Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

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.

अन्तःशुचिः शिवे भक्तो विस्रब्धः कीर्तयेद्यदि प्रबलैः कर्मभिः पूर्वैः फलं चेत्प्रतिबध्यते पुनः पुनः समभ्यस्येत्तस्य नास्तीह दुर्ल्लभम्

If someone is pure within, devoted to Shiva, and sings his praise with confidence, yet the result is hindered by powerful past actions, he should practice again and again; for such a person, nothing here is difficult to attain.

विग्रहं देवदेवस्य विश्वमेतच्चराचरम् तदेवं न विजानंति पशवः पाशगौरवात्

This entire universe, moving and unmoving, is the form of the God of gods; but those bound by the weight of fetters do not understand this.

तमेकमेव बहुधा वदंति यदुनंदन अजानन्तः परं भावमविकल्पं महर्षयः

O descendant of Yadu, the great sages, not knowing the supreme, undivided reality, speak of that one alone as manifold.

अपरं ब्रह्मरूपं च परं ब्रह्मात्मकं तथा केचिदाहुर्महादेवमनादिनिधनं परम्

Some say that the supreme Lord is the lower form of Brahman and also the higher, whose nature is Brahman, the great god, without beginning or end, the highest.

भूतेंद्रियांतःकरणप्रधानविषयात्मकम् अपरं ब्रह्म निर्दिष्टं परं ब्रह्म चिदात्मकम्

The lower Brahman is said to consist of elements, senses, mind, primordial nature, and objects; the higher Brahman is of the nature of consciousness.

बृहत्त्वाद्बृहणत्वाद्वा ब्रह्म चेत्यभिधीयते उभे ते ब्रह्मणो रूपे ब्रह्मणो ऽधिपतेः प्रभोः विद्या ऽविद्यास्वरूपीति कैश्चिदीशो निगद्यते

Because of its greatness or because it causes to grow, it is called Brahman; both these are forms of Brahman, the Lord of Brahman, the master—some call him the form of knowledge and ignorance.

विद्यां तु चेतनां प्राहुस्तथाविद्यामचेतनाम् विद्या ऽविद्यात्मकं चैव विश्वं विश्वगुरोर्विभोः

They say that knowledge is consciousness, and ignorance is non-consciousness; and this entire universe of the supreme teacher consists of both knowledge and ignorance.

रूपमेव न संदेहो विश्वं तस्य वशे यतः भ्रांतिर्विद्या परा चेति शार्वं रूपं परं विदुः

There is no doubt that the universe is his very form, for it is under his control; illusion is called knowledge, and the supreme form of Shiva is known as the highest.

अयथाबुद्धिरर्थेषु बहुधा भ्रांतिरुच्यते यथार्थाकारसंवित्तिर्विद्येति परिकीर्त्यते

Mistaken understanding of objects in many ways is called illusion, while awareness in accordance with the true nature of things is declared to be knowledge.

विकल्परहितं तत्त्वं परमित्यभिधीयते वैपरीत्यादसच्छब्दः कथ्यते वेदवादिभिः

The reality that is free from distinctions is called the supreme; by contrast, what is not real is termed 'non-being' by those who expound the Veda.

तयोः पतित्वात्तु शिवः सदसत्पतिरुच्यते क्षराक्षरात्मकं प्राहुः क्षराक्षरपरं परे

Because he is the lord of both, Shiva is called the master of being and non-being; the wise say he is both perishable and imperishable, and also beyond both.

क्षरस्सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थो ऽक्षर उच्यते उभे ते परमेशस्य रूपे तस्य वशे यतः

All beings are perishable; the imperishable is called the unchanging; both these are forms of the Supreme Lord, for they are under his control.

तयोः परः शिवः शांतः क्षराक्षरापरस्स्मृतः समष्टिव्यष्ठिरूपं च समष्टिव्यष्टिकारणम्

Of these two, Shiva is said to be the supreme, peaceful, and beyond both perishable and imperishable; he is both the collective and the individual, and the cause of both.

वदंति मुनयः केचिच्छिवं परमकारणम् समष्टिमाहुरव्यक्तं व्यष्टिं व्यक्तं तथैव च

Some sages say that Shiva is the supreme cause; they call the collective unmanifest, and the individual manifest as well.

ते रूपे परमेशस्य तदिच्छायाः प्रवर्तनात् तयोः कारणभावेन शिवं परमकारणम्

These two forms of the Supreme Lord arise from his will; because they are causes, Shiva is the supreme cause.

कारणार्थविदः प्राहुः समष्टिव्यष्टिकारणम् जातिव्यक्तिस्वरूपीति कथ्यते कैश्चिदीश्वरः

Those who know the meaning of cause say he is the cause of both the collective and the individual; some call the Lord the essence of class and individual.

या पिंडेप्यनुवर्तेत सा जातिरिति कथ्यते व्यक्तिर्व्यावृत्तिरूपं तं पिण्डजातेः समाश्रयम्

That which persists in the groups is called 'class'; 'individual' is the distinct form, the support of the group and class.

जातयो व्यक्तयश्चैव तदाज्ञापरिपालिताः यतस्ततो महादेवो जातिव्यक्तिवपुः स्मृतः

Classes and individuals are governed by his command; therefore, the great god is remembered as the embodiment of class and individual.

प्रधानपुरुषव्यक्तकालात्मा कथ्यते शिवः प्रधानं प्रकृतिं प्राहुःक्षेत्रज्ञं पुरुषं तथा

Shiva is described as the essence of primordial matter, the person, the manifest, and time; primordial matter is called nature, and the person is likewise known as the knower of the field.

त्रयोविंशतितत्त्वानि व्यक्तमाहुर्मनीषिणः कालः कार्यप्रपञ्चस्य परिणामैककारणम्

The wise declare that the manifest consists of twenty-three principles; time is the sole cause of the transformation of the world of effects.