Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

तस्माच्छक्तस्स्वतन्त्रो यः सर्वशक्तिश्च सर्ववित् अनादिनिधनश्चायं महदैश्वर्यसंयुतः

Therefore, he who is powerful, independent, all-capable, all-knowing, without beginning or end, and endowed with supreme sovereignty—

स एव जगतः कर्ता महादेवो महेश्वराः पाता हर्ता च सर्वस्य ततः पृथगनन्वयः

He alone is the creator of the world, the great god, the supreme lord; he is also the protector and destroyer of all, thus the sequence is distinct.

परिणामः प्रधानस्य प्रवृत्तिः पुरुषस्य च सर्वं सत्यव्रतस्यैव शासनेन प्रवर्तते

The transformation of the primary substance and the activity of the person—all proceed only by the command of the ever-truthful one.

इतीयं शाश्वती निष्ठा सतां मनसि वर्तते न चैनं पक्षमाश्रित्य वर्तते स्वल्पचेतनः

Thus, this eternal conclusion abides in the minds of the wise; and the one of little understanding does not act by relying on this doctrine.

यावदादिसमारंभो यावद्यः प्रलयो महान् तावदप्येति सकलं ब्रह्मणः शारदां शतम्

From the beginning of creation until the great dissolution, all this endures for a hundred divine years of Brahmā.

परमित्यायुषो नाम ब्रह्मणो ऽव्यक्तजन्मनः तत्पराख्यं तदर्धं च परार्धमभिधीयते

This is called the supreme lifespan of Brahmā, who is born from the unmanifest; that which is called 'para' is its half, known as 'parārdha.'

परार्धद्वयकालांते प्रलये समुपस्थिते अव्यक्तमात्मनः कार्यमादायात्मनि तिष्ठति

At the end of two parārdhas, when dissolution arrives, the unmanifest, taking the effect of the self, remains within itself.

आत्मन्यवस्थिते ऽव्यक्ते विकारे प्रतिसंहृते साधर्म्येणाधितिष्ठेते प्रधानपुरुषावुभौ

When the unmanifest is established in the self and transformation is withdrawn, both the primary substance and the person remain together in similarity.

तमः सत्त्वगुणावेतौ समत्वेन व्यवस्थितौ अनुद्रिक्तावनन्तौ तावोतप्रोतौ परस्परम्

These two, darkness and the quality of goodness, remain in equilibrium, neither increasing nor decreasing, mutually interwoven and endless.

गुणसाम्ये तदा तस्मिन्नविभागे तमोदये शांतवातैकनीरे च न प्राज्ञायत किंचन

Then, in that state of equality of qualities, in the absence of distinction, when darkness prevails, and in the stillness of a single windless ocean, nothing is perceived.

अप्रज्ञाते जगत्यस्मिन्नेक एव महेश्वरः उपास्य रजनीं कृत्स्नां परां माहेश्वरीं ततः

When the world is unperceived, the one supreme lord alone exists, worshipping the entire night, the supreme Māheśvarī.

प्रभातायां तु शर्वर्यां प्रधानपुरुषावुभौ प्रविश्य क्षोभयामास मायायोगान्महेश्वरः

But when the night has passed, the supreme lord, by the power of illusion, enters both the primary substance and the person and stirs them.

ततः पुनरशेषाणां भूतानां प्रभवाप्ययात् अव्यक्तादभवत्सृष्टिराज्ञया परमेष्ठिनः

Then again, by the command of the supreme lord, creation arises from the unmanifest, and the coming into being and dissolution of all beings takes place.

विश्वोत्तरोत्तरविचित्रमनोरथस्य यस्यैकशक्तिशकले सकलस्समाप्तः आत्मानमध्वपतिमध्वविदो वदंति तस्मै नमः सकललोकविलक्षणाय

Homage to the One who is utterly distinct from all worlds, in whom the entirety of the universe, with all its wondrous and ever greater desires, is fully contained within but a fragment of his single power, whom the knowers of the path call the Lord of the path and the Self.

पुरुषाधिष्ठितात्पूर्वमव्यक्तादीश्वराज्ञया बुद्ध्यादयो विशेषांता विकाराश्चाभवन् क्रमात्

Before the Purusha was established, from the unmanifest, by the command of the Lord, intellect and the other evolutes down to the specific elements, along with their modifications, arose in succession.

ततस्तेभ्यो विकारेभ्यो रुद्रो विष्णुः पितामहः कारणत्वेन सर्वेषां त्रयो देवाः प्रजज्ञिरे

Then, from those modifications, Rudra, Vishnu, and the Grandfather (Brahma) were born as the causes of all things—these three gods.

सर्वतो भुवनव्याप्तिशक्तिमव्याहतां क्वचित् ज्ञानमप्रतिमं शश्वदैश्वर्यं चाणिमादिकम्

He possesses the unobstructed power to pervade all worlds, incomparable knowledge, perpetual lordship, and the supernatural powers such as aṇimā.

सृष्टिस्थितिलयाख्येषु कर्मसु त्रिषु हेतुताम् प्रभुत्वेन सहैतेषां प्रसीदति महेश्वरः

In the three acts known as creation, preservation, and dissolution, Maheshvara, together with his sovereignty, is the cause and bestower of favor to them.

कल्पान्तरे पुनस्तेषामस्पर्धा बुद्धिमोहिनाम् सर्गरक्षालयाचारं प्रत्येकं प्रददौ च सः

At the end of a kalpa, due to their rivalry and confusion of understanding, he assigned to each of them, individually, the conduct of creation, preservation, and dissolution.

एते परस्परोत्पन्ना धारयन्ति परस्परम् परस्परेण वर्धंते परस्परमनुव्रताः

These (three) arise from one another, sustain one another, grow through one another, and are devoted to one another.

क्वचिद्ब्रह्मा क्वचिद्विष्णुः क्वचिद्रुद्रः प्रशस्यते नानेन तेषामाधिक्यमैश्वर्यं चातिरिच्यते

Sometimes Brahma, sometimes Vishnu, sometimes Rudra is praised; by this, neither their superiority nor their lordship is increased.

मूर्खा निंदंति तान्वाग्भिः संरंभाभिनिवेशिनः यातुधाना भवंत्येव पिशाचाश्च न संशयः

Fools, attached to contention, revile them with words; such people become demons and ghosts, without doubt.

देवो गुणत्रयातीतश्चतुर्व्यूहो महेश्वरः सकलस्सकलाधारशक्तेरुत्पत्तिकारणम्

The god Maheshvara, transcending the three qualities, having four emanations, is the foundation of all and the cause of the arising of the power that supports all.

सोयमात्मा त्रयस्यास्य प्रकृतेः पुरुषस्य च लीलाकृतजगत्सृष्टिरीश्वरत्वे व्यवस्थितः

This very Self, who, for the sake of play, has created the world, is established as the Lord over these three—Prakriti, Purusha, and the universe.

यस्सर्वस्मात्परो नित्यो निष्कलः परमेश्वरः स एव च तदाधारस्तदात्मा तदधिष्ठितः

He who is beyond all, eternal, without parts, the Supreme Lord—he alone is the support, the essence, and the ruler of all that.

तस्मान्महेश्वरश्चैव प्रकृतिः पुरुषस्तथा सदाशिवभवो विष्णुर्ब्रह्मा सर्वशिवात्मकम्

Therefore, Maheshvara, as well as Prakriti and Purusha, Sadashiva, Vishnu, and Brahma—all arise from the all-pervading Shiva.

प्रधानात्प्रथमं जज्ञे वृद्धिः ख्यातिर्मतिर्महान् महत्तत्त्वस्य संक्षोभादहंकारस्त्रिधा ऽभवत्

From Pradhana, first arose growth, fame, intellect, and the great principle; from the agitation of the great principle, ego arose in three forms.

अहंकारश्च भूतानि तन्मात्रानींद्रियाणि च वैकारिकादहंकारात्सत्त्वोद्रिक्तात्तु सात्त्विकः

From ego arose the elements, the subtle elements, and the senses; from the ego dominated by sattva, the sāttvika (pure) type is produced.

वैकारिकः स सर्गस्तु युगपत्संप्रवर्तते बुद्धीन्द्रियाणि पञ्चैव पञ्चकर्मेंद्रियाणि च

That sāttvika creation, called vaikārika, arises all at once: the five organs of knowledge and the five organs of action.