Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

मंतव्यवस्तुतां धत्ते सदा देवी महेश्वरी मंता स एव विश्वात्मा महादेवो महेश्वरः

The state of being thought is always held by the goddess Maheshvari; the thinker is the universal Self, the great god Maheshvara.

बोद्धव्यवस्तुरूपं तु बिभर्ति भववल्लभा देवस्स एव भगवान्बोद्धा मुग्धेन्दुशेखरः

The state of being understood is borne by Bhava's beloved; the god himself is the knower, the lord crowned with the tender moon.

प्राणः पिनाकी सर्वेषां प्राणिनां भगवान्प्रभुः प्राणस्थितिस्तु सर्वेषामंबिका चांबुरूपिणी

Prana is Pinaki, the lord of all beings; the state of being in prana is Ambika, the one of water-form, for all.

बिभर्ति क्षेत्रतां देवी त्रिपुरांतकवल्लभा क्षेत्रज्ञत्वं तदा धत्ते भगवानंतकांतकः

The goddess, beloved of Tripurantaka, bears the state of being the field; the lord, destroyer of death, bears the state of being the knower of the field.

अहः शूलायुधो देवः शूलपाणिप्रिया निशा आकाशः शंकरो देवः पृथिवी शंकरप्रिया

Day is the god with the trident weapon; night is dear to the wielder of the trident; space is the god Shankara; earth is beloved of Shankara.

समुद्रो भगवानीशो वेला शैलेन्द्रकन्यका वृक्षो वृषध्वजो देवो लता विश्वेश्वरप्रिया

The ocean is the lord; the shore is the daughter of the mountain king; the tree is the god with the bull-banner; the creeper is beloved of the Lord of the universe.

पुंल्लिंगमखिलं धत्ते भगवान्पुरशासनः स्त्रिलिंगं चाखिलं धत्ते देवी देवमनोरमा

The lord, ruler of cities, bears all masculine forms; the goddess, delight of the gods, bears all feminine forms.

शब्दजालमशेषं तु धत्ते सर्वस्य वल्लभा अर्थस्वरूपमखिलं धत्ते मुग्धेन्दुशेखरः

The beloved of all bears the entire web of words; the lord crowned with the tender moon bears the entire nature of meaning.

यस्य यस्य पदार्थस्य या या शक्तिरुदाहृता सा सा विश्वेश्वरी देवी स स सर्वो महेश्वरः

For whatever entity, whichever power is declared, that is the goddess, ruler of the universe; that is the lord, Maheshvara.

यत्परं यत्पवित्रं च यत्पुण्यं यच्च मंगलम् तत्तदाह महाभागास्तयोस्तेजोविजृंभितम्

Whatever is supreme, whatever is pure, whatever is virtuous, whatever is auspicious, the blessed ones say: all that is the expansion of their radiance.

यथा दीपस्य दीप्तस्य शिखा दीपयते गृहम् तथा तेजस्तयोरेतद्व्याप्य दीपयते जगत्

Just as the flame of a lamp illuminates a house, so the radiance of these two, pervading, illuminates the world.

तृणादिशिवमूर्त्यंतं विश्वख्यातिशयक्रमः सन्निकर्षक्रमवशात्तयोरिति परा श्रुतिः

The supreme revelation declares that, from grass and so on up to the form of Shiva, the extraordinary sequence of manifestation in the universe occurs according to the order of proximity between the two.

सर्वाकारात्मकावेतौ सर्वश्रेयोविधायिनौ पूजनीयौ नमस्कार्यौ चिंतनीयौ च सर्वदा

These two possess all forms and bestow every good; they are always to be worshipped, saluted, and contemplated.

यथाप्रज्ञमिदं कृष्ण याथात्म्यं परमेशयोः कथितं हि मया ते ऽद्य न तु तावदियत्तया

O Krishna, according to my understanding, I have explained to you today the true nature of the Supreme Lords, but not yet in its entirety.

तत्कथं शक्यते वक्तुं याथात्म्यं परमेशयोः महतामपि सर्वेषां मनसो ऽपि बहिर्गतम्

How can the true nature of the Supreme Lords be spoken? It lies beyond even the minds of all the great ones.

अंतर्गतमनन्यानामीश्वरार्पितचेतसाम् अन्येषां बुद्ध्यनारूढमारूढं च यथैव तत्

For those whose minds are wholly dedicated to the Lord, it is internal; for others, it is not established in the intellect, or only as it is.

येयमुक्ता विभूतिर्वै प्राकृती सा परा मता अप्राकृतां परामन्यां गुह्यां गुह्यविदो विदुः

This manifest glory, as previously described, is considered material; those who know the secret know another, supreme, immaterial, and hidden glory.

यतो वाचो निवर्तंते मनसा चेन्द्रियैस्सह अप्राकृती परा चैषा विभूतिः पारमेश्वरी

That supreme, immaterial glory of the Lord is where words, along with the mind and senses, turn back, unable to reach.

सैवेह परमं धाम सैवेह परमा गतिः सैवेह परमा काष्ठा विभूतिः परमेष्ठिनः

That alone is the highest abode here, that alone is the supreme goal here, that alone is the utmost limit—the glory of the Supreme Lord.

तां प्राप्तुं प्रयतंते ऽत्र जितश्वासा जितेंद्रियाः गर्भकारा गृहद्वारं निश्छिद्रं घटितुं यथा

To attain that, here, those who have conquered their breath and senses strive, just as a potter strives to make the mouth of a jar without a flaw.

संसाराशीविषालीढमृतसंजीवनौषधम् विभूतिं शिवयोर्विद्वान्न बिभेति कुतश्चन

The wise one who knows the glory of Shiva, which is like a life-restoring medicine for those bitten by the serpent of worldly existence, does not fear anything.

यः परामपरां चैव विभूतिं वेत्ति तत्त्वतः सो ऽपरो भूतिमुल्लंघ्य परां भूतिं समश्नुते

He who truly knows both the supreme and the non-supreme glory transcends the lower and attains the supreme glory.

एतत्ते कथितं कृष्ण याथात्म्यं परमात्मनोः रहस्यमपि योग्यो ऽसि भर्गभक्तो भवानिति

Thus, O Krishna, I have told you the true nature of the Supreme Self, even its secret, for you are worthy and a devotee of the radiant one.

नाशिष्येभ्यो ऽप्यशैवेभ्यो नाभक्तेभ्यः कदाचन व्याहरेदीशयोर्भूतिमिति वेदानुशासनम्

According to the Vedic injunction, one should never speak of the glory of the Lords to uninitiated, non-Shaiva, or non-devoted persons.

तस्मात्त्वमतिकल्याणपरेभ्यः कथयेन्न हि त्वादृशेभ्यो ऽनुरूपेभ्यः कथयैतन्न चान्यथा

Therefore, you should tell this only to those supremely virtuous ones, not to others; but you may tell it to those like yourself, and not otherwise.

विभूतिमेतां शिवयोर्योग्येभ्यो यः प्रदापयेत् संसारसागरान्मुक्तः शिवसायुज्यमाप्नुयात्

Whoever imparts this glory of Shiva to the worthy becomes liberated from the ocean of worldly existence and attains union with Shiva.

कीर्तनादस्य नश्यंति महान्त्यः पापकोटयः त्रिश्चतुर्धासमभ्यस्तैर्विनश्यंति ततो ऽधिकाः

By reciting this, countless great sins are destroyed; those practiced three or four times more are destroyed even further.

नश्यंत्यनिष्टरिपवो वर्धन्ते सुहृदस्तथा विद्या च वर्धते शैवी मतिस्सत्ये प्रवर्तते

Hostile and inauspicious forces are destroyed, friends flourish, Shaiva knowledge increases, and the mind becomes established in truth.

भक्तिः पराः शिवे साम्बे सानुगे सपरिच्छिदे यद्यदिष्टतमं चान्यत्तत्तदाप्नोत्यसंशयम्

Supreme devotion to Shiva, to Ambika, to their followers and attendants—whatever else is most desired, that too is surely attained.