The Inquiry into the Goal and the Means

Verse 1 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.1)

व्यास उवाच । इत्याकर्ण्य वचः सौतं प्रोचुस्ते परमर्षयः । वेदान्तसारसर्वस्वं पुराणं श्रावयाद्भुतम्

vyāsa uvāca ityākarṇya vacaḥ sautaṁ procuste paramarṣayaḥ vedāṁtasārasarvasvaṁ purāṇaṁ śrāvayādbhutam

Vyasa said: Hearing these words of Suta, those supreme sages said — recount to us that wondrous Purana, the very essence of all Vedanta.

Verse 2 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.2)

इति श्रुत्वा मुनीनां स वचनं सुप्रहर्षितः । संस्मरञ्छङ्करं सूतः प्रोवाच मुनिसत्तमान्

iti śrutvā munīnāṁ sa vacanaṁ supraharṣitaḥ saṁsmarañchaṁkaraṁ sūtaḥ provāca munisattamān

Hearing this word of the sages, Suta was filled with great joy, and remembering Shankara, spoke to those foremost sages.

Verse 3 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.3)

सूत उवाच । शृण्वन्तु ऋषयः सर्वे स्मृत्वा शिवमनामयम् । पुराणप्रवणं शैवं पुराणं वेदसारजम्

sūta uvāca śṛṇvaṁtu ṛṣayaḥ sarve smṛtvā śivamanāmayam purāṇapravaṇaṁ śaivaṁ purāṇaṁ vedasārajam

Suta said: Let all you sages, remembering the untroubled Shiva, now listen — this foremost of Puranas, the Shaiva Purana, is born of the very essence of the Veda,

Verse 4 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.4)

यत्र गीतं त्रिकं प्रीत्या भक्तिज्ञानविरागकम्

yatra gītaṁ trikaṁ prītyā bhaktijñānavirāgakam

in which the threefold path of devotion, knowledge, and dispassion is lovingly sung,

Verse 5 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.5)

वेदान्तवेद्यं सद्वस्तु विशेषेण प्रवर्णितम्

vedāṁtavedyaṁ sadvastu viśeṣeṇa pravarṇitam

and the true reality, knowable through Vedanta, is set forth here in particular detail.

Verse 6 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.6)

शृण्वन्तु ऋषयः सर्वे पुराणं वेदसारजम् । पुरा कालेन महता कल्पेऽतीते पुनः पुनः

śṛṇvantu ṛṣayaḥ sarve purāṇaṁ vedasārajam purā kālena mahatā kalpe 'tīte punaḥ punaḥ

Hear, O sages, this Purana born of the essence of the Veda — long ago, in a bygone kalpa, it was told again and again.

Verse 7 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.7)

अस्मिन्नुपस्थिते कल्पे प्रवृत्ते सृष्टिकर्मणि । मुनीनां षट्कुलीनानां ब्रुवतामितरेतरम्

asminnupasthite kalpe pravṛtte sṛṣṭikarmaṇi munīnāṁ ṣaṭkulīnānāṁ bruvatāmitaretaram

When this present kalpa had come and the work of creation was under way, sages born in six lineages fell to disputing with one another —

Verse 8 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.8)

इदं परमिदं नेति विवादः सुमहानभूत् । तेऽभिजग्मुर्विधातारं ब्रह्माणं प्रष्टुमव्ययम्

idaṁ paramidaṁ neti vivādaḥ sumahānabhūt te 'bhijagmurvidhātāraṁ brahmāṇaṁ praṣṭumavyayam

"This alone is supreme, not that" — so a very great dispute arose among them. Then they went to question the imperishable creator, Brahma.

Verse 9 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.9)

वाग्भिर्विनयगर्भाभिः सर्वे प्राञ्जलयोऽब्रुवन् । त्वं हि सर्वजगद्धाता सर्वकारणकारणम्

vāgbhirvinayagarbhābhiḥ sarve prāṁjalayo 'bruvan tvaṁ hi sarvajagaddhātā sarvakāraṇakāraṇam

With words full of humility, folding their hands, all said: You alone are the sustainer of the entire universe, the very cause of all causes.

Verse 10 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.10)

कः पुमान् सर्वतत्त्वेभ्यः पुराणः परतः परः । ब्रह्मोवाच । यतो वाचो निवर्तन्ते अप्राप्य मनसा सह

kaḥ pumānsarvatattvebhyaḥ purāṇaḥ parataḥ paraḥ brahmovāca yato vāco nivartaṁte aprāpya manasā saha

Who is that being, beyond and greater even than all the elements? Brahma said: He from whom speech turns back, unable to reach him even with the mind's help,

Verse 11 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.11)

यस्मात् सर्वमिदं ब्रह्मविष्णुरुद्रेन्द्रपूर्वकम् । सह भूतेन्द्रियैः सर्वैः प्रथमं सम्प्रसूयते

yasmātsarvamidaṁ brahmaviṣṇurudreṁdrapūrvakam sahabhūteṁdriyaiḥ sarvaiḥ prathamaṁ saṁprasūyate

from whom Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Indra and the rest, together with all beings and their faculties, first come into existence,

Verse 12 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.12)

एष देवो महादेवः सर्वज्ञो जगदीश्वरः । अयं तु परया भक्त्या दृश्यते नान्यथा क्वचित्

eṣa devo mahādevaḥ sarvajño jagadīśvaraḥ ayaṁ tu parayā bhaktyā dṛśyate nā 'nyathā kvacit

he is this Mahadeva, all-knowing and the Lord of the universe; he is seen only through supreme devotion, never otherwise.

Verse 13 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.13)

रुद्रो हरिर्हरश्चैव तथान्ये च सुरेश्वराः । भक्त्या परमया तस्य नित्यं दर्शनकाङ्क्षिणः

rudro harirharaścaiva tathānye ca sureśvarāḥ bhaktyā paramayā tasya nityaṁ darśanakāṁkṣiṇaḥ

Rudra, Vishnu, and Hara, and the other lords of the gods too — all of them, with supreme devotion, ever long for the sight of him.

Verse 14 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.14)

बहुनात्र किमुक्तेन शिवे भक्त्या विमुच्यते । प्रसादाद्देवताभक्तिः प्रसादो भक्तिसम्भवः । यथेहाङ्कुरतो बीजं बीजतो वा यथाङ्कुरः

bahunātra kimuktena śive bhaktyā vimucyate prasādāddevatābhaktiḥ prasādo bhaktisaṁbhavaḥ yathehāṁkurato bījaṁ bījato vā yathāṁkuraḥ

What more need be said here? Through devotion alone one is released in Shiva. From grace comes devotion to the deity, and from devotion comes grace — just as, in this world, the seed comes from the sprout and the sprout from the seed, so this cycle turns.

Verse 15 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.15)

तस्मादीशप्रसादार्थं यूयं गत्वा भुवं द्विजाः । दीर्घसत्रं समाकृध्वं यूयं वर्षसहस्रकम्

tasmādīśaprasādārthaṁ yūyaṁ gatvā bhuvaṁ dvijāḥ dīrghasatraṁ samākṛdhvaṁ yūyaṁ varṣasahasrakam

Therefore, O brahmins, to gain the grace of the Lord, go all of you to the earth and undertake a long sacrificial session for a full thousand years.

Verse 16 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.16)

अमुष्यैवाध्वरेशस्य शिवस्यैव प्रसादतः । वेदोक्तविद्यासारं तु ज्ञायते साध्यसाधनम्

amuṣyaivādhvareśasya śivasyaiva prasādataḥ vedoktavidyāsāraṁ tu jñāyate sādhyasādhanaṁ

Through the grace of that very Shiva, the Lord of that sacrifice, the essence of Vedic knowledge — the goal and the means to it — will become known.

Verse 17 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.17)

मुनयः ऊचुः । अथ किं परमं साध्यं किं वा तत्साधनं परम् । साधकः कीदृशस्तत्र तदिदं ब्रूहि तत्त्वतः

munaya ūcuḥ atha kiṁ paramaṁ sādhyaṁ kiṁvā tatsādhanaṁ param sādhakaḥ kīdṛśastatra tadidaṁ brūhi tattvataḥ

The sages said: Then what is the supreme goal, and what is the supreme means to it? What manner of person is the true seeker? Tell us this in its true nature.

Verse 18 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.18)

ब्रह्मोवाच । साध्यं शिवपदप्राप्तिः साधनं तस्य सेवनम् । साधकस्तत्प्रसादाद्यो नित्यादिफलनिस्पृहः

brahmovāca sādhyaṁ śivapadaprāptiḥ sādhanaṁ tasya sevanam sādhakastatprasādādyo 'nityādiphalaniḥspṛhaḥ

Brahma said: The goal is the attainment of Shiva's state, and the means to it is service to him; the true seeker is one who, by his grace, becomes free of desire even for eternal or lesser fruits.

Verse 19 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.19)

कर्म कृत्वा तु वेदोक्तं तदर्पितमहाफलम् । परमेशपदप्राप्तिः सालोक्यादिक्रमात्ततः

karma kṛtvā tu vedoktaṁ tadarpitamahāphalam parameśapadaprāptaḥ sālokyādikramāttataḥ

By performing the rites enjoined in the Veda, offering them up, and gaining their great fruit, one attains, step by step through sālokya and the rest, the very state of the Supreme Lord.

Verse 20 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.20)

तत्तद्भक्त्यनुसारेण सर्वेषां परमं फलम् । तत्साधनं बहुविधं साक्षादीशेन बोधितम्

tattadbhaktyanusāreṇa sarveṣāṁ paramaṁ phalam tatsādhanaṁ bahuvidhaṁ sākṣādīśena bodhitam

According to the measure of each one's devotion, the highest fruit comes to all in that same measure; its means are of many kinds, taught by the Lord himself directly.

Verse 21 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.21)

सङ्क्षिप्य तत्र वः सारं साधनं प्रब्रवीम्यहम् । श्रोत्रेण श्रवणं तस्य वचसा कीर्तनं तथा

saṁkṣipya tatra vaḥ sāraṁ sādhanaṁ prabravīmyaham śrotreṇa śravaṇaṁ tasya vacasā kīrtanaṁ tathā

Of these I shall tell you the essence, in brief — hearing him with the ear, praising him with the voice,

Verse 22 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.22)

मनसा मननं तस्य महासाधनमुच्यते । श्रोतव्यः कीर्तितव्यश्च मन्तव्यश्च महेश्वरः

manasā mananaṁ tasya mahāsādhanamucyate śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaśca mantavyaśca maheśvaraḥ

and contemplating him with the mind — this is called the great means; Maheshvara is to be heard, praised, and dwelt upon in thought.

Verse 23 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.23)

इति श्रुतिः प्रमाणं नः साधनेनामुना परम् । साध्यं व्रजत सर्वार्थसाधनैकपरायणाः

iti śrutipramāṇaṁ naḥ sādhanenā 'munā param sādhyaṁ vrajata sarvārthasādhanaikaparāyaṇāḥ

This is the very authority of the Shruti — O you who are intent on the means to every end, through this very means attain that supreme goal.

Verse 24 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.24)

प्रत्यक्षं चक्षुषा दृष्ट्वा तत्र लोकः प्रवर्तते । अप्रत्यक्षं हि सर्वत्र ज्ञात्वा श्रोत्रेण चेष्टते

pratyakṣaṁ cakṣuṣā dṛṣṭvā tatra lokaḥ pravartate apratyakṣaṁ hi sarvatra jñātvā śrotreṇa ceṣṭate

In this world, people take up any task only after seeing it directly with the eye; but with what is not directly seen, everywhere, they act only after coming to know it through the ear.

Verse 25 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.25)

तस्माच्छ्रवणमेवादौ श्रुत्वा गुरुमुखाद् बुधः । ततः संसाधयेदन्यत् कीर्तनं मननं सुधीः

tasmācchravaṇamevādau śrutvā gurumukhādbudhaḥ tataḥ saṁsādhayedanyatkīrtanaṁ mananaṁ sudhīḥ

Therefore the wise should first hear it from the mouth of the guru, and only thereafter accomplish praise and contemplation.

Verse 26 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.26)

क्रमान्मननपर्यन्ते साधनेऽस्मिन् सुसाधिते । शिवयोगो भवेत्तेन सालोक्यादिक्रमाच्छनैः

kramānmananaparyaṁte sādhane 'sminsusādhite śivayogo bhavettena sālokyādikramācchanaiḥ

Thus, step by step up to contemplation, when this means is well accomplished, union with Shiva comes gradually, through the stages of sālokya and the rest.

Verse 27 (shiva.vidyeshvara.3.27)

सर्वाङ्गव्याधयः पश्चात् सर्वानन्दश्च लीयते । अभ्यासात् क्लेशमेतद् वै पश्चादाद्यन्तमङ्गलम्

sarvāṁgavyādhayaḥ paścātsarvānaṁdaśca līyate abhyāsātkleśametadvai paścādādyaṁtamaṁgalam

After that, every disease of the body is destroyed, and one dissolves into supreme bliss; through steady practice this affliction departs, until at last one abides in the auspiciousness that has no beginning or end.