The Truth of Word and Meaning

Verse 1 (shiva.vayaviya.29.1)

वायुरुवाच । निवेदयामि जगतो वागर्थात्म्यं कृतं यथा । षडध्ववेदनं सम्यक् समासान्न तु विस्तरात्

vāyuruvāca | nivedayāmi jagato vāgarthātmyaṁ kṛtaṁ yathā | ṣaḍadhvavedanaṁ samyak samāsānna tu vistarāt

Vayu said: I shall declare how the word-and-meaning nature of the world came to be established — a proper but brief understanding of the six paths (adhvans), not at length.

Verse 2 (shiva.vayaviya.29.2)

नास्ति कश्चिदशब्दार्थो नापि शब्दो निरर्थकः । ततो हि समये शब्दः सर्वः सर्वार्थबोधकः

nāsti kaścidaśabdārtho nāpi śabdo nirarthakaḥ | tato hi samaye śabdaḥ sarvaḥ sarvārthabodhakaḥ

There is no meaning at all without some word, nor is any word meaningless. Hence, by convention, every word serves to convey some meaning.

Verse 3 (shiva.vayaviya.29.3)

प्रकृतेः परिणामोऽयं द्विधा शब्दार्थभावना । तामाहुः प्राकृतीं मूर्तिं शिवयोः परमात्मनोः

prakṛteḥ pariṇāmo'yaṁ dvidhā śabdārthabhāvanā | tāmāhuḥ prākṛtīṁ mūrtiṁ śivayoḥ paramātmanoḥ

This twofold conception of word and meaning is itself a transformation of Prakriti. The wise call it the natural, material form of Shiva and the Supreme Self.

Verse 4 (shiva.vayaviya.29.4)

शब्दात्मिका विभूतिर्या सा त्रिधा कथ्यते बुधैः । स्थूला सूक्ष्मा परा चेति स्थूला या श्रुतिगोचरा

śabdātmikā vibhūtiryā sā tridhā kathyate budhaiḥ | sthūlā sūkṣmā parā ceti sthūlā yā śrutigocarā

That power which is of the nature of word is said by the wise to be threefold: gross, subtle, and supreme. The gross is that which falls within the range of hearing.

Verse 5 (shiva.vayaviya.29.5)

सूक्ष्मा चिन्तामयी प्रोक्ता चिन्तया रहिता परा । या शक्तिः सा परा शक्तिः शिवतत्त्वसमाश्रया

sūkṣmā cintāmayī proktā cintayā rahitā parā | yā śaktiḥ sā parā śaktiḥ śivatattvasamāśrayā

The subtle is said to consist of thought; the supreme is free of thought. That power which is supreme rests upon the very principle of Shiva.

Verse 6 (shiva.vayaviya.29.6)

ज्ञानशक्तिसमायोगादिच्छोपोद्बलिका तथा । सर्वशक्तिसमष्ट्यात्मा शक्तितत्त्वसमाख्यया

jñānaśaktisamāyogādicchopodbalikā tathā | sarvaśaktisamaṣṭyātmā śaktitattvasamākhyayā

Through union with the power of knowledge it is further strengthened by the power of will; in its essential nature it is the totality of all powers, known by the name of the principle of Shakti.

Verse 7 (shiva.vayaviya.29.7)

समस्तकार्यजातस्य मूलप्रकृतितां गता । सैव कुण्डलिनी माया शुद्धाध्वपरमा सती

samastakāryajātasya mūlaprakṛtitāṁ gatā | saiva kuṇḍalinī māyā śuddhādhvaparamā satī

Having become the root-nature of the whole array of created effects, this very power is Kundalini, is Maya — the supreme reality of the pure path, yet present also as the manifest.

Verse 8 (shiva.vayaviya.29.8)

सा विभागस्वरूपैव षडध्वात्मा विजृम्भते । तत्र शब्दास्त्रयोऽध्वानस्त्रयश्चार्थाः समीरिताः

sā vibhāgasvarūpaiva ṣaḍadhvātmā vijṛmbhate | tatra śabdāstrayo'dhvānastrayaścārthāḥ samīritāḥ

That very power, itself of the nature of division, unfolds as the six paths. Of these, three paths pertain to word, and three, it is said, to meaning.

Verse 9 (shiva.vayaviya.29.9)

सर्वेषामपि वै पुंसां नैजशुद्ध्यनुरूपतः । लयभोगाधिकाराः स्युः सर्वतत्त्वविभागतः

sarveṣāmapi vai puṁsāṁ naijaśuddhyanurūpataḥ | layabhogādhikārāḥ syuḥ sarvatattvavibhāgataḥ

According to the division among all the tattvas, every soul receives the authority for either dissolution into a given tattva or experience through it, in due proportion to its own innate purity.

Verse 10 (shiva.vayaviya.29.10)

कलाभिस्तानि तत्त्वानि व्याप्तान्येव यथातथम् । परस्याः प्रकृतेरादौ पञ्चधा परिणामतः

kalābhistāni tattvāni vyāptānyeva yathātatham | parasyāḥ prakṛterādau pañcadhā pariṇāmataḥ

Those tattvas are indeed pervaded, each fittingly, by the kalas, which arise at the very outset from the transformation of the supreme Prakriti, in five kinds.

Verse 11 (shiva.vayaviya.29.11)

कलाश्च ता निवृत्त्याद्याः पर्य्याप्ता इति निश्चयः । मन्त्राध्वा च पदाध्वा च वर्णाध्वा चेति शब्दतः

kalāśca tā nivṛttyādyāḥ paryyāptā iti niścayaḥ | mantrādhvā ca padādhvā ca varṇādhvā ceti śabdataḥ

The kalas beginning with Nivritti are thus complete in this scheme — this is settled. In terms of word, the paths are called the path of mantra, the path of word (pada), and the path of syllable (varna).

Verse 12 (shiva.vayaviya.29.12)

भुवनाध्वा च तत्त्वाध्वा कलाध्वा चार्थतः क्रमात् । अत्रान्योऽन्यं च सर्वेषां व्याप्यव्यापकतोच्यते

bhuvanādhvā ca tattvādhvā kalādhvā cārthataḥ kramāt | atrānyo'nyaṁ ca sarveṣāṁ vyāpyavyāpakatocyate

And in terms of meaning, in order, they are the path of worlds (bhuvana), the path of principles (tattva), and the path of portions (kala). Among all of these, mutual relations of the pervaded and the pervading are described.

Verse 13 (shiva.vayaviya.29.13)

मन्त्राः सर्वे पदैर्व्याप्ता वाक्यभावात्पदानि च । वर्णैर्वर्णसमूहं हि पदमाहुर्विपश्चितः

mantrāḥ sarve padairvyāptā vākyabhāvātpadāni ca | varṇairvarṇasamūhaṁ hi padamāhurvipaścitaḥ

All mantras are pervaded by words, since they have the nature of sentences; and words are pervaded by syllables, for the learned define a word as a collection of syllables.

Verse 14 (shiva.vayaviya.29.14)

वर्णास्तु भुवनैर्व्याप्तास्तेषां तेषूपलम्भनात् । भुवनान्यपि तत्त्वौघैरुत्पत्त्यान्तर्बहिष्क्रमात्

varṇāstu bhuvanairvyāptāsteṣāṁ teṣūpalambhanāt | bhuvanānyapi tattvaughairutpattyāntarbahiṣkramāt

Syllables, in turn, are pervaded by the worlds, because they are perceived within them; and the worlds too are pervaded by the multitude of tattvas, which arise in sequence, both internally and externally.

Verse 15 (shiva.vayaviya.29.15)

व्याप्तानि कारणैस्तत्त्वैरारब्धत्वादनेकशः । अन्तरादुत्थितानीह भुवनानि तु कानिचित्

vyāptāni kāraṇaistattvairārabdhatvādanekaśaḥ | antarādutthitānīha bhuvanāni tu kānicit

The worlds are pervaded by their causal tattvas, since they are brought into being by them in many ways; and some worlds even arise from within those very tattvas.

Verse 16 (shiva.vayaviya.29.16)

पौराणिकानि चान्यानि विज्ञेयानि शिवागमे । साङ्ख्ययोगप्रसिद्धानि तत्त्वान्यपि च कानिचित्

paurāṇikāni cānyāni vijñeyāni śivāgame | sāṅkhyayogaprasiddhāni tattvānyapi ca kānicit

Other worlds are known through the Puranas, others are to be understood through the Shaiva scriptures, and some tattvas too are well known from Samkhya and Yoga.

Verse 17 (shiva.vayaviya.29.17)

शिवशास्त्रप्रसिद्धानि ततोऽन्यान्यपि कृत्स्नशः । कलाभिस्तानि तत्त्वानि व्याप्तान्येव यथातथम्

śivaśāstraprasiddhāni tato'nyānyapi kṛtsnaśaḥ | kalābhistāni tattvāni vyāptānyeva yathātatham

Still others, entirely different from these, are well known in the Shaiva scriptures. All these tattvas are indeed pervaded, each fittingly, by the kalas.

Verse 18 (shiva.vayaviya.29.18)

परस्याः प्रकृतेरादौ पञ्चधा परिणामतः । कलाश्च ता निवृत्त्याद्या व्याप्ताः पञ्च यथोत्तरम्

parasyāḥ prakṛterādau pañcadhā pariṇāmataḥ | kalāśca tā nivṛttyādyā vyāptāḥ pañca yathottaram

By the fivefold transformation of the supreme Prakriti at the very outset, those five kalas beginning with Nivritti pervade the tattvas, each in ascending order.

Verse 19 (shiva.vayaviya.29.19)

व्यापिकातः पराशक्तिरविभक्ता षडध्वनाम् । परप्रकृतिभावस्य तत्सत्त्वाच्छिवतत्त्वतः

vyāpikātaḥ parāśaktiravibhaktā ṣaḍadhvanām | paraprakṛtibhāvasya tatsattvācchivatattvataḥ

Beyond even the pervading kala, the supreme Shakti — undivided across the six paths — exists by virtue of the reality of the supreme Prakriti-state, itself derived from the principle of Shiva.

Verse 20 (shiva.vayaviya.29.20)

शक्त्यादि च पृथिव्यन्तं शिवतत्त्वसमुद्भवम् । व्याप्तमेकेन तेनैव मृदा कुम्भादिकं यथा

śaktyādi ca pṛthivyantaṁ śivatattvasamudbhavam | vyāptamekena tenaiva mṛdā kumbhādikaṁ yathā

Everything from the Shakti tattva down to the Earth tattva, having arisen from the principle of Shiva, is pervaded by that one single principle — just as a pot and other vessels are pervaded by clay.

Verse 21 (shiva.vayaviya.29.21)

शैवं तत्परमं धाम यत्प्राप्यं षड्भिरध्वभिः । व्यापिकाऽव्यापिका शक्तिः पञ्चतत्त्वविशोधनात्

śaivaṁ tatparamaṁ dhāma yatprāpyaṁ ṣaḍbhiradhvabhiḥ | vyāpikā'vyāpikā śaktiḥ pañcatattvaviśodhanāt

That supreme abode of Shiva is what is to be attained through these six paths. Through the purification of the five principal tattvas, that power is both pervading and non-pervading.

Verse 22 (shiva.vayaviya.29.22)

निवृत्त्या रुद्रपर्यन्तं स्थितिरण्डस्य शोध्यते । प्रतिष्ठया तदूर्ध्वं तु यावदव्यक्तगोचरम्

nivṛttyā rudraparyantaṁ sthitiraṇḍasya śodhyate | pratiṣṭhayā tadūrdhvaṁ tu yāvadavyaktagocaram

By the kala Nivritti, the stability of the cosmic egg is purified up to the level of Rudra; by the kala Pratishtha, purification extends further, up to the reach of the Unmanifest.

Verse 23 (shiva.vayaviya.29.23)

तदूर्ध्वं विद्यया मध्ये यावद्विश्वेश्वरावधि । शान्त्या तदूर्ध्वम्मध्वान्ते विशुद्धिः शान्त्यतीतया

tadūrdhvaṁ vidyayā madhye yāvadviśveśvarāvadhi | śāntyā tadūrdhvammadhvānte viśuddhiḥ śāntyatītayā

Beyond that, by the kala Vidya, purification extends through the middle region up to the limit of Vishveshvara; beyond that, by the kala Shanti, up to the end of the Madhya tattva; and the final purification comes through the kala Shantyatita.

Verse 24 (shiva.vayaviya.29.24)

यामाहुः परमं व्योम परप्रकृतियोगतः । एतानि पञ्चतत्त्वानि यैर्व्याप्तमखिलं जगत्

yāmāhuḥ paramaṁ vyoma paraprakṛtiyogataḥ | etāni pañcatattvāni yairvyāptamakhilaṁ jagat

That kala, by its union with the supreme Prakriti, is called the supreme ether. These are the five [kalas/]tattvas by which this entire world is pervaded.

Verse 25 (shiva.vayaviya.29.25)

अत्रैव सर्वमेवेदं द्रष्टव्यं खलु साधकैः । अध्वव्याप्तिमविज्ञाय शुद्धिं यः कर्तुमिच्छति

atraiva sarvamevedaṁ draṣṭavyaṁ khalu sādhakaiḥ | adhvavyāptimavijñāya śuddhiṁ yaḥ kartumicchati

It is precisely here that practitioners must see all of this clearly. He who, without knowing this pervasion of the paths, wishes to perform purification —

Verse 26 (shiva.vayaviya.29.26)

स विप्रलम्भकः शुद्धेर्नालं प्रापयितुं फलम् । वृथा परिश्रमस्तस्य निरयायैव केवलम्

sa vipralambhakaḥ śuddhernālaṁ prāpayituṁ phalam | vṛthā pariśramastasya nirayāyaiva kevalam

he is merely deceiving himself and cannot obtain the fruit of purification. His labour is in vain, and leads only to hell.

Verse 27 (shiva.vayaviya.29.27)

शक्तिपातसमायोगादृते तत्त्वानि तत्त्वतः । तद्व्याप्तिस्तद्विवृद्धिश्च ज्ञातुमेवं न शक्यते

śaktipātasamāyogādṛte tattvāni tattvataḥ | tadvyāptistadvivṛddhiśca jñātumevaṁ na śakyate

Without the conjunction of the descent of grace (shaktipata), it is simply not possible truly to know the tattvas as they really are, nor their pervasion, nor their increase.

Verse 28 (shiva.vayaviya.29.28)

शक्तिराज्ञा परा शैवी चिद्रूपा परमेश्वरी । शिवोऽधितिष्ठत्यखिलं यया कारणभूतया

śaktirājñā parā śaivī cidrūpā parameśvarī | śivo'dhitiṣṭhatyakhilaṁ yayā kāraṇabhūtayā

That supreme Shaiva power is the Supreme Goddess, of the nature of command and of consciousness, by whom, as the causal principle, Shiva presides over the entire universe.

Verse 29 (shiva.vayaviya.29.29)

नात्मनो नैव मायैषा न विकारो विचारतः । न बन्धो नापि मुक्तिश्च बन्धमुक्तिविधायिनी

nātmano naiva māyaiṣā na vikāro vicārataḥ | na bandho nāpi muktiśca bandhamuktividhāyinī

Upon examination, she is neither an attribute of the Self, nor Maya, nor any modification; she is neither bondage nor liberation — yet she is the one who brings about both bondage and liberation.

Verse 30 (shiva.vayaviya.29.30)

सर्वैश्वर्यपराकाष्ठा शिवस्याव्यभिचारिणी । समानधर्मिणी तस्य तैस्तैर्भावैर्विशेषतः

sarvaiśvaryaparākāṣṭhā śivasyāvyabhicāriṇī | samānadharmiṇī tasya taistairbhāvairviśeṣataḥ

She is the utmost limit of all sovereignty, never straying from Shiva, and, especially through those various states of manifestation, she shares his very nature.

Verse 31 (shiva.vayaviya.29.31)

स तयैव गृही सापि तेनैव गृहिणी सदा । तयोरपत्यं यत्कार्यं परप्रकृतिजं जगत्

sa tayaiva gṛhī sāpi tenaiva gṛhiṇī sadā | tayorapatyaṁ yatkāryaṁ paraprakṛtijaṁ jagat

He, through her alone, is a householder; she too, through him alone, is ever the housewife. Their offspring is this very effect — the world born of the supreme Prakriti.

Verse 32 (shiva.vayaviya.29.32)

स कर्ता कारणं सेति तयोर्भेदो व्यवस्थितः । एक एव शिवः साक्षाद् द्विधाऽसौ समवस्थितः

sa kartā kāraṇaṁ seti tayorbhedo vyavasthitaḥ | eka eva śivaḥ sākṣād dvidhā'sau samavasthitaḥ

He is the doer, she is the cause — thus their distinction is established. Shiva is truly one alone, yet he abides in this way in two forms.

Verse 33 (shiva.vayaviya.29.33)

स्त्रीपुंसभावेन तयोर्भेद इत्यपि केचन । अपरे तु परा शक्तिः शिवस्य समवायिनी

strīpuṁsabhāvena tayorbheda ityapi kecana | apare tu parā śaktiḥ śivasya samavāyinī

Some say the distinction between them is merely one of female and male nature; but others hold that the supreme Shakti is inherently inseparable from Shiva.

Verse 34 (shiva.vayaviya.29.34)

प्रभेव भानोश्चिद्रूपा भिन्नैवेति व्यवस्थितः । तस्माच्छिवः परो हेतुस्तस्याज्ञा परमेश्वरी

prabheva bhānościdrūpā bhinnaiveti vyavasthitaḥ | tasmācchivaḥ paro hetustasyājñā parameśvarī

It is also the settled view that she is like the sun's own light — of the nature of consciousness, and yet distinct. Therefore Shiva is the supreme cause, and his command itself is the Supreme Goddess.

Verse 35 (shiva.vayaviya.29.35)

तयैव प्रेरिता शैवी मूलप्रकृतिरव्यया । महामाया च माया च प्रकृतिस्त्रिगुणेति च

tayaiva preritā śaivī mūlaprakṛtiravyayā | mahāmāyā ca māyā ca prakṛtistriguṇeti ca

Impelled by her alone, the Shaiva, imperishable root-Prakriti manifests — under the names of Mahamaya, Maya, and the three-gunaed Prakriti.

Verse 36 (shiva.vayaviya.29.36)

त्रिविधा कार्यभेदेन सा प्रसूते षडध्वनः । स वागर्थमयश्चाध्वा षड्विधो निखिलं जगत्

trividhā kāryabhedena sā prasūte ṣaḍadhvanaḥ | sa vāgarthamayaścādhvā ṣaḍvidho nikhilaṁ jagat

Threefold according to the distinctions among her effects, she brings forth the six paths. That six-fold path, made of word and meaning, is itself this entire universe.

Verse 37 (shiva.vayaviya.29.37)

अस्यैव विस्तरं प्राहुः शास्त्रजातमशेषतः

asyaiva vistaraṁ prāhuḥ śāstrajātamaśeṣataḥ

The whole body of scripture, without exception, is said to be nothing but the elaboration of this very teaching.