आत्मनात्मनि चिच् छून्यं ज्ञातारं ज्ञेयम् अप्य् अलम् । तथादिसर्गाद् आरभ्य वेत्ति स्वं कचनं च तत्
Within the Self, in the Self, there is only the void of consciousness—knower and known are entirely absent; yet from the very beginning of creation, it knows itself as something.
स्वयम् अन्तẖ कचत्कान्तिश् चिदाकाशस् स्वभावखे । अयं सो ऽहम् अयं च त्वं करोतीत्य् आदिकल्पनम्
By its own inner shining, the sky of consciousness, by its very nature, imagines: 'I am this, you are that,' and so on, creating such notions.
तस्मान् न द्वैतम् अस्तीह न चैक्यं न च शून्यता । न चेत्ता चेतनं चैव मौनम् एव न तच् च वा
Therefore, here there is no duality, nor unity, nor emptiness; neither the knower nor consciousness itself, nor even silence, nor its absence.
न चेतति क्वचित् किञ्चित् कश्चिच् चेत्याद्यभावतः । तेन चेत्तापि नास्त्य् एव मौनम् एवेति शिष्यते
Nothing is ever cognized anywhere by anyone, because of the absence of objects and cognition; thus, even the knower does not truly exist—only silence remains.
निर्विकल्पसमाधिर् हि सिद्धान्तस् सर्ववाङ्मये । तच् च जीवद्दृषन्मौनं तूष्णीम् एवात आस्यताम्
Indeed, the settled conclusion of all the scriptures is the absorption without conceptualization; and that is the living silence—so remain simply quiet.
कुर्वन् निजं प्रकृतम् एव यथाप्रवाहम् आचारजालम् अचलḫ परमार्थमौनात् । निर्मानमोहमदभेदम् अनङ्गजीवम् आकाशकोशविशदाशय शान्तम् आस्स्व
Engage in your natural conduct as it flows, unmoving from the supreme silence of reality; free from pride, delusion, intoxication, and division, living without desire, with a mind clear as the sky—abide in peace.
अनन्तरं मुने ब्रूहि काली किम् इव नृत्यति । किं शूर्पहलकुद्दालमुसुलादिस्रजां धृतिः
Now, O sage, tell me: how does Kālī dance? What is the meaning of her garlands of winnowing baskets, shields, spades, pestles, and the like?
स भैरवश् चिदाकाशश् शिव इत्य् अभिधीयते । अनन्यां तस्य तां विद्धि स्पन्दशक्तिम् अनामयाम्
That Bhairava is the space of consciousness, called Śiva; know that his unique, flawless power of vibration is Kālī.
यथैकं पवनस्पन्दाव् एकम् औष्ण्यानलौ यथा । चिन्मात्रं स्पन्दशक्तिश् च तथैवैकात्म सर्वदा
Just as wind is known by its movement, and fire by its heat, so too, consciousness and the power of vibration are always of one essence.
स्पन्देन लक्ष्यते वायुर् वह्निर् औष्ण्येन लक्ष्यते । तत् स्पन्दमय्या शक्त्यैवं लक्ष्यते नान्यथा किल
Wind is recognized by its movement, fire by its heat; in the same way, this power made of vibration is recognized—never otherwise.
शिवं ब्रह्म विदुश् शान्तम् अवाच्यं वाग्विदाम् अपि । स्पन्दशक्तिस् तदिच्छेदं दृश्याभासं तनोति सा
The wise know Shiva, Brahman, as peace itself, ineffable even to those skilled in speech; that power of vibration, when interrupted, produces the appearance of the visible world.
साकारस्य नरस्येच्छा यथा वा कल्पनापुरम् । करोत्य् एवं शिवस्येच्छा करोतीदम् अनाकृतेः
Just as a person’s will or imagination creates a city in thought, so does the will of Shiva, who is formless, create this world.
सैषा चितिर् इति प्रोक्ता चेत्योन्मुखतयोदिता । सैषोक्ता वासनानाम्नी वासनाद् दृश्यसंविदः
This is called consciousness, arising as the inclination toward objects; it is also called by the name 'tendency,' from which arises awareness of the seen.
सैषा जीवकला प्रोक्ता जीवनाज् जीवनैषणा । प्रकृतित्वेन सर्गस्य स्वयं प्रकृतितां गता
This is called the vital power in the living being; from life comes the desire to live. As the very nature of creation, it itself becomes the substance of nature.
दृश्याभासानुभूतीनां करणात् प्रोच्यते क्रिया । वाडवाग्निशिखाकारा शोषाच् छुष्केति कथ्यते
Because it brings about the experience of the appearance of objects, it is called action; having the form of the submarine fire, it is said to dry up and desiccate.
चण्डित्वाच् चण्डिका प्रोक्ता सोत्पलोत्पलवर्णतः । जया जयैकनिष्ठत्वात् सिद्धा सिद्धिसमाश्रयात्
Because of its fierce nature, it is called Caṇḍikā; because of its blue and white hues, it is likened to the lotus; it is called Jayā for its single-pointed victory, and Siddhā for being the abode of accomplishment.
जयन्ती च जयात् प्रोक्ता विजया विजयाश्रयात् । प्रोक्तापराजिता वीर्याद् दुर्गा दुर्ग्रहरूपतः
It is called Jayantī because it brings victory, Vijayā for being the source of conquest; it is called Aparājitā for its strength, and Durgā for its difficult-to-grasp nature.
ओङ्कारसारशक्तित्वाद् सारेति परिकीर्तिता । गायत्री गायनात्मत्वात् सावित्री प्रसवस्थितेः
Because it is the essence and power of Om, it is called Sāra; Gāyatrī because it is the essence of song, and Sāvitrī for being established in creation.
सरणात् सर्वदृष्टीनां कथितैषा सरस्वती । गौरी गौराङ्गदेहत्वाद् भवदेहानुषङ्गिणी
From the flowing of all perceptions, this is called Sarasvati; Gauri, due to her fair-bodied form, is associated with the body of existence.
सुप्तानाम् अथ बुद्धानाम् अम्मात्रोच्चारणाद् धृदि । नित्यं त्रैलोक्यभूतानाम् अमेतीन्दुकलोच्यते
For those asleep and those awake, from the utterance of the syllable 'am' in the heart, she is always called the waxing moon among the beings of the three worlds.
शिवयोर् व्योमरूपत्वाद् असितं लक्ष्यते वपुः । नभो हि मांसम् एताभ्यां दृष्टिकृष्टं विलोक्यते
Because Shiva and his consort are of the nature of space, their form is perceived as dark; for space, through their gaze, is seen as flesh.
आस्ते नभो नभस्य् एव तेन तौ नभसि स्थितौ । नभोनिभाव् अभूताङ्गाव् अच्छौ व्योम्न इवाग्रजौ
Space abides only in space, thus those two remain in space; their bodies, made of space, are pure, like the eldest among the elements.
हस्तपादांसमूर्ध्नां यद् बहुत्वाल्पत्वभेदतः । नानात्वं हलशूर्पादिस्रग्धरत्वं च तच् छृणु
The diversity of hands, feet, shoulders, and heads, due to differences in number and size, as well as the variety of holding ploughs, sieves, and garlands—listen to this.
सा हि क्रिया भगवती परिस्पन्दैकरूपिणी । दद्यात् स्नायाच् च जुहुयाद् इत्याद्युग्रशरीरिणी
That divine activity, which is solely of the nature of vibration, gives rise to actions such as offering, bathing, and sacrificing, and is the fierce embodiment of the body.
चितिशक्तिर् अनाद्यन्ता तथाभातात्मनात्मनि । साकाशरूपिणी शान्ता दृश्यश्रीस् स्पन्दरूपिणी
The power of consciousness, without beginning or end, from the self as it truly is, appears with form, is peaceful, and is the splendor of what is seen, of the nature of vibration.
देव्यास् तस्या हि याẖ काल्या नानाभिनयवर्तनाः । ता इमा ब्रह्मणस् सर्गजरामरणरीतयः
The various gestures and actions of that goddess Kali are these ways of creation, aging, and death belonging to Brahma.
क्रियासौ ग्रामनगरद्वीपमण्डलमालिकाः । स्पन्दात् करोति धत्ते ऽन्तẖ कल्पितावयवात्मिकाः
That activity, through its vibration, produces and sustains chains of villages, cities, islands, and regions, all imagined as composed of various parts.
काली कमलिनी काली क्रिया ब्रह्माण्डकालिका । धत्ते स्वावयवीभूतां दृश्यलक्ष्मीम् इमां हृदि
Kālī, the lotus-born Kālī, the activity, the cosmic Kālī—she holds within the heart this visible prosperity, having become her own limbs.
न कदाचन चिद्देवी निर्दृश्यावयवा क्वचित् । शिवत्वव्यतिरेकेण शिवतैव विदृश्यता
The goddess of consciousness is never, anywhere, possessed of visible parts; apart from the state of Śiva, only Śiva is to be seen.
यथाङ्गं शून्यता व्योम्नस् स्पन्दनं मातरिश्वनः । ज्योत्स्नायाश् शैत्यम् अङ्गं हि दृश्यम् एवं चितेẖ क्रिया
Just as emptiness is an aspect of space, movement of air, and coolness of moonlight are aspects of their respective sources, so too is activity an aspect of consciousness.