With a heart full of devotion, I bow to the Lord of Parvati, the serene One seated in the lotus posture. His presence radiates peace, crowned with the crescent moon, his five faces and three eyes shining with divine wisdom. In his right hands, he bears the trident, thunderbolt, sword, axe, and the gesture that dispels fear; in his left, he holds a serpent, a noose, a bell, the fire of dissolution, and a goad. Adorned with splendid ornaments and shining like pure crystal, he is the very form of auspiciousness. He is firm and steadfast, the supreme Lord, formidable and yet the bestower of all boons, the choicest among the gods. He is the very soul of all, renowned everywhere, all-pervading, the doer of all actions, and the source from which all things become. With matted hair and clad in hide, he is crested and all-limbed, the creator and destroyer of all beings. Known as Hara, his lotus eyes radiate compassion even as he wields the power to dissolve creation, ever the master of all. He embodies both activity and withdrawal, disciplined and eternal, unchanging through the cycles of time. As the Lord who dwells in cremation grounds, he moves freely in the sky and upon the earth, and is known as the half-bodied One, sharing his form with Uma. He is to be revered for his great deeds, an ascetic and the originator of all beings, sometimes concealed by a guise of madness, yet always the Lord of all worlds and creatures. His form is vast, bull-like in strength and renown, the great-souled Self of all beings, universal in form with mighty jaws. Protector of the worlds, his true nature is hidden to most, yet he is gracious, accompanied by horses and donkeys. Pure and disciplined, he is the refuge for all who seek spiritual discipline. He performs all actions, self-born and the very first, the originator of beginnings, the treasure of the universe. With a thousand eyes and wide vision, he is Soma, the accomplisher of the stars. He is the moon, the sun, Saturn, Ketu, and all the planets; he is their lord and the best among them. He is Atri, the worshipper of night, the one who sends forth the deer-marked arrow, sinless and the creator of beginning, end, and dissolution. His austerity is great and terrible, yet he is never destitute and fulfills the needs of the destitute. He is the maker of the year, the mantra itself, the supreme measure, and the highest penance. He is the great yogi, to be joined with, the great seed of all beings, of immense virility and strength, golden-seeded, all-knowing, and the bearer of the seed. Ten-armed and unblinking, his blue throat marks him as the husband of Uma. His form encompasses the universe, supreme by his own nature, a mighty hero and leader of hosts. He creates and leads the hosts, clothed in the directions, and is desire itself. He is the knower of mantras, the supreme mantra, the creator of all beings, and the remover of obstacles. He bears a water-pot, wields a bow, holds arrows and a skull, and is armed with a thunderbolt, a hundred-bladed weapon, a sword, and a spear. Among those who bear weapons, he is the greatest. He holds the sacrificial ladle, his form is beautiful and radiant, a treasure among treasures. Wearing a turban and a handsome face, he is both exalted and humble. He is tall, with tawny hair, the very site of pilgrimage, and dark in hue. He takes the form of a jackal, is accomplished, sometimes shaven-headed, always the bringer of auspiciousness. Unborn and of many forms, he bears fragrance and matted hair, his energy and emblem directed upwards, lying upwards, and he is the expanse of the sky. Three-knotted and clothed in bark garments, he is Rudra, commander of the hosts, all-pervading, moving by day and night, fierce in anger, radiant in splendor. He is the slayer of the elephant and demons, Time itself, the supporter of worlds, and the repository of all qualities. He takes the forms of lion and tiger, clothed in moist hides. He is the master of time, the great sound, the fulfiller of all desires, and the fourfold path. He moves at night, among the departed and spirits, the great Lord. He has become many, bearing countless forms, the eclipse-causing Svarbhanu, immeasurable, movement itself. He delights in dance, the eternal dancer, the performer, and the enjoyer of all pleasures. Fierce and of great austerity, he is the noose, eternal, mountain-dwelling, the sky itself, with a thousand hands, victorious and resolute, never tiring. Unassailable, the essence of boldness, destroyer of sacrifices and desire, he took away Daksha’s sacrifice, yet remains patient, easily endured, and the mediator of all. He is the taker of brilliance, the destroyer of strength, joyful and the very meaning of existence, unconquered and the lowest, his voice deep and profound, his vehicle of immense strength. He is the banyan tree and its form, abiding in the ears of trees, all-pervading, with sharp teeth, a great body, and a vast mouth. He is Viṣvaksena, Hari, and the sacrifice itself, his vehicle victorious in battle, of intense heat, with tawny horses, a companion, and knower of the proper time for action. Pleased by Viṣṇu, he is the sacrifice, the ocean, the mouth of submarine fire, accompanied by the fire-god, tranquil in self, and fire-god himself. Of fierce and great radiance, he is the cause of birth, knower of the time of victory, the abode of light, accomplishment itself, and all forms. Crested, shaven-headed, matted-haired, blazing, born in many forms, crowned and mighty, he plays the flute, the drum, the cymbals, fierce and dreadful with dark fangs. He is the embodiment of the stars, intelligence, discernment, dissolution, the unapproachable, lord of creatures, all-armed, division itself, all-pervading, and faceless. The liberator and the good path, born with golden armor, born from the phallus, moving with strength on earth, and also flowing. He is the sound of all musical instruments, the possessor of all musical accompaniments; serpent-formed, dweller in caves, mysterious, garlanded, and the knower of waves. He upholds the three worlds and all times, releases all from the bonds of karma, binds the lords of the asuras, and destroys enemies in battle. He is the serenity of Sāṅkhya, difficult to dwell with, honored by all the virtuous, the overcomer, knower of distinctions, incomparable, and the knower of the shares of sacrifice. Dwelling everywhere and moving everywhere, he is difficult to dwell with, yet the lord of dwelling, immortal, golden, the maker of gold, beyond sacrifice, the supporter of all, and best among those who bear. With red eyes, great eyes, victorious vision, skillful, the gatherer, restrainer, doer, and wearer of serpent-skin garments, he is the foremost and the non-foremost, the embodiment of all forms, bestower of all desires, granting favor at all times, supremely strong, and the bearer of the form of strength. He is the giver of all desired boons, the universal giver, with faces everywhere, formless as space, of various appearances, the one who descends, unrestrained, and moves through the sky. Fierce in form, radiant like the sun, with many rays, full of splendor, swift as the wind and mind, he moves in the night. He dwells in all, abides in prosperity, is the giver of instruction, actionless, a sage, self-illuminated, the destroyer of ignorance, and the bestower of countless gifts. Such is the all-encompassing glory of Shiva, the Supreme Lord, who is the beginning, the end, and everything beyond.