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.
गौतमो ऽत्रिर्वरारोहे विश्वामित्रस्तथांगिराः भरद्वाजश्च वर्णानां क्रमशश्चर्षयः स्मृताः
Gautama, Atri, O beautiful one, Viśvāmitra, as well as Aṅgiras and Bharadvāja—these sages are remembered in order for the syllables.
गायत्र्यनुष्टुप् त्रिष्टुप् च छंदांसि बृहती विराट् इन्द्रो रुद्रो हरिर्ब्रह्मा स्कंदस्तेषां च देवताः
Gāyatrī, Anuṣṭup, Triṣṭup, Bṛhatī, and Virāṭ are the meters; Indra, Rudra, Hari, Brahmā, and Skanda are their respective deities.
मम पञ्चमुखान्याहुः स्थाने तेषां वरानने पूर्वादेश्चोर्ध्वपर्यंतं नकारादि यथाक्रमम्
They say that I have five faces; in their proper places, O beautiful-faced one, from the east upward, the syllables beginning with 'na' are arranged in order.
अदात्तः प्रथमो वर्णश्चतुर्थश्च द्वितीयकः पञ्चमः स्वरितश्चैव तृतीयो निहतः स्मृतः
The first syllable is unaspirated, the fourth is the second, the fifth is svarita (intoned), and the third is said to be nihata (suppressed).
मूलविद्या शिवं शैवं सूत्रं पञ्चाक्षरं तथा नामान्यस्य विजानीयाच्छैवं मे हृदयं महत्
The root-vidyā, Śiva, the Śaiva sūtra, the five-syllable mantra, and his names—know these as my great Śaiva heart.
नकारश्शिर उच्येत मकारस्तु शिखोच्यते शिकारः कवचं तद्वद्वकारो नेत्रमुच्यते
The syllable 'na' is called the head, 'ma' is said to be the crest, 'śi' is the armor, likewise 'va' is called the eye.
यकारो ऽस्त्रं नमस्स्वाहा वषट् हुंवौषडित्यपि फडित्यपि च वर्णानामन्ते ऽङ्गत्वं यदा तदा
'Ya' is the missile; 'namaḥ', 'svāhā', 'vaṣaṭ', 'huṃ', 'vauṣaṭ', and 'phaṭ'—when these are placed at the end of the syllables, they become its limbs.
तत्रापि मूलमंत्रो ऽयं किंचिद्भेदसमन्वयात् तत्रापि पञ्चमो वर्णो द्वादशस्वरभूषितः
Even there, this root-mantra, with some variations, has the fifth syllable adorned with twelve vowels.
तास्मादनेन मंत्रेण मनोवाक्कायभेदतः आवयोरर्चनं कुर्याज्जपहोमादिकं तथा
Therefore, with this mantra, one should perform worship of us by mind, speech, and body, as well as recitation, oblation, and the like.
यथाप्रज्ञं यथाकालं यथाशास्त्रं यथामति यथाशक्ति यथासंपद्यथायोगं यथारति
According to one’s understanding, time, scripture, capacity, ability, resources, fitness, and inclination.