wondrous, creative power of Shiva—unborn, red, white, and black, she alone is the progenitor.

जनित्रीमनुशेते ऽन्योजुषमाणस्स्वरूपिणीम् तामेवाजामजो ऽन्यस्तु भक्तभोगा जहाति च

The unborn one lies with the mother, enjoying her own form; but the other, though also unborn, abandons her, seeking the enjoyment of devotees.

द्वौ सुपर्णौ च सयुजौ समानं वृक्षमास्थितौ एको ऽत्ति पिप्पलं स्वादु परो ऽनश्नन् प्रपश्यति

Two birds, united and close, perch upon the same tree; one eats the sweet fig, while the other, not eating, simply looks on.

वृक्षेस्मिन् पुरुषो मग्नो गुह्यमानश्च शोचति जुष्टमन्यं यदा पश्येदीशं परमकारणम्

On this tree, the person, immersed and hidden, grieves; but when he beholds the other, the Lord, the supreme cause, he is satisfied.

तदास्य महिमानं च वीतशोकस्सुखी भवेत् छंदांसि यज्ञाः ऋतवो यद्भूतं भव्यमेव च

Then, knowing His greatness, he becomes free from sorrow and attains happiness; the Vedas, sacrifices, seasons, all that has been and will be, are indeed that.

मायी विश्वं सृजत्यस्मिन्निविष्टो मायया परः मायां तु प्रकृतिं विद्यान्मायिनं तु महेश्वरम्

The Lord, abiding in this, creates the universe by His power of illusion; know that illusion is nature, and the wielder of illusion is the Great Lord.

तस्यास्त्ववयवैरेव व्याप्तं सर्वमिदं जगत् सूक्ष्मातिसूक्ष्ममीशानं कललस्यापि मध्यतः

By His very limbs, this entire world is pervaded; the Lord, subtler than the subtlest, is present even in the midst of the embryo.

स्रष्टारमपि विश्वस्य वेष्टितारं च तस्य तु शिवमेवेश्वरं ज्ञात्वा शांतिमत्यंतमृच्छति

Knowing Shiva alone as the creator and enveloping Lord of the universe, one attains supreme peace.

स एव कालो गोप्ता च विश्वस्याधिपतिः प्रभुः तं विश्वाधिपतिं ज्ञात्वा मृत्युपाशात्प्रमुच्यते

He alone is time, the protector, the ruler and master of the universe; knowing that Lord of all, one is freed from the noose of death.

घृतात्परं मंडमिव सूक्ष्मं ज्ञात्वा स्थितं प्रभुम् सर्वभूतेषु गूढं च सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते

Knowing the subtle Lord, hidden like the finest essence beyond clarified butter, abiding in all beings, one is freed from all sins.

एष एव परो देवो विश्वकर्मा महेश्वरः हृदये संनिविष्टं तं ज्ञात्वैवामृतमश्नुते

He alone is the supreme God, the maker of the universe, the Great Lord; knowing Him, established in the heart, one partakes of immortality.

यदा समस्तं न दिवा न रात्रिर्न सदप्यसत् केवलश्शिव एवैको यतः प्रज्ञा पुरातनी

When all is neither day nor night, neither being nor non-being, then only Shiva alone exists, from whom ancient wisdom arises.

नैनमूर्ध्वं न तिर्यक्च न मध्यं पर्यजिग्रहत् न तस्य प्रतिमा चास्ति यस्य नाम महद्यशः

No one has grasped Him above, across, or in the middle; He has no likeness, whose name is of great renown.

अजातमिममेवैके बुद्धा जन्मनि भीरवः रुद्रस्यास्य प्रपद्यंते रक्षार्थं दक्षिणं सुखम्

Some wise and fearless ones know Him as unborn; seeking protection, they approach the auspicious right side of Rudra.

द्वे अक्षरे ब्रह्मपरे त्वनंते समुदाहृते विद्याविद्ये समाख्याते निहिते यत्र गूढवत्

Two imperishable syllables are spoken of as supreme Brahman and infinite; knowledge and ignorance are both said to be concealed there as in a secret place.

क्षरं त्वविद्या ह्यमृतं विद्येति परिगीयते ते उभे ईशते यस्तु सो ऽन्यः खलु महेश्वरः

Ignorance is perishable, knowledge is said to be immortal; He who rules over both is indeed the Great Lord.

एकैकं बहुधा जालं विकुर्वन्नेकवच्च यः सर्वाधिपत्यं कुरुते सृष्ट्वा सर्वान् प्रतापवान्

He, making each one manifold like a net and yet remaining one, after creating all, exercises supreme lordship over all with power.

दिश ऊर्ध्वमधस्तिर्यक् भासयन् भ्राजते स्वयम् यो निःस्वभावादप्येको वरेण्यस्त्वधितिष्ठति

He, shining by Himself, illumines all directions—above, below, and across; though without inherent nature, He alone, the excellent, abides.

स्वभाववाचकान् सर्वान् वाच्यांश्च परिणामयन् गुणांश्च भोग्यभोक्तृत्वे तद्विश्वमधितिष्ठति

Transforming all that is called by its own nature and all that is denoted, as well as qualities, in the enjoyer and the enjoyed, He pervades the universe.

ते वै गुह्योपणिषदि गूढं ब्रह्म परात्परम् ब्रह्मयोनिं जगत्पूर्वं विदुर्देवा महर्षयः

The gods and great sages know that supreme Brahman, the source of Brahma and the origin of the world, hidden in the secret Upanishad.

भावग्राह्यमनीहाख्यं भावाभावकरं शिवम् कलासर्गकरं देवं ये विदुस्ते जहुस्तनुम्

Those who know Shiva as the one who is grasped by experience, called desireless, who brings about both existence and nonexistence, who creates the divisions of time, abandon the body.

स्वभावमेके मन्यंते कालमेके विमोहिताः देवस्य महिमा ह्येष येनेदं भ्राम्यते जगत्

Some, deluded, regard nature as ultimate; others, time. But this is truly the greatness of the god, by which the world is made to revolve.

येनेदमावृतं नित्यं कालकालात्मना यतः तेनेरितमिदं कर्म भूतैः सह विवर्तते

By whom this is ever enveloped, whose essence is beyond time and its measure, through whom this action is performed, and with the elements, it transforms.

तत्कर्म भूयशः कृत्वा विनिवृत्य च भूयशः तत्त्वस्य सह तत्त्वेन योगं चापि समेत्य वै

Having repeatedly performed that action, and again ceasing from it, one attains union with the principle, together with its own essence, through yoga.