सकलदुःखभयापहर प्रभो क्षणम् अपीह मयासि न चेतसा । वरद वीर महेश्वर विस्मृतस् सुखम् अतो निवसामि भवान् इव
O Lord, remover of all sorrow and fear, if even for a moment my mind does not dwell on you, O giver of boons, heroic great Lord, then I live happily, as if I were you, forgetting all else.
इत्य् उक्तवत्य् अथ मुनौ दिवसो जगाम सायन्तनाय विधये ऽस्तम् इनो जगाम । स्नातुं सभा कृतनमस्करणा जगाम श्यामाक्षये रविकरैश् च सहाजगाम
Having spoken thus, when the sage was present, the day moved toward evening and the sun set; she went to bathe, offered salutations in the assembly, and departed as the rays of the sun faded.
इत्य् उक्तवन्तम् अत्रासौ गौरी भगवती गिरम् । माम् उवाच जगन्माता मातेव तनयं प्रियम्
After he had spoken thus, Gauri, the blessed goddess, addressed me—the Mother of the world spoke to me as a mother speaks to her beloved child.
भगवन् भवता ब्रूहि भूरिसौभाग्यभागिनी । पतिव्रतानां प्रथमा क्व कृतारुन्धती प्रिया
O revered one, please tell me: where is Arundhati, the foremost among devoted wives, blessed with great fortune and dear to me?
उत्तिष्ठानय ताम् अस्माद् आश्रमान् मच्छ्रमापहात् । तया सह कथाश् चित्राः करोम्य् एकवयस्यया
Raise her up from this hermitage, so that my fatigue may be relieved; with her, my peer, I wish to engage in delightful conversations.
इत्य् उक्ते तत्र पार्वत्या मया सा गृहिणी स्वयम् । गत्वोद्देशं तम् एवाशु समानीता समाशया
When Parvati had spoken thus, I myself promptly went to that place and brought the householder woman back with a sincere intention.
अरुन्धत्या समं कृत्वा ललनाचारम् अक्षतम् । स्वकार्यैकपरा गौरी बभूव परिनिर्वृता
Having joined Arundhati, maintaining the proper conduct of a lady, Gauri became absorbed solely in her own duties and attained perfect contentment.
अहम् अस्मिन् क्षणे बुद्ध्या राम चिन्तितवान् इदम् । अव्यग्रो मत्प्रसन्नश् च लब्धो ऽयं भगवान् मया
At that moment, O Rama, I reflected with a clear mind: I have obtained this blessed one, who is gracious and undisturbed, through my favor.
कम् एनं परमेशानं सर्वज्ञानमहार्णवम् । परिपृच्छामि सन्देहम् इन्दुभूषितशेखरम्
Whom shall I question—the Supreme Lord, the ocean of all-knowing wisdom, adorned with the moon on his crest—about my doubt?
इति सञ्चिन्त्य स गुरुर् इदं पृष्टो मयानघ । शृणु वक्ष्यामि ते सर्वं यद् उक्तं चन्द्रमौलिना
Thinking thus, I asked the Guru about this, O sinless one; listen, I will tell you everything that was spoken by the moon-crested Lord.
भगवन् भूतभव्येश सर्वकारणकारण । भवत्प्रसादेनेदं मे धार्ष्ट्यम् अभ्यागतं स्फुटम्
O Lord, master of all that has been and will be, cause of every cause—by your grace, this boldness has clearly arisen in me.
पृच्छामि त्वा महादेव यद् अहं तत् त्वम् आशु मे । ब्रूहि प्रसन्नया बुद्ध्या त्यक्तोद्वेगम् अनामय
I ask you, O great god, whatever I wish to know; please tell me swiftly, with a clear mind, free from anxiety and harm.
सर्वपापक्षयकरं सर्वकल्याणवर्धनम् । देवार्चनविधानं मे सत्यं ब्रूहि महेश्वर
Tell me truly, O Maheshvara, the method of worshipping the gods that destroys all sin and increases all auspiciousness.
शृणु ब्रह्मन् वरम् इदं देवार्चनम् अनुत्तमम् । वदामि मुच्यसे येन कृतेन सकृद् एव हि
Listen, O Brahman, to this supreme worship of the gods; I will tell you that by which, even if performed once, you are freed.
कच्चित् वेत्सि महादेवो देवः कस् स्याद् इति द्विज । न देवः पुण्डरीकाक्षो न च देवस् त्रिलोचनः
Do you know, O twice-born, who is called the great god, the deity? The lotus-eyed one is not the god, nor is the three-eyed one.
न देवः कमलोद्भूतो न देवस् त्रिदशेश्वरः । न देवः पवनो नार्को नानलो न निशाकरः
The one born from the lotus is not the god, nor is the lord of the thirty gods; neither the wind, nor the sun, nor fire, nor the moon is the god.
न ब्राह्मणो नावनिपो नाहं न त्वं द्विजोत्तम । न देवो देहरूपो ऽस्ति न देवश् चित्ररूपधृत्
Neither the Brahmin, nor the king, nor I, nor you, O best of the twice-born, is the god; the god does not have a bodily form, nor does he bear a wondrous shape.
न देवः कलनारूपी नापि देवो भवेन् मतिः । अकृत्रिमम् अनाद्यन्तं वेदनं देव उच्यते
The god is not of a calculated form, nor is the god a thought; the god is called the uncontrived, beginningless and endless awareness.
आकारादिपरिच्छिन्नम् इति वस्तुनि तत् कुतः । अकृत्रिमम् अनाद्यन्तं वेदनं चिच्छिवं विदुः
In that which is limited by form and the like, how can it be so? The sages know awareness—pure, uncreated, without beginning or end—as consciousness, as Shiva.
तद् एव देवशब्देन कथ्यते तत् प्रपूजयेत् । तद् एवास्ति यतस् सर्वं सत्तासत्तात्मरूपधृत्
That alone is spoken of by the word 'deva'; that alone should be worshipped. That alone exists, since all things, whether existent or non-existent, are sustained by its essence.
अज्ञातशिवतत्त्वानाम् आकाराद्यर्चनं कृतम् । योजनाध्वन्य् अशक्तस्य क्रोशाध्वा परिकल्प्यते
For those who do not know the truth of Shiva, worship is performed with forms and the like. For one unable to travel the path of union, a shorter route is devised.
इयत्तादिपरिच्छिन्नं रुद्रादेः प्राप्यते फलम् । अकृत्रिमम् अनाद्यन्तं फलम् आनन्द आत्मनः
The result gained from Rudra and others, limited by measure and the like, is attained; but the uncreated, beginningless and endless fruit is the bliss of the Self.
अकृत्रिमफलं त्यक्त्वा यः कृत्रिमफलं व्रजेत् । स त्यक्तमन्दारवनः कारञ्जं याति काननम्
Whoever abandons the uncreated fruit and pursues the created fruit is like one who leaves the mandara grove and goes to the karanja forest.
बोधस् साम्यं शम इति पुष्पाण्य् अग्र्याणि तत्र वै । शिवं चिन्मात्रम् अकलम् आत्मानम् अमलं विदुः
Equanimity of understanding and tranquility are the finest flowers there. They know Shiva as pure consciousness alone, the undivided, immaculate Self.
शमबोधादिभिः पुष्पैर् देव आत्मा यद् अर्च्यते । तत् तद्देवार्चनं विद्धि नाकारार्चनम् अर्चनम्
When the divine Self is worshipped with flowers such as tranquility and understanding, know that as true worship of the deity, not worship of form as worship.
आत्मसंवित्तिरूपं तु त्यक्त्वा देवार्चनं जनाः । कृत्रिमार्चासु ये सक्ताश् चिरं क्लेशं भजन्ति ते
Those who forsake worship in the form of self-awareness and become attached to artificial worship suffer long-lasting distress.
ज्ञातज्ञेया हि ये सन्तो बालक्रीडोपमं न ते । आत्मध्यानाद् ऋते ब्रह्मन् कुर्वते देवपूजनम्
Those who have realized the knower and the knowable, truly wise, do not perform worship of deities like children's play, except through meditation on the Self, O Brahman.
आत्मैव देवो भगवाञ् शिवः परमकारणम् । ज्ञानार्चनेनाविरतं पूजनीयस् स सर्वदा
The Self alone is the deity, the blessed Shiva, the supreme cause; he is always to be worshipped ceaselessly by the worship of knowledge.
त्वम् एतच् चेतनाकाशम् आत्मानं जीवम् अव्ययम् । स्वभावं विद्धि न त्व् अन्यत् पूज्यपूजात्मपूजनम्
Know this consciousness-space, the Self, the imperishable individual, as your own nature; not anything else is worthy of worship or not-worship, nor is there worship of the Self.
चेतनाकाशमात्रात्म यथा जगद् इदं प्रभो । यथा च चेतनस्यैव जीवादित्वं तद् उच्यताम्
Just as this world, O Lord, arises from the Self which is only consciousness-space, so too, let it be explained how the very same consciousness becomes the individual and so forth.