When a person comes to know the self, perceiving the essence of Brahman—the unborn, eternal, and pure reality shining like a lamp amidst all things—then, upon realizing that god, all bonds fall away and liberation is attained. This god permeates every direction; he existed before all creation, is present within the womb, is born and will be born again. He stands before all beings, his faces turned everywhere. He is the divinity dwelling in fire and water, the one who has entered the entire world, present in plants and trees. To this god, we offer our repeated homage. He alone, veiled by his own power, governs all worlds with his divine energies. He stands at the beginning and at the unfolding of all things. Those who truly know him become immortal. Rudra alone stands, without a second; he rules all worlds through his powers, facing all beings, withdrawing at the end, after creating and protecting everything. With eyes, faces, arms, and feet everywhere, the one god creates heaven and earth together, letting them expand with his arms and wings. He is the origin and source of the gods, the ruler of the universe—Rudra, the great sage—who created Hiranyagarbha in the beginning. May he unite us with auspicious wisdom. O Rudra, let your gracious form, which is not terrifying and reveals no evil, shine upon us with your peaceful body, O mountain-dweller. The arrow you hold for protection, O mountain-lord, make it auspicious; do not harm any person or the world. Then, the supreme Brahman—the highest, vast, and hidden in all beings according to their forms—encompasses the universe. Knowing this Lord, people become immortal. I know this great Person, radiant like the sun and beyond all darkness. Knowing him alone, one crosses over death; there is no other path to liberation. There is nothing beyond him, neither smaller nor greater; like a tree, he stands firm in the sky, alone, and by him the entire universe is filled. That which is higher, formless, and free from affliction—those who know this become immortal; others only experience suffering. He has all faces, heads, and necks, dwelling in the hearts of all beings, pervading everything. Thus, the blessed Shiva is present everywhere. The Person is great and powerful, the originator of all existence. The ruler, pure and luminous, grants the attainment of the imperishable light. The Person, the inner self, is the size of a thumb, ever established in the hearts of people. Through heart, intellect, and mind, he is perceived. Those who know this become immortal. The Person has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet; enveloping the earth on all sides, he extends beyond it by ten fingers' breadth. The Person alone is all this—what has been and what will be; he is the lord of immortality and grows beyond through food. He has hands and feet everywhere, eyes, heads, and mouths everywhere; he hears everywhere in the world, and, covering everything, he stands. He appears as the qualities of all the senses, yet is devoid of all senses; he is the lord, ruler, refuge, and friend of all. In the city with nine gates, the embodied soul—the swan—moves outside playfully, master of the world, both immovable and moving. Without hands and feet, he is swift and grasps; he sees without eyes, hears without ears; he knows what is to be known, but none know him. He is called the foremost, the great Person. The self is subtler than the subtle, greater than the great, hidden in the heart of every creature. The one who is free from desire and sorrow, through purity of mind, sees the majesty of the Lord. I know this ageless, ancient, all-pervading self, present everywhere. The knowers of Brahman declare that he is the cessation of birth and always proclaim him as eternal. He who is one and colorless, through the union of powers, assumes many colors, establishes diverse meanings, and moves within and at the end of the universe. May that divine one unite us with auspicious understanding. He alone is Agni, he is the Sun, he is Vayu, he is the Moon; he is the bright, he is Brahma, he is the waters, and he is Prajapati. You are woman, you are man; you are boy and girl; you are the old one who walks with a staff; you are born and become the one with faces everywhere. Dark, winged, green, red-eyed, womb of lightning, seasons, oceans—without beginning, you exist in your vastness, from whom all worlds are born. The one unborn, red, white, and black, creates many beings of similar forms; one unborn enjoys her and lies beside her, another unborn abandons her after enjoying. Two birds, united and friends, embrace the same tree; one eats the sweet fruit, the other, not eating, looks on. On the same tree, the person, immersed and powerless, grieves and is confused; but when he sees the other, the Lord, and his greatness, he becomes free from sorrow. In the imperishable, supreme space where all gods reside, if one does not know that, what use is the hymn? Those who know it gather there. Hymns, sacrifices, rituals, vows, past, future, and what the Vedas declare—all this the magician creates as the universe, and another is bound by his magic. Know Māyā as Prakṛti, and the magician as the great Lord; by his parts, this entire world is pervaded. He alone presides over every womb; in him all moves and rests. To that Lord, giver of boons and worthy of worship, bowing down, one attains supreme peace. He who is the source and origin of the gods, greater than all—Rudra, the great sage—see Hiranyagarbha being born. May he unite us with auspicious understanding. He is the lord of the gods, in whom worlds are established; he rules over bipeds and quadrupeds. To which god should we offer with oblation? Subtler than the subtlest, in the midst of confusion, the creator of the universe, of many forms, the one who envelops all—knowing Shiva, one attains supreme peace. He alone is the protector of the world in time, lord of all, hidden in every being. In whom sages and gods are united—knowing him thus, one cuts the bonds of death. Knowing Shiva, subtler than clarified butter, hidden in all beings, the one who envelops the universe—knowing the divine, one is freed from all bonds.