Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

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.

त्रयोदशसहस्रं हि रुद्रैकादशकं द्विजाः षट्सहस्रं च कैलासं शतरुद्रं तदर्धकम्

O twice-born, the collection called the Eleven Rudras is thirteen thousand; Kailāsa is six thousand; Śatarudra is half of that.

कोटिरुद्रं त्रिगुणितमेकादशसहस्रकम् सहस्रकोटिरुद्राख्यमुदितं ग्रंथसंख्यया

Koṭirudra is three times eleven thousand; the one called Sahasrakoṭirudra is stated, by the count of verses, to be a thousand times ten million Rudras.

वायवीयं खाब्धिशतं घर्मं रविसहस्रकम् तदेवं लक्षसंख्याकं शैवसंख्याविभेदतः

Vāyavīya is a hundred times the ocean; Gharma is a thousand times the sun; thus, by the distinctions of Śaiva reckoning, their number reaches a hundred thousand.

व्यासेन तत्तु संक्षिप्तं चतुर्विंशत्सहस्रकम् शैवं तत्र चतुर्थं वै पुराणं सप्तसंहितम्

But Vyāsa condensed it to twenty-four thousand; among these, the Śaiva Purāṇa is the fourth, consisting of seven saṃhitās.

शिवे संकल्पितं पूर्वं पुराणं ग्रन्थसंख्यया शतकोटिप्रमाणं हि पुरा सृष्टौ सुविस्मृतम्

Formerly, the Purāṇa was conceived by Śiva, and by the count of verses, it was originally a hundred times ten million, but was greatly forgotten at the beginning of creation.

व्यस्तेष्टादशधा चैव पुराणे द्वापरादिषु चतुर्लक्षेण संक्षिप्ते कृते द्वैपायनादिभिः

Divided into eighteen, in the Purāṇas during the Dvāpara and other ages, it was condensed to four hundred thousand by Dvaipāyana and others.

प्रोक्तं शिवपुराणं हि चतुर्विंशत्सहस्रकम् श्लोकानां संख्यया सप्तसंहितं ब्रह्मसंमितम्

The Śiva Purāṇa, consisting of twenty-four thousand verses, is declared to have seven saṃhitās, and is esteemed as equal to the Veda.

विद्येश्वराख्या तत्राद्या रौद्री ज्ञेया द्वितीयिका तृतीया शतरुद्राख्या कोटिरुद्रा चतुर्थिका

Of these, the first is called Vidyeśvara, the second is known as Raudrī, the third is Śatarudra, and the fourth is Koṭirudra.

पञ्चमी चैव मौमाख्या षष्ठी कैलाससंज्ञिका सप्तमी वायवीयाख्या सप्तैवं संहितामताः

The fifth is called Uma, the sixth is named Kailāsa, and the seventh is known as Vāyavīya; thus, the seven saṃhitās are recognized.

ससप्तसंहितं दिव्यं पुराणं शिवसंज्ञकम् वरीवर्ति ब्रह्मतुल्यं सर्वोपरि गतिप्रदम्

This divine Purāṇa, called Śiva, with its seven saṃhitās, is most excellent, equal to Brahman, and grants the highest goal above all.