Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

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.

प्रणवो वाचकस्तस्य शिवस्य परमात्मनः शिवरुद्रादिशब्दानां प्रणवो हि परस्स्मृतः

The syllable Om is the uttered name of Shiva, the supreme Self; among words like Shiva and Rudra, Om is indeed considered the highest.

शंभो प्रणववाच्यस्य भवनात्तज्जपादपि या सिद्धिस्सा परा प्राप्या भवत्येव न संशयः

From the utterance of Om, which expresses Shambhu, the supreme attainment is surely gained by its recitation—of this there is no doubt.

तस्मादेकाक्षरं देवमाहुरागमपारगाः वाच्यवाचकयोरैक्यं मन्यमाना मनस्विनः

Therefore, those who have mastered the scriptures call the one-syllabled Lord as such, recognizing the unity of the signifier and the signified, as do the wise.

अस्य मात्राः समाख्याताश्चतस्रो वेदमूर्धनि अकारश्चाप्युकारश्च मकारो नाद इत्यपि

Its components are declared to be four in the head of the Veda: the sounds 'a', 'u', and 'ma', and also the resonance (nāda).

अकारं बह्वृचं प्राहुरुकारो यजुरुच्यते मकारः सामनादोस्य श्रुतिराथर्वणी स्मृताः

The 'a' is said to be the Rig Veda, the 'u' is called the Yajur Veda, the 'ma' is the Sāman, and the resonance is remembered as the Atharvan.

अकारश्च महाबीजं रजः स्रष्टा चतुर्मुखः उकारः प्रकृतिर्योनिः सत्त्वं पालयिता हरिः

'A' is the great seed, rajas, and the creator with four faces; 'u' is nature, the womb, sattva, and the preserver, Hari.

मकारः पुरुषो बीजं तमः संहारको हरः नादः परः पुमानीशो निर्गुणो निष्क्रियः शिवः

'Ma' is the person, the seed, tamas, and the destroyer, Hara; the resonance is the supreme Lord, beyond qualities and action, Shiva.

सर्वं तिसृभिरेवेदं मात्राभिर्निखिलं त्रिधा अभिधाय शिवात्मानं बोधयत्यर्धमात्रया

All this, in its entirety, is expressed by these three syllables; by the half-syllable, he reveals the Self of Shiva.

यस्मात्परं नापरमस्ति किंचिद्यस्मान्नाणीयो न ज्यायो ऽस्ति किंचित् वृक्ष इव स्तब्धो दिवि तिष्ठत्येकस्तेनेदं पूर्णं पुरुषेण सर्वम्

There is nothing beyond him, nothing smaller or greater; like a tree standing firm in the sky, by him alone is all this filled, by the Supreme Person.

शक्तिस्स्वाभविकी तस्य विद्या विश्वविलक्षणा एकानेकस्य रूपेण भाति भानोरिव प्रभा

His power is inherent, his knowledge unique in the universe; it shines forth in manifold forms, like the radiance of the sun.

अनंताः शक्तयो यस्या इच्छाज्ञानक्रियादयः मायाद्याश्चाभवन्वह्नोर्विस्फुलिंगा यथा तथा

His powers are infinite—will, knowledge, action, and others; beginning with māyā, they arise like sparks from a fire.

सदाशिवेश्वराद्या हि विद्या ऽविद्येश्वरादयः अभवन्पुरुषाश्चास्याः प्रकृतिश्च परात्परा

From her arose Sadāśiva, Īśvara, and others, as well as Vidyeśvara and Avidyeśvara; from her also came the Purushas and the supreme Prakriti.

महदादिविशेषांतास्त्वजाद्याश्चापि मूर्तयः यच्चान्यदस्ति तत्सर्वं तस्याः कार्यं न संशयः

All forms, from the great principle down to the particular, and those beginning with non-being, whatever else exists—all this is her effect, without doubt.

सा शक्तिस्सर्वगा सूक्ष्मा प्रबोधानंदरूपिणी शक्तिमानुच्यते देवश्शिवश्शीतांशुभूषणः

She is the power, all-pervading, subtle, embodying the essence of awakening; the possessor of power is called the god Shiva, adorned with the moon.

वेद्यश्शिवश्शिवा विद्या प्रज्ञा चैव श्रुतिः स्मृतिः धृतिरेषा स्थितिर्निष्ठा ज्ञानेच्छाकर्मशक्तयः

Shiva is the knowable, Shiva is knowledge, wisdom, as well as revelation and tradition; she is firmness, stability, steadfastness, and the powers of knowledge, will, and action.

आज्ञा चैव परं ब्रह्म द्वे विद्ये च परापरे शुद्धविद्या शुद्धकला सर्वं शक्तिकृतं यतः

Command, the supreme Brahman, the two knowledges—higher and lower—pure knowledge, pure art: all arises from power.

माया च प्रकृतिर्जीवो विकारो विकृतिस्तथा असच्च सच्च यत्किंचित्तया सर्वमिदं ततम्

Māyā, nature, the individual soul, transformation, and modification, as well as the unreal and the real—whatever exists, all this is pervaded by her.

सा देवी मायया सर्वं ब्रह्मांडं सचराचरम् मोहयत्यप्रयत्नेन मोचयत्यपि लीलया

That goddess, by her māyā, effortlessly deludes the entire universe, moving and unmoving, and by her play she also liberates.

अनया सह सर्वेशः सप्तविंशप्रकारया विश्वं व्याप्य स्थितस्तस्मान्मुक्तिरत्र प्रवर्तते

With her, the Lord of all, in twenty-seven forms, pervades the universe and abides; therefore, liberation arises here.

मुमुक्षवः पुरा केचिन्मुनयो ब्रह्मवादिनः संशयाविष्टमनसो विस्मृशंति यथातथम्

Once, some sages, seekers of liberation and expounders of Brahman, their minds seized by doubt, reflected thoroughly.