Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

अलब्धालब्ध एवेह कोटिकोटिगुणाधिकः तस्माल्लब्ध्वैव मां देवि मन्त्रेणानेन पूजयेत्

Whether attained or not attained here, he is many millions of times greater; therefore, O Goddess, having attained me, one should worship me with this mantra.

लब्ध्वा संपूजयेद्यस्तु मैत्र्यादिगुणसंयुतः ब्रह्मचर्यरतो भक्त्या मत्सादृश्यमवाप्नुयात्

But whoever, having attained, worships me endowed with qualities like friendliness, devoted to celibacy and with devotion, attains likeness to me.

किमत्र बहुनोक्तेन भक्तास्सर्वेधिकारिणः मम पञ्चाक्षरे मंत्रे तस्माच्छ्रेष्ठतरो हि सः

Why say much more? All my devotees are capable of everything; among them, the one devoted to the five-syllabled mantra is the most excellent.

पञ्चाक्षरप्रभावेण लोकवेदमहर्षयः तिष्ठंति शाश्वता धर्मा देवास्सर्वमिदं जगत्

By the power of the five-syllabled mantra, the worlds, the Vedas, the great sages, the eternal laws, the gods, and all this universe are sustained.

प्रलये समनुप्राप्ते नष्टे स्थावरजंगमे सर्वं प्रकृतिमापन्नं तत्र संलयमेष्यति

When dissolution arrives and all that is moving and unmoving is destroyed, everything returns to its primal nature and merges there.

एको ऽहं संस्थितो देवि न द्वितीयो ऽस्ति कुत्रचित् तदा वेदाश्च शास्त्राणि सर्वे पञ्चाक्षरे स्थिताः

Then I alone remain, O Goddess; there is no second anywhere. At that time, the Vedas and all the scriptures are established in the five-syllabled mantra.

ते नाशं नैव संप्राप्ता मच्छक्त्या ह्यनुपालिताः ततस्सृष्टिरभून्मत्तः प्रकृत्यात्मप्रभेदतः

They do not reach destruction, for they are protected by my power; then creation arises from me, through the distinction of nature and self.

गुणमूर्त्यात्मनां चैव ततोवांतरसंहृतिः तदा नारायणश्शेते देवो मायामयीं तनुम्

Then, when the dissolution of the inner qualities takes place, the god Nārāyaṇa, embodying the qualities, lies down, assuming a body made of Māyā.

आस्थाय भोगिपर्यंकशयने तोयमध्यगः तन्नाभिपंकजाज्जातः पञ्चवक्त्रः पितामहः

Reclining upon the serpent-bed in the midst of the waters, from the lotus arising from his navel was born the five-faced Grandfather.

सिसृक्षमाणो लोकांस्त्रीन्न सक्तो ह्यसहायवान् मुनीन्दश ससर्जादौ मानसानमितौजसः

Desiring to create the three worlds, unattached and without assistance, the ten great sages, born from his mind and possessing immense energy, were first created.

तेषां सिद्धिविवृद्ध्यर्थं मां प्रोवाच पितामहः मत्पुत्राणां महादेव शक्तिं देहि महेश्वर

For the sake of their attainment and growth, the Grandfather addressed me: 'O Great Lord, bestow power upon my sons, O Maheśvara.'

इत्येवं प्रार्थितस्तेन पञ्चवक्त्रधरो ह्यहम् पञ्चाक्षराणि क्रमशः प्रोक्तवान्पद्मयोनये

Thus requested by him, I, bearing five faces, spoke the five sacred syllables in order to the Lotus-born.

स पञ्चवदनैस्तानि गृह्णंल्लोकपितामहः वाच्यवाचकभावेन ज्ञातवान्मां महेश्वरम्

The Grandfather of the worlds, with his five faces, received them, and through the relationship of word and meaning, he came to know me, Maheśvara.

ज्ञात्वा प्रयोगं विविधं सिद्धमंत्रः प्रजापतिः पुत्रेभ्यः प्रददौ मंत्रं मंत्रार्थं च यथातथम्

Having understood the various applications, the Lord of creatures, accomplished in mantra, gave the mantra and its meaning to his sons, just as it was.

ते च लब्ध्वा मंत्ररत्नं साक्षाल्लोकपितामहात् तदाज्ञप्तेन मार्गेण मदाराधनकांक्षिणः

And they, having received the jewel of mantras directly from the Grandfather of the worlds, following the prescribed path, desired my worship.

मेरोस्तु शिखरे रम्ये मुंजवान्नाम पर्वतः मत्प्रियः सततं श्रीमान्मद्भक्तै रक्षितस्सदा

On the beautiful summit of Meru stands a mountain named Munjavat, ever dear to me, splendid, and always protected by my devotees.

तस्याभ्याशे तपस्तीव्रं लोकं स्रष्टुं समुत्सुकाः दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रं तु वायुभक्षास्समाचरन्

Near that place, eager to create the world, they performed intense austerity for a divine thousand years, subsisting on air.

तेषां भक्तिमहं दृष्ट्वा सद्यः प्रत्यक्षतामियाम् ऋषिं छंदश्च कीलं च बीजशक्तिं च दैवतम्

Seeing their devotion, I immediately became manifest before them, along with the seer, the meter, the pin, the seed-power, and the deity.

न्यासं षडंगं दिग्बंधं विनियोगमशेषतः प्रोक्तवानहमार्याणां जगत्सृष्टिविवृद्धये

For the increase of the world's creation, I taught them the sixfold nyāsa, the binding of directions, and all the applications, in their entirety.

ततस्ते मंत्रमाहात्म्यादृषयस्तपसेधिताः सृष्टिं वितन्वते सम्यक्सदेवासुरमानुषीम्

Then, empowered by the greatness of the mantra, the sages, accomplished in austerity, properly carried out the creation of gods, asuras, and humans.

अस्याः परमविद्यायास्स्वरूपमधुनोच्यते आदौ नमः प्रयोक्तव्यं शिवाय तु ततः परम्

Now the true nature of this supreme knowledge will be described: first, one must utter 'salutation'—then, 'to Śiva,' and then the rest.

सैषा पञ्चाक्षरी विद्या सर्वश्रुतिशिरोगता सर्वजातस्य सर्वस्य बीजभूता सनातनी

This is the five-syllabled knowledge, found at the head of all the Vedas, the eternal seed of all beings and of everything.

प्रथमं मन्मुखोद्गीर्णा सा ममैवास्ति वाचिका तप्तचामीकरप्रख्या पीनोन्नतपयोधरा

First uttered from my own mouth, it is my very speech, resplendent like molten gold, with full and elevated breasts.

चतुर्भुजा त्रिनयना बालेंदुकृतशेखरा पद्मोत्पलकरा सौम्या वरदाभयपाणिका

She is four-armed, three-eyed, adorned with a crescent moon as her crest, holding a lotus and a blue lotus, gentle, with hands granting boons and dispelling fear.

सर्वलक्षणसंपन्ना सर्वाभरणभूषिता सितपद्मासनासीना नीलकुंचितमूर्धजा

Endowed with all marks of beauty, adorned with every ornament, seated on a white lotus, with dark, curly hair.

अस्याः पञ्चविधा वर्णाः प्रस्फुरद्रश्मिमंडलाः पीतः कृष्णस्तथा धूम्रः स्वर्णाभो रक्त एव च

She has five kinds of colors, shining with radiant circles: yellow, black, smoky, golden, and red.

पृथक्प्रयोज्या यद्येते बिंदुनादविभूषिताः अर्धचन्द्रनिभो बिंदुर्नादो दीपशिखाकृतिः

These are to be applied separately, unless adorned with bindu and nāda; the bindu resembles a half-moon, and the nāda is shaped like a lamp’s flame.

बीजं द्वितीयं बीजेषु मंत्रस्यास्य वरानने दीर्घपूर्वं तुरीयस्य पञ्चमं शक्तिमादिशेत्

O beautiful-faced one, among the syllables of this mantra, the second is the seed; the fourth, which is long at the beginning, is the third; the fifth is declared to be the power.

वामदेवो नाम ऋषिः पंक्तिश्छन्द उदाहृतम् देवता शिव एवाहं मन्त्रस्यास्य वरानने

Vāmadeva is the seer, Paṅkti is the meter, and I myself, Śiva, am the deity of this mantra, O beautiful-faced one.