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.
अंबिकापतिरीशानः पिनाकी वृषवाहनः एको रुद्रः परं ब्रह्म पुरुषः कृष्णपिंगलः
Lord of Ambikā, Īśāna, bearer of the Pināka, riding the bull, the one Rudra, the supreme Brahman, the Person, dark and tawny.
बालाग्रमात्रो हृन्मध्ये विचिंत्यो दहरांतरे हिरण्यकेशः पद्माक्षो ह्यरुणस्ताम्र एव च
He is to be contemplated in the heart’s center, as small as the tip of a young grass blade, within the space of the heart; golden-haired, lotus-eyed, reddish and coppery.
यो ऽवसर्पत्य सौ देवो नीलग्रीवो हिरण्मयः सौम्यो घोरस्तथा मिश्रश्चाक्षारश्चामृतो ऽव्ययः
That god who descends, gentle, with a blue neck, golden, serene, terrible, mixed, imperishable, immortal, and undecaying.
स पुंविशेषः परमो भगवानन्तकांतकः चेतनचेतनोन्मुक्तः प्रपञ्चाच्च परात्परः
He is the supreme Person, the blessed one, destroyer of death; free from consciousness and unconsciousness, transcending all manifestation, beyond the highest.
शिवेनातिशयत्वेन ज्ञानैश्वर्ये विलोकिते लोकेशातिशयत्वेन स्थितं प्राहुर्मनीषिणः
Because of Shiva’s unsurpassed nature, the wise declare that his knowledge and sovereignty are supreme, and that he stands as the highest among all lords.
प्रतिसर्गप्रसूतानां ब्रह्मणां शास्त्रविस्तरम् उपदेष्टा स एवादौ कालावच्छेदवर्तिनाम्
He alone, at the beginning of each cosmic cycle, is the instructor of the vast expanse of scripture to the Brahmas who arise with each creation, all of whom are subject to the limitations of time.
कालावच्छेदयुक्तानां गुरूणामप्यसौ गुरुः सर्वेषामेव सर्वेशः कालावच्छेदवर्जितः
Even among teachers who are bound by time, he is the teacher of all; he is the Lord of all lords, transcending the bounds of time.
शुद्धा स्वाभाविकी तस्य शक्तिस्सर्वातिशायिनी ज्ञानमप्रतिमं नित्यं वपुरत्यन्तनिर्मितम्
His power is pure and inherent, surpassing all; his knowledge is incomparable and eternal, and his form is absolutely self-fashioned.
ऐश्वर्यमप्रतिद्वंद्वं सुखमात्यन्तिकं बलम् तेजःप्रभावो वीर्यं च क्षमा कारुण्यमेव च
His sovereignty is without equal, his bliss is supreme, his strength, radiance, might, patience, and compassion are all unsurpassed.
परिपूर्णस्य सर्गाद्यैर्नात्मनो ऽस्ति प्रयोजनम् परानुग्रह एवास्य फलं सर्वस्य कर्मणः
For the one who is complete, there is no personal purpose in creation and the like; the sole fruit of all his actions is the welfare of others.