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.
शिवं शान्तम् अनायासम् अवाच्यं विद्धि निर्मलम् । न मनाग् अपि तत्रास्ति स्तैमित्यात् स्पन्दधर्मता
Know Śiva as peaceful, effortless, inexpressible, and pure; there, not even the slightest trace of the quality of vibration exists, due to perfect stillness.
सा क्रियैव तथारूपा सती बोधवशाद् यदा । व्यावृत्त्यैव तथैवास्ते शिव इत्य् उच्यते तदा
When that activity, remaining thus, is withdrawn by the power of awareness, then it abides in that very way and is called Śiva.
चितिशक्तेẖ क्रियादेव्याḫ प्रतिष्ठानं यदात्मनि । तथाभूतस्थितेर् एव तदैव शिव उच्यते
When the foundation of the goddess of activity, the power of consciousness, is established in itself, that very state is called Śiva.
देव्याẖ क्रियायाश् चिच्छक्तेẖ खरूपिण्या महाकृतेः । कल्पिताकारधारिण्या अनन्यावयवा इमे
These forms, imagined as possessing shape, are none other than the activity of the goddess, the power of consciousness, the one of the nature of space, the great doer, without any other parts.
सर्गास् सजनतावर्गा लोका आलोकभासुराः । सद्वीपसागराḫ पृथ्व्यस् सवनावनयो ऽद्रयः
Creations, assemblies of beings, worlds radiant with light, continents and oceans, the earth with its forests and mountains—
साङ्गोपाङ्गास् त्रयो वेदास् सविद्यास्थानगीतयः । सविधिप्रतिषेधार्थास् सशुभाशुभकल्पनाः
The three Vedas with their limbs and sub-limbs, places of learning and songs, purposes of injunction and prohibition, and the conceptions of auspicious and inauspicious—
सदक्षिणाग्नयो यज्ञाḫ पुरोडाशाज्यशंसिनः । कुणालोलूखलबृसीशूर्पयूपादिसंयुताः
Sacrificial fires with their offerings, rituals accompanied by cakes and clarified butter, together with mortars, pestles, sieves, posts, and other implements—
सङ्ग्रामास् सायुधग्रामास् सशूलशरशक्तयः । सभुसुण्डिगदाप्रासहयेभभटभासुराः
Battles, villages armed with weapons, spears, arrows, and javelins, and assemblies shining with clubs, maces, lances, elephants, warriors—
जातयो भूतसङ्घानां चतुर्दश सुरादिकाः । चतुर्दशाब्धिद्वीपोर्व्यस् तथा लोकाश् चतुर्दश
The fourteen kinds of beings, beginning with the gods, the fourteen oceans, continents, and earths, as well as the fourteen worlds—
चितेẖ कालीशरीरिण्यास् सर्गा ये ऽङ्गे स्थितास् तथा । ते किम् आत्मनि सत्यास् स्युर् उतासत्या वदेति मे
Those creations which exist as limbs in the body of Kali, which is consciousness—are they truly real in the Self, or are they unreal? Tell me.