Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

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.

ध्रुवमित्यपरे प्राहुस्तमध्रुवामितीरते अरूपं केचिदाहुर्वै रूपवंतं परे विदुः

Some declare him to be constant, others say he is inconstant; some say he is formless, while others know him as possessing form.

अदृश्यमपरे प्राहुर्दृश्यमित्यपरे विदुः वाच्यमित्यपरे प्राहुरवाच्यमिति चापरे शब्दात्मकं परे प्राहुश्शब्दातीतमथापरे

Some say he is invisible, others know him as visible; some declare him expressible, while others say he is inexpressible; some say he is of the nature of sound, and others that he is beyond sound.

केचिच्चिन्तामयं प्राहुश्चिन्तया रहितं परे ज्ञानात्मकं परे प्राहुर्विज्ञानमिति चापरे

Some say he is made of thought, others that he is free from thought; some declare him to be knowledge, and others, consciousness.

केचिच्ज्ञेयमिति प्राहुरज्ञेयमिति केचन परमेके तमेवाहुरपरं च तथा परे

Some say he is knowable, others that he is unknowable; some call him the supreme alone, while others say he is the other.

एवं विकल्प्यमानं तु याथात्म्यं परमेष्ठिनः नाध्यवस्यंति मुनयो नानाप्रत्ययकारणात्

Thus, while being distinguished in various ways, the true nature of the Supreme Lord is not determined by the sages, due to the diversity of their convictions.

ये पुनस्सर्वभावेन प्रपन्नाः परमेश्वरम् ते हि जानंत्ययत्नेन शिवं परमकारणम्

But those who have surrendered to the Supreme Lord with all their being, they indeed know Shiva, the ultimate cause, effortlessly.

तावद्दुःखे वर्तते बद्धपाशः संसारे ऽस्मिञ्चक्रनेमिक्रमेण

Bound by fetters, one remains in suffering within this cycle of existence, moving as the wheel’s rim turns.

तदाविद्वान्पुण्यपापे विधूय निरंजनः परममुपैति साम्यम्

When the ignorant person shakes off virtue and vice, he becomes stainless and attains the highest equality.

नशिवस्याणवो बंधः कार्यो मायेय एव वा प्राकृतो वाथ बोद्धा वा ह्यहंकारात्मकस्तथा

The bondage of the atomic self is not of Shiva; it is only produced by Māyā, or by nature, or by knowledge, and is of the form of ego.

नैवास्य मानसो बंधो न चैत्तो नेंद्रियात्मकः न च तन्मात्रबंधो ऽपि भूतबंधो न कश्चन

There is no mental bondage for him, nor bondage of consciousness, nor of the senses; nor is there bondage by subtle elements, nor by gross elements, not at all.

न च कालः कला चैव न विद्या नियतिस्तथा न रागो न च विद्वेषः शंभोरमिततेजसः

Neither time nor its divisions, neither knowledge nor destiny, neither attachment nor aversion bind the infinitely radiant Shambhu.

न चास्त्यभिनिवेशो ऽस्य कुशला ऽकुशलान्यपि कर्माणि तद्विपाकश्च सुखदुःखे च तत्फले

He has no fixation, nor do good or bad actions bind him, nor their results, nor pleasure and pain arising from them.

आशयैर्नापि संबन्धः संस्कारैः कर्मणामपि भोगैश्च भोगसंस्कारैः कालत्रितयगोचरैः

He is not connected by intentions, nor by impressions of actions, nor by enjoyments, nor by impressions of enjoyments, nor by anything pertaining to the three times.

न तस्य कारणं कर्ता नादिरंतस्तथांतरम् न कर्म करणं वापि नाकार्यं कार्यमेव च

He has no cause, no agent, no beginning, no end, no intermediary; neither action nor instrument nor object nor result exists for him.

नास्य बंधुरबंधुर्वा नियंता प्रेरको ऽपि वा न पतिर्न गुरुस्त्राता नाधिको न समस्तथा

He has neither friend nor foe, neither controller nor instigator; neither master nor teacher nor protector, neither superior nor equal.

न जन्ममरणे तस्य न कांक्षितमकांक्षितम् न विधिर्न निषेधश्च न मुक्तिर्न च बन्धनम्

He has neither birth nor death, neither desired nor undesired; neither injunction nor prohibition, neither liberation nor bondage.

नास्ति यद्यदकल्याणं तत्तदस्य कदाचन कल्याणं सकलं चास्ति परमात्मा शिवो यतः

Whatever is inauspicious never exists for him at any time; all auspiciousness is ever present, for Shiva is the supreme Self.

स शिवस्सर्वमेवेदमधिष्ठाय स्वशक्तिभिः अप्रच्युतस्स्वतो भावः स्थितः स्थाणुरतः स्मृतः

That Shiva, established in everything by his own powers, remains unshaken in his own nature; therefore he is called the immovable.

शिवेनाधिष्ठितं यस्माज्जगत्स्थावरजंगमम् सर्वरूपः स्मृतश्शर्वस्तथा ज्ञात्वा न मुह्यति

Since the entire world, both stationary and moving, is established by Shiva, he is remembered as Sarva, of all forms; knowing this, one is never deluded.

शर्वो रुद्रो नमस्तस्मै पुरुषः सत्परो महान् हिरण्यबाहुर्भगवान्हिरण्यपतिरीश्वरः

Salutations to Sharva, Rudra, the supreme, the great Person, golden-armed, the blessed one, golden-lord, the ruler.