Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

एतच्छिवपुराणं यो नमस्कुर्याददूरतः सर्वदेवार्चनफलं स प्राप्नोति न संशयः

Whoever bows to this Shiva Purana from afar attains the fruit of worshipping all the gods, without doubt.

एतच्छिवपुराणं वै लिखित्वा पुस्तकं स्वयम् यो दद्याच्छिवभक्तेभ्यस्तस्य पुण्यफलं शृणु

Hear the merit gained by one who himself writes out this Shiva Purana as a book and gives it to devotees of Shiva.

अधीतेषु च शास्त्रेषु वेदेषु व्याकृतेषु च यत्फलं दुर्लभं लोके तत्फलं तस्य संभवेत्

The rare fruit in this world obtained from studying scriptures and the Vedas, and from their exposition, is attained by him.

एतच्छिवपुराणं हि चतुर्दश्यामुपोषितः शिवभक्तसभायां यो व्याकरोति स उत्तमः

He who, having fasted on the fourteenth day, explains this Shiva Purana in an assembly of Shiva devotees is the highest.

प्रत्यक्षरं तु गायत्रीपुरश्चर्याफलं लभेत् इह भुक्त्वाखिलान्कामानंते निर्वाणतां व्रजेत्

For each syllable, one attains the fruit of the Gayatri purashcharana; enjoying all desires here, one ultimately attains liberation.

उपोषितश्चतुर्दश्यां रात्रौ जागरणान्वितः यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि तस्य पुण्यं वदाम्यहम्

I declare the merit of one who, having fasted on the fourteenth day and kept vigil at night, recites or hears this Purana.

कुरुक्षेत्रादिनिखिलपुण्यतीर्थेष्वनेकशः आत्मतुल्यधनं सूर्यग्रहणे सर्वतोमुखे

In all the holy places like Kurukshetra, and at the time of a solar eclipse, giving wealth equal to oneself in all directions—

विप्रेभ्यो व्यासमुख्येभ्यो दत्त्वायत्फलमश्नुते तत्फलं संभवेत्तस्य सत्यं सत्यं न संशयः

By giving it to Brahmins, especially to Vyasa and others, one enjoys that fruit; that fruit surely accrues to him, truly, without doubt.

एतच्छिवपुराणं हि गायते योप्यहर्निशम् आज्ञां तस्य प्रतीक्षेरन्दवा इन्द्रपुरोगमाः

Whoever sings this Shiva Purana day and night, the gods led by Indra await his command.

एतच्छिवपुराणं यः पठञ्छृण्वन्हि नित्यशः यद्यत्करोति सत्कर्म तत्कोटिगुणितं भवेत्

Whoever recites or hears this Shiva Purana daily, whatever good deed he performs becomes multiplied a crore-fold.

समाहितः पठेद्यस्तु तत्र श्रीरुद्रसंहिताम् स ब्रह्मघ्नो ऽपि पूतात्मा त्रिभिरेव दिनैर्भवेत्

Whoever recites the Shri Rudra Samhita therein with concentration, even if he has killed a Brahmin, becomes purified in just three days.

तां रुद्रसंहितां यस्तु भैरवप्रतिमांतिके त्रिः पठेत्प्रत्यहं मौनी स कामानखिलांल्लभेत्

Whoever, observing silence, recites this Rudra-saṃhitā three times daily before an image of Bhairava, attains all desires without exception.

तां रुद्रसंहितां यस्तु सपठेद्वटबिल्वयोः प्रदक्षिणां प्रकुर्वाणो ब्रह्महत्या निवर्तते

Whoever recites this Rudra-saṃhitā while circumambulating a banyan or bilva tree is freed from the sin of killing a Brahmin.

कैलाससंहिता तत्र ततो ऽपि परमस्मृता ब्रह्मस्वरूपिणी साक्षात्प्रणवार्थप्रकाशिका

There, the Kailāsa-saṃhitā is considered even higher, embodying the very form of Brahman and directly revealing the meaning of the sacred syllable Oṃ.

कैलाससंहितायास्तु माहात्म्यं वेत्ति शंकरः कृत्स्नं तदर्धं व्यासश्च तदर्धं वेद्म्यहं द्विजाः

Of the greatness of the Kailāsa-saṃhitā, Śaṅkara knows it completely, Vyāsa knows half of it, and I, O twice-born ones, know half of that.

तत्र किंचित्प्रवक्ष्यामि कृत्स्नं वक्तुं न शक्यते यज्ज्ञात्वा तत्क्षणाल्लोकश्चित्तशुद्धिमवाप्नुयात्

There I shall declare a little; it is not possible to tell all. By knowing even this, a person attains purity of mind at once.

न नाशयति यत्पापं सा रौद्री संहिता द्विजाः तन्न पश्याम्यहं लोके मार्गमाणो ऽपि सर्वदा

O twice-born ones, I do not see in the world, even after searching everywhere, any sin that this fierce Saṃhitā does not destroy.

शिवेनोपनिषत्सिंधुमन्थनोत्पादितां मुदा कुमारायार्पितां तां वै सुधां पीत्वा ऽमरो भवेत्

Produced joyfully by Śiva from the ocean of the Upaniṣads and offered to Kumāra, whoever drinks that nectar truly becomes immortal.

ब्रह्महत्यादिपापानां निष्कृतिं कर्तुमुद्यतः मासमात्रं संहितां तां पठित्वा मुच्यते ततः

One who undertakes to atone for sins such as Brahmin-killing, by reciting that Saṃhitā for just a month, is thereby freed.

दुष्प्रतिग्रहदुर्भोज्यदुरालापादिसंभवम् पापं सकृत्कीर्तनेन संहिता सा विनाशयेत्

The sin arising from accepting improper gifts, eating impure food, or evil speech is destroyed by even a single recitation of that Saṃhitā.

शिवालये विल्ववने संहितां तां पठेत्तु यः स तत्फलमवाप्नोति यद्वाचो ऽपि न गोचरे

Whoever recites that Saṃhitā in a temple of Śiva or in a grove of bilva trees attains a result that words cannot express.

संहितां तां पठन् भक्त्या यः श्राद्धे भोजयेद्द्विजान् तस्य ये पितरः सर्वे यांति शंभोः परं पदम्

Whoever, with devotion, recites that Saṃhitā and feeds Brahmins at a śrāddha ceremony, all his ancestors attain the supreme abode of Śambhu.

चतुर्दश्यां निराहारो यः पठेत्संहितां च ताम् बिल्वमूले शिवः साक्षात्सदेवैश्च प्रपूज्यते

Whoever, fasting on the fourteenth day, recites that Saṃhitā at the root of a bilva tree is directly worshipped by Śiva together with the gods.

अन्यापि संहिता तत्र सर्वकामफलप्रदा उभे विशिष्टे विज्ञेये लीलाविज्ञानपूरिते

There are also other Saṃhitās, bestowing all desired fruits; both are to be known as excellent, filled with the play of knowledge.

तदिदं शैवमाख्यातं पुराणं वेदसंमितम् निर्मितं तच्छिवेनैव प्रथमं ब्रह्मसंमितम्

Thus has the Śaiva Purāṇa, equal to the Veda, been declared—first composed by Śiva himself, in accord with Brahman.

विद्येशंच तथारौद्रं वैनायकमथौमिकम् मात्रं रुद्रैकादशकं कैलासं शतरुद्रकम्

The Vidyeśa, the Tāra-Raudra, the Vaināyaka, the Aumika, the Mātṛ, the Rudra in eleven parts, the Kailāsa, and the Śatarudra—

कोटिरुद्रसहस्राद्यं कोटिरुद्रं तथैव च वायवीयं धर्मसंज्ञं पुराणमिति भेदतः

The Koṭirudra, beginning with a thousand Koṭirudras, and likewise the Vāyavīya, known as Dharma—these are the Purāṇas by distinction.

संहिता द्वादशमिता महापुण्यतरा मता तासां संख्यां ब्रुवे विप्राः शृणुतादरतोखिलम्

There are twelve Saṃhitās, considered supremely meritorious. I shall declare their number, O Brahmins; listen with full attention.

विद्येशं दशासाहस्रं रुद्रं वैनायकं तथा औमं मातृपुराणाख्यं प्रत्येकाष्टसहस्रकम्

The Vidyeśa contains ten thousand verses; likewise, the Rudra, the Vaināyaka, the Aumika, and the Mātṛ Purāṇa—each has eight thousand verses.