Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

पौरुषं च तथैश्वर्यमित्थं साम्ना ततं जगत् अथाथर्वाह नैर्गुण्यमर्थं प्रथममात्मनः

Likewise, the principle of Puruṣa and sovereignty; thus, by the Sāman, the universe is pervaded. Then Atharvan declares the original transcendence of qualities for the Self.

ततो महेश्वरं साक्षान्मूर्तिष्वपि सदाशिवम् क्रियासु निष्क्रियस्यापि शिवस्य परमात्मनः

Thereafter, Maheśvara is directly present, and Sadāśiva too, in forms and in actions, even though Śiva, the supreme Self, is beyond action.

भूतानुग्रहणं चैव मुच्यंते येन जंतवः लोकेष्वपि यतो वाचो निवृत्ता मनसा सह

And by whom the granting of beings occurs, by whom creatures are liberated; in the worlds, where speech, together with mind, turns back.

तदूर्ध्वमुन्मना लोकात्सोमलोकमलौकिकम् सोमस्सहोमया यत्र नित्यं निवसतीश्वरः

Above that is the Unmanā world, beyond the lunar world, beyond the mundane, where Soma, with the sacrificial offerings, where the Lord eternally resides.

तदूर्ध्वमुन्मना लोकाद्यं प्राप्तो न निवर्तते शांतिं च शांत्यतीतां च व्यापिकां चै कलास्वपि

Above that Unmanā world, one who attains does not return; and both peace and that which is beyond peace, and the all-pervading power, even among the arts.

तत्पूरुषं तथेशानं ब्रह्म ब्रह्मसु पञ्चसु मूर्धानमपि लिंगस्य नादभागेष्वनुत्तमम्

That Puruṣa, that Īśāna, Brahma among the five Brahmas, and even the summit of the liṅga, in the supreme portions of sound.

यत्रावाह्य समाराध्यः केवलो निष्कलः शिवः तत्तेष्वपि तदा बिंदोर्नादाच्छक्तेस्ततः परात्

Where the pure, partless Śiva is invoked and worshipped, even there, from the bindu, from the sound, from the power, and beyond that.

तत्त्वादपि परं तत्त्वमतत्त्वं परमार्थतः कारणेषु त्रयातीतान्मायाविक्षोभकारणात्

Beyond even that principle is the supreme reality, which is not a principle in the highest sense, transcending the three causes, the source of the agitation of Māyā.

अनंताच्छुद्धविद्यायाः परस्ताच्च महेश्वरात् सर्वविद्येश्वराधीशान्न पराच्च सदाशिवात्

Beyond the infinite pure knowledge, and beyond Maheśvara, beyond all the lords of knowledge, and beyond Sadāśiva as well.

सर्वमंत्रतनोर्देवाच्छक्तित्रयसमन्वितात् पञ्चवक्त्राद्दशभुजात्साक्षात्सकलनिष्कलात्

From the Lord of all mantra bodies, endowed with the three powers, with five faces and ten arms, manifest and unmanifest.

तस्मादपि पराद्बिंदोरर्धेदोश्च ततः परात् ततः परान्निशाधीशान्नादाख्याच्च ततः परात्

Even beyond that, from the half of the bindu, and beyond that, beyond the lords of night, and beyond that, from that called sound.

ततः परात्सुषुम्नेशाद्ब्रह्मरंध्रेश्वरादपि ततः परस्माच्छक्तेश्च परस्ताच्छिवतत्त्वतः

Beyond that, from the Lord of the central channel, and even from the Lord of the cranial aperture, and beyond that, from the supreme power, and beyond that, from the principle of Śiva.

परमं कारणं साक्षात्स्वयं निष्कारणं शिवम् कारणानां च धातारं ध्यातारां ध्येयमव्ययम्

The supreme cause, directly, is Śiva himself, causeless, the source of all causes, the object of meditation for meditators, imperishable.

परमाकाशमध्यस्थं परमात्मोपरि स्थितं सर्वैश्वर्येण संपन्नं सर्वेश्वरमनीश्वरम्

Situated in the midst of the supreme ether, above the supreme Self, endowed with all sovereignty, the Lord of all, without a superior.

ऐश्वर्याच्चापि मायेयादशुद्धान्मानुषादिकात् अपराच्च परात्त्याज्यादधिशुद्धाध्वगोचरात्

From sovereignty, from Māyā, from impurity, from the human and others, from the lower, from the higher, from the path of supreme purity.

तत्पराच्छुद्धविद्याद्यादुन्मनांतात्परात्परात् परमं परमैश्वर्यमुन्मनाद्यमनादि च

Beyond that, from pure knowledge, and from the highest Unmanā, the supreme, the highest sovereignty, from Unmanā, and the beginningless.

अपारमपराधीनं निरस्तातिशयं स्थिरम् इत्थमर्थैर्दशविधैरियमाथर्वणी श्रुतिः

Boundless, not dependent on another, free from excess, stable—thus, with these tenfold meanings, is this Atharvanic revelation.

यस्माद्गरीयसी तस्माद्विश्वं व्याप्तमथर्वणात् ऋग्वेदः पुनराहेदं जाग्रद्रूपं मयोच्यते

Because it is greater, therefore the universe is pervaded by the Atharva Veda; the Rig Veda again declares this as the waking state, which I have spoken.

येनाहमात्मतत्त्वस्य नित्यमस्म्यभिधायकः यजुर्वेदो ऽवदत्तद्वत्स्वप्नावस्था मयोच्यते

By which I am always the revealer of the essence of the Self—so the Yajur Veda declares; in the same way, the dream state is said by me.

भोग्यात्मना परिणता विद्यावेद्या यतो मयि साम चाह सुषुप्त्याख्यमेवं सर्वं मयोच्यते

Knowledge, which is to be experienced, is transformed in me as the object of knowledge; the Sama Veda speaks of this as the state called deep sleep, thus all is declared by me.

ममार्थेन शिवेनेदं तामसेनाभिधीयते अथर्वाह तुरायाख्यं तुरीयातीतमेव च

By my meaning, O Shiva, this is called tamasic; the Atharva Veda speaks of the state called 'the fourth' and also that which is beyond the fourth.

मयाभिधीयते तस्मादध्वातीतपदोस्म्यहम् अध्वात्मकं तु त्रितयं शिवविद्यात्मसंज्ञितम्

It is declared by me; therefore, I am called the one beyond the path. But the threefold path, consisting of the path itself, is known as the knowledge of Shiva, the Self.

तत्त्रैगुण्यं त्रयीसाध्यं संशोध्यं च पदैषिणा अध्वातीतं तुरीयाख्यं निर्वाणं परमं पदम्

That threefold nature, accomplished by the three Vedas, must be purified by the seeker of the state; the state beyond the path, called the fourth, is liberation, the supreme state.

तदतीतं च नैर्गुण्यादध्वनोस्य विशोधकम् द्वयोः प्रमापको नादो नदांतश्च मदात्मकः

That which is beyond is due to absence of qualities, the purifier of this path; the sound, which is the measure of the two, and the end of sounds, is of my own nature.

तस्मान्ममार्थस्वातंत्र्यात्प्रधानः परमेश्वरः यदस्ति वस्तु तत्सर्वं गुणप्रधान्ययोगतः

Therefore, by the freedom of my own meaning, the Supreme Lord is foremost; whatever thing exists, all that is due to the predominance of qualities.

समस्तं व्यस्तमपि च प्रणवार्थं प्रचक्षते सवार्थवाचकं तस्मादेकं ब्रह्मैतदक्षरम्

Both the collective and the particular are explained as the meaning of the syllable Om; therefore, this single imperishable syllable is Brahman, the signifier of all meanings.

तेनोमिति जगत्कृत्स्नं कुरुते प्रथमं शिवः शिवो हि प्रणवो ह्येष प्रणवो हि शिवः स्मृतः

By that Om, Shiva first creates the entire world; for Shiva is indeed Om, and Om is remembered as Shiva.

वाच्यवाचकयोर्भेदो नात्यंतं विद्यते यतः चिंतया रहितो रुद्रो वाचोयन्मनसा सह

There is no absolute difference between the signifier and the signified, because Rudra is beyond thought, and speech together with mind is his vehicle.

अप्राप्य तन्निवर्तंते वाच्यस्त्वेकाक्षरेण सः एकाक्षरादकाराख्यादात्मा ब्रह्माभिधीयते

Not attaining that, they turn back; but the signified is expressed by the single syllable. From the single syllable called 'A', the Self is named Brahman.