Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

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.

एकाक्षरादुकाराख्याद्द्विधा विष्णुरुदीर्यते एकाक्षरान्मकाराख्याच्छिवो रुद्र उदाहृतः

From the single syllable called 'U', Vishnu is spoken of in two forms; from the single syllable called 'M', Shiva, Rudra, is declared.

दक्षिणांगान्महेशस्य जातो ब्रह्मात्मसंज्ञिकः वामांगादभवद्विष्णुस्ततो विद्येति संज्ञितः

From the right side of the Great Lord arose Brahma, known as the Self; from the left side arose Vishnu, therefore called Knowledge.

हृदयान्नीलरुद्रो भूच्छिवस्य शिवसंज्ञिकः सृष्टेः प्रवर्तको ब्रह्मा स्थितेर्विष्णुर्विमोहकः

From the heart arose Nīlarudra, called Shiva, who initiates creation as Brahma, sustains as Vishnu, and deludes.

संहारस्य तथा रुद्रस्तयोर्नित्यं नियामकः

Rudra is likewise the agent of dissolution, and always the regulator of both.

तस्मात्त्रयस्ते कथ्यंते जगतः कारणानि च कारणत्रयहेतुश्च शिवः परमकारणम्

Therefore, these three are said to be the causes of the world, and Shiva is the supreme cause, the source of the three causes.

अर्थमेतमविज्ञाय रजसा बद्धवैरयोः युवयोः प्रतिबोधाय मध्ये लिंगमुपस्थितम्

Not understanding this meaning, bound by passion and enmity, the sign of the liṅga was established between you two for your awakening.

एवमोमिति मां प्राहुर्यदिहोक्तमथर्वणा ऋचो यजूंषि सामानि शाखाश्चान्याः सहस्रशः

Thus, they call me by this name, as stated here by the Atharvans: the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma verses, and countless other branches.

वेदेष्वेवं स्वयं वक्त्रैर्व्यक्तमित्यवदत्स्वपि स्वप्नानुभूतमिव तत्ताभ्यां नाध्यवसीयते

In the Vedas, spoken directly by their own mouths, it is declared clearly; yet even so, as if experienced in a dream, it is not fully grasped by them.

तयोस्तत्र प्रबोधाय तमोपनयनाय च लिंगेपि मुद्रितं सर्वं यथा वेदैरुदाहृतम्

For their awakening and removal of darkness, everything is sealed within the Liṅga, just as it is cited in the Vedas.

तद्दृष्ट्वा मुद्रितं लिंगे प्रसादाल्लिंगिनस्तदा प्रशांतमनसौ देवौ प्रबुद्धौ संबभूवतुः

Seeing all sealed in the Liṅga, by its grace, those two deities, their minds calmed, became awakened.