Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

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.

एकादशं मनस्तत्र स्वगुणेनोभयात्मकम् तमोयुक्तादहंकाराद्भूततन्मात्रसंभवः

The eleventh is the mind, which, possessing its own quality, is of a dual nature; from the ego associated with tamas, the subtle elements of matter are produced.

भूतानामादिभूतत्वाद्भूतादिः कथ्यते तु सः भूतादेश्शब्दमात्रं स्यात्तत्र चाकाशसंभवः

Because it is the first among the elements, it is called the primary element; from the primary element arises only sound, and from that, space is produced.

आकाशात्स्पर्श उत्पन्नः स्पर्शाद्वायुसमुद्भवः वायो रूपं ततस्तेजस्तेजसो रससंभवः

From space arose touch; from touch, air was produced. From air came form, and from form, fire; from fire, taste was born.

रसादापस्समुत्पन्नास्तेभ्यो गन्धसमुद्भवः गन्धाच्च पृथिवी जाता भूतेभ्योन्यच्चराचरम्

From taste, waters were produced; from them, scent arose. And from scent, earth was born; from the elements, all moving and unmoving beings.

पुरुषाधिष्ठितत्वाच्च अव्यक्तानुग्रहेण च महदादिविशेषान्ता ह्यण्डमुत्पादयन्ति ते

Because of the presence of the Purusha and the favor of the unmanifest, from the Great Principle down to the particular, they produce the cosmic egg.

तत्र कार्यं च करणं संसिद्धं ब्रह्मणो यदा तदंडे सुप्रवृद्धो ऽभूत् क्षेत्रज्ञो ब्रह्मसंज्ञितः

When, within that egg, the effect and the instrument of Brahman were perfected, then the knower of the field, called Brahma, grew greatly therein.

स वै शरीरी प्रथमः स वै पुरुष उच्यते आदिकर्ता स भूतानां ब्रह्माग्रे समवर्तत

He, possessing a body, is the first; he is called the Purusha. He is the original creator of beings, and in the beginning, Brahma came into being.

तस्येश्वरस्य प्रतिमा ज्ञानवैराग्यलक्षणा धर्मैश्वर्यकरी बुद्धिर्ब्राह्मी यज्ञे ऽभिमानिनः

The image of that Lord is marked by knowledge and detachment; the intellect, producing virtue and lordship, is Brahmi, for the one who is proud in sacrifice.

अव्यक्ताज्जायते तस्य मनसा यद्यदीप्सितम् वशी विकृत्वात्त्रैगुण्यात्सापेक्षत्वात्स्वभावतः

From the unmanifest, whatever he desires with his mind is born; being the master, he transforms it, due to the three qualities, dependence, and his own nature.

त्रिधा विभज्य चात्मानं त्रैलोक्ये संप्रवर्तते सृजते ग्रसते चैव वीक्षते च त्रिभिस्स्वयम्

Dividing himself threefold, he operates in the three worlds; he creates, devours, and observes, by means of these three, himself.

चतुर्मुखस्तु ब्रह्मत्वे कालत्वे चांतकस्स्मृतः सहस्रमूर्धा पुरुषस्तिस्रोवस्थास्स्वयंभुवः

With four faces, he is Brahma; as Time, he is called the Ender. The Purusha with a thousand heads is the Self-born in three states.

सत्त्वं रजश्च ब्रह्मा च कालत्वे च तमो रजः विष्णुत्वे केवलं सत्त्वं गुणवृद्धिस्त्रिधा विभौ

Sattva and rajas are Brahma; as Time, tamas and rajas. In the form of Vishnu, only sattva prevails; the increase of the qualities is threefold in the Lord.

ब्रह्मत्वे सृजते लोकान् कालत्वे संक्षिपत्यपि पुरुषत्वे ऽत्युदासीनः कर्म च त्रिविधं विभोः

As Brahma, he creates the worlds; as Time, he also withdraws them. As Purusha, he is utterly indifferent; the Lord's action is threefold.

एवं त्रिधा विभिन्नत्वाद्ब्रह्मा त्रिगुण उच्यते चतुर्धा प्रविभक्तत्वाच्चातुर्व्यूहः प्रकीर्तितः

Thus, because of this threefold division, Brahma is called threefold in qualities; and because of his fourfold distinction, he is known as the Fourfold Manifestation.

आदित्वादादिदेवो ऽसावजातत्वादजः स्मृतः पाति यस्मात्प्रजाः सर्वाः प्रजापतिरिति स्मृतः

Because he is the first, he is the primordial god; because he is unborn, he is called the Unborn. Because he protects all beings, he is remembered as the Lord of Creatures.

हिरण्मयस्तु यो मेरुस्तस्योल्बं सुमहात्मनः गर्भोदकं समुद्राश्च जरायुश्चा ऽपि पर्वताः

The golden Meru is his shell, O greatly souled one; the waters of the womb are the oceans, and the mountains are also his membrane.

तस्मिन्नंडे त्विमे लोका अंतर्विश्वमिदं जगत् चंद्रादित्यौ सनक्षत्रौ सग्रहौ सह वायुना

Within that egg are these worlds, and within is this entire universe: the moon, the sun, the stars, the planets, and the wind.

अद्भिर्दशगुणाभिस्तु बाह्यतोण्डं समावृतम् आपो दशगुणेनैव तेजसा बहिरावृताः

The egg is surrounded externally by waters ten times greater; those waters are encircled by fire, ten times greater still.

तेजो दशगुणेनैव वायुना बहिरावृतम् आकाशेनावृतो वायुः खं च भूतादिनावृतम्

That fire is surrounded externally by air, ten times greater; air is enveloped by space, and space by the primary element.

भूतादिर्महता तद्वदव्यक्तेनावृतो महान् एतैरावरणैरण्डं सप्तभिर्बहिरावृतम्

The primary element is enveloped by the Great Principle, and that by the unmanifest; thus, the egg is surrounded externally by these seven coverings.