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.
एषामीशो ऽधिपो धाता प्रवर्तकनिवर्तकः आविर्भावतिरोभावहेतुरेकः स्वराडजः
He is the lord, the ruler, the creator, the initiator and withdrawer; the one cause of appearance and disappearance, self-sovereign and unborn.
तस्मात्प्रधानपुरुषव्यक्तकालस्वरूपवान् हेतुर्नेताधिपस्तेषां धाता चोक्ता महेश्वरः
Therefore, the one who possesses the nature of primordial matter, person, manifest, and time, is declared to be their cause, ruler, and creator—Maheshvara.
विराड्ढिरण्यगर्भात्मा कैश्चिदीशो निगद्यते हिरण्यगर्भो लोकानां हेतुर्विश्वात्मको विराट्
Some call the Lord the cosmic person and the soul of Hiranyagarbha; Hiranyagarbha is the cause of the worlds, and Virat is the soul of the universe.
अंतर्यामी परश्चेति कथ्यते कविभिश्शिवः प्राज्ञस्तैजसविश्वात्मेत्यपरे संप्रचक्षते
The poets speak of Shiva as the inner controller and the transcendent; others call him the soul of intelligence, luminosity, and the universe.
तुरीयमपरे प्राहुः सौम्यमेव परे विदुः माता मानं च मेयं च मतिं चाहुरथापरे
Some declare him to be the fourth state; others know him as gentle; still others call him mother, measure, the measured, and intellect.
कर्ता क्रिया च कार्यं च करणं कारणं परे जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्त्यात्मेत्यपरे संप्रचक्षते
Some say he is the agent, the action, the object, the instrument, and the cause; others declare him to be the self of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.
तुरीयमपरे प्राहुस्तुर्यातीतमितीतरे तमाहुर्विगुणं केचिद्गुणवन्तं परे विदुः
Some call him the fourth state, others say he is beyond the fourth; some say he is without qualities, while others know him as possessing qualities.
केचित्संसारिणं प्राहुस्तमसंसारिणं परे स्वतंत्रमपरे प्राहुरस्वतंत्रं परे विदुः
Some say he is bound to transmigration, others say he is not; some declare him independent, while others know him as not independent.
घोरमित्यपरे प्राहुः सौम्यमेव परे विदुः रागवंतं परे प्राहुर्वीतरागं तथा परे
Some declare him to be terrible, others know him as gentle; some say he is attached, while others say he is free from attachment.
निष्क्रियं च परे प्राहुः सक्रियं चेतरे जनाः निरिंद्रियं परे प्राहुः सेंद्रियं च तथापरे
Some say he is inactive, while others declare him active; some say he is without senses, and others likewise say he possesses senses.