स्ववाहनमविज्ञाय वृषेन्द्रं वडवानलः सगलग्रहमानीतस्ततो ऽस्त्येकोदकं जगत्
Not recognizing his own vehicle, the great bull, the submarine fire, having seized all the planets, was brought forth; thus, there is a single water in the world.
अलोकविदितैस्तैस्तैर्वृत्तैरानन्दसुन्दरैः अंगहारस्वसेनेदमसकृच्चालितं जगत्
By those wondrous and delightful acts, unknown to the world, the universe, along with its hosts, was repeatedly shaken.
शान्त एव सदा सर्वमनुगृह्णाति चेच्छिवः सर्वाणि पूरयेदेव कथं शक्तेन मोचयेत्
If Shiva, who is always peaceful, were to grant everything to all, then how could he liberate anyone by his power?
अनादिकर्म वैचित्र्यमपि नात्र नियामकम् कारणं खलु कर्मापि भवेदीश्वरकारितम्
The diversity of beginningless karma is not the determining factor here; indeed, even karma as a cause is made to act by the Lord.
किमत्र बहुनोक्तेन नास्तिक्यं हेतुकारकम् यथा ह्याशु निवर्तेत तथा कथय मारुत
Why speak at length? Atheism is not the cause; tell me, O Wind, how it could quickly be dispelled.
स्थने संशयितं विप्रा भवद्भिर्हेतुचोदितैः जिज्ञासा हि न नास्तिक्यं साधयेत्साधुबुद्धिषु
O Brāhmaṇas, your doubts, prompted by reasoning, are appropriate; for inquiry does not establish atheism in those of noble understanding.
प्रमणमत्र वक्ष्यामि सताम्मोहनिवर्तकम् असतां त्वन्यथाभावः प्रसादेन विना प्रभोः
I will state the means of knowledge here, which removes the delusion of the good; but for the wicked, there is a different state, unless there is the Lord's grace.
शिवस्य परिपूर्णस्य परानुग्रहमन्तरा न किंचिदपि कर्तव्यमिति साधु विनिश्चितम्
It is rightly determined that, apart from the supreme grace of the all-complete Shiva, nothing at all is to be accomplished.
स्वभाव एव पर्याप्तः परानुग्रहकर्मणि अन्यथा निस्स्वभवेन न किमप्यनुगृह्यते
His very nature alone is sufficient for the act of supreme grace; otherwise, by one devoid of nature, nothing at all can be bestowed.
परं सर्वमनुग्राह्यं पशुपाशात्मकं जगत् परस्यानुग्रहार्थं तु पत्युराज्ञासमन्वयः
Indeed, the whole world, consisting of bound souls, is to be favored; but for the sake of supreme grace, the Lord's command is in accord.
पतिराज्ञापकः सर्वमनुगृह्णाति सर्वदा तदर्थमर्थस्वीकारे परतंत्रः कथं शिवः
The Lord, as the giver of commands, always bestows favor on all; how then could Shiva, in accepting a purpose, be dependent on another?
अनुग्राह्यनपेक्षो ऽस्ति न हि कश्चिदनुग्रहः अतः स्वातन्त्र्यशब्दार्थाननपेक्षत्वलक्षणः
There is no favoring dependent on the one to be favored; therefore, the meaning of the word 'independence' is characterized by non-dependence.
एतत्पुनरनुग्राह्यं परतंत्रं तदिष्यते अनुग्रहादृते तस्य भुक्तिमुक्त्योरनन्वयात्
But if that which is to be favored is dependent on another, it is accepted as such; apart from grace, there is no connection to enjoyment or liberation for it.
मूर्तात्मनो ऽप्यनुग्राह्या शिवाज्ञाननिवर्तनात् अज्ञानाधिष्ठितं शम्भोर्न किंचिदिह विद्यते
Even for those with embodied forms, favor is withdrawn by Shiva's command; in this world, nothing exists that is not established by Śambhu's knowledge.
येनोपलभ्यते ऽस्माभिस्सकलेनापि निष्कलः स मूर्त्यात्मा शिवः शैवमूर्तिरित्युपचर्यते
That by which we perceive the formless through the form, that Shiva whose essence is form—he is conventionally called the Shaiva form.
न ह्यसौ निष्कलः साक्षाच्छिवः परमकारणम् साकारेणानुभावेन केनाप्यनुपलक्षितः
For that formless Shiva, the supreme cause, is not directly perceived by anyone through a manifest form.
प्रमाणगम्यतामात्रं तत्स्वभावोपपादकम् न तावतात्रोपेक्षाधीरुपलक्षणमंतरा
It is only for the sake of being accessible to valid means of knowledge, and to explain his nature, that such a designation is made; otherwise, there is no neglect or intermediate indication here.
आत्मोपमोल्वणं साक्षान्मूर्तिरेव हि काचन शिवस्य मूर्तिर्मूर्त्यात्मा परस्तस्योपलक्षणम्
Truly, only a form that is directly comparable to oneself can be called a form; the form of Shiva, whose essence is form, is a mark of his transcendence.
यथा काष्ठेष्वनारूढो न वह्निरुपलभ्यते एवं शिवो ऽपि मूर्त्यात्मन्यनारूढ इति स्थितिः
Just as fire is not perceived in wood before it is kindled, so too Shiva is not manifest in the form-essence before he arises therein—such is the state.
यथाग्निमानयेत्युक्ते ज्वलत्काष्ठादृते स्वयम् नाग्निरानीयते तद्वत्पूज्यो मूर्त्यात्मना शिवः
Just as, when one says 'bring fire,' it is not brought except from burning wood, so too Shiva is to be worshipped in the form-essence.
अत एव हि पूजादौ मूर्त्यात्मपरिकल्पनम् मूर्त्यात्मनि कृतं साक्षाच्छिव एव कृतं यतः
Therefore, at the beginning of worship, the conceptualization of the form-essence is made; whatever is done to the form-essence is indeed done directly to Shiva.
लिंगादावपि तत्कृत्यमर्चायां च विशेषतः तत्तन्मूर्त्यात्मभावेन शिवो ऽस्माभिरुपास्यते
Even in the liṅga and other images, and especially in worship, Shiva is to be approached by us in the state of that particular form-essence.
यथानुगृह्यते सो ऽपि मूर्त्यात्मा पारमेष्ठिना तथा मूर्त्यात्मनिष्ठेन शिवेन पशवो वयम्
Just as he, the form-essence, is favored by the Supreme Lord, so too are we creatures favored by Shiva, who is established in the form-essence.
लोकानुग्रहणायैव शिवेन परमेष्ठिना सदाशिवादयस्सर्वे मूर्त्यात्मनो ऽप्यधिष्ठिताः
For the welfare of the worlds alone, all—from Sadāśiva onward—are always established by the Supreme Lord Shiva even in the form-essence.
आत्मनामेव भोगाय मोक्षाय च विशेषतः तत्त्वातत्त्वस्वरूपेषु मूर्त्यात्मसु शिवान्वयः
For the sake of enjoyment and especially for liberation of souls, the connection of Shiva with the form-essence exists in the realities and non-realities.
भोगः कर्मविपाकात्मा सुखदुःखात्मको मतः न च कर्म शिवो ऽस्तीति तस्य भोगः किमात्मकः
Enjoyment is understood as the result of karma, consisting of pleasure and pain; but since Shiva has no karma, what kind of enjoyment could he have?
सर्वं शिवो ऽनुगृह्णाति न निगृह्णाति किंचन निगृह्णतां तु ये दोषाश्शिवे तेषामसंभवात्
Shiva grants everything and withholds nothing; for those who withhold, faults arise, but such faults cannot exist in Shiva.
ये पुनर्निग्रहाः केचिद्ब्रह्मादिषु निदर्शिताः ते ऽपि लोकहितायैव कृताः श्रीकण्ठमूर्तिना
And whatever acts of restraint are shown in Brahma and others, those too are done by Shiva in the form of Śrīkaṇṭha, only for the good of the world.
ब्रह्माण्डस्याधिपत्यं हि श्रीकण्ठस्य न संशयः श्रीकण्ठाख्यां शिवो मूर्तिं क्रीडतीमधितिष्ठति
There is no doubt that the lordship of the universe belongs to Śrīkaṇṭha; Shiva presides over the playful form known as Śrīkaṇṭha.
सदोषा एव देवाद्या निगृहीता यथोदितम् ततस्तेपि विपाप्मानः प्रजाश्चापि गतज्वराः
The gods and others who are restrained are indeed those with faults, as described; thus, they become purified of sin, and the people too are freed from distress.