The Teaching of Knowledge

Verse 1 (shiva.vayaviya.31.1)

वायुरुवाच । स्थने संशयितं विप्रा भवद्भिर्हेतुचोदितैः । जिज्ञासा हि न नास्तिक्यं साधयेत्साधुबुद्धिषु

vāyuruvāca | sthane saṁśayitaṁ viprā bhavadbhirhetucoditaiḥ | jijñāsā hi na nāstikyaṁ sādhayetsādhubuddhiṣu

Vayu said: O brahmins, this doubt you have raised, backed by reasoning, is well-founded; for inquiry itself never proves disbelief in minds that are truly virtuous.

Verse 2 (shiva.vayaviya.31.2)

प्रमणमत्र वक्ष्यामि सतां मोहनिवर्तकम् । असतां त्वन्यथाभावः प्रसादेन विना प्रभोः

pramaṇamatra vakṣyāmi satāṁ mohanivartakam | asatāṁ tvanyathābhāvaḥ prasādena vinā prabhoḥ

I shall now state here the proof that dispels delusion for the good; but for the wicked, a change of understanding cannot come about without the Lord's grace.

Verse 3 (shiva.vayaviya.31.3)

शिवस्य परिपूर्णस्य परानुग्रहमन्तरा । न किञ्चिदपि कर्तव्यमिति साधु विनिश्चितम्

śivasya paripūrṇasya parānugrahamantarā | na kiñcidapi kartavyamiti sādhu viniścitam

For Shiva, who is utterly complete, there is nothing at all that needs doing, apart from bestowing grace upon others — this is rightly and firmly established.

Verse 4 (shiva.vayaviya.31.4)

स्वभाव एव पर्याप्तः परानुग्रहकर्मणि । अन्यथा निःस्वभावेन न किमप्यनुगृह्यते

svabhāva eva paryāptaḥ parānugrahakarmaṇi | anyathā niḥsvabhāvena na kimapyanugṛhyate

His very nature alone suffices for the act of bestowing grace on others; otherwise, one lacking such a nature could not confer grace on anyone at all.

Verse 5 (shiva.vayaviya.31.5)

परं सर्वमनुग्राह्यं पशुपाशात्मकं जगत् । परस्यानुग्रहार्थं तु पत्युराज्ञासमन्वयः

paraṁ sarvamanugrāhyaṁ paśupāśātmakaṁ jagat | parasyānugrahārthaṁ tu patyurājñāsamanvayaḥ

This entire world, of the nature of bound souls and their fetters, is precisely what is to be graced; and it is for the sake of that very grace that the Lord's command comes into play at all.

Verse 6 (shiva.vayaviya.31.6)

पतिराज्ञापकः सर्वमनुगृह्णाति सर्वदा । तदर्थमर्थस्वीकारे परतन्त्रः कथं शिवः

patirājñāpakaḥ sarvamanugṛhṇāti sarvadā | tadarthamarthasvīkāre paratantraḥ kathaṁ śivaḥ

The Lord, as commander, graces everything at all times; how, then, in taking up that very purpose, could Shiva be called dependent on anything?

Verse 7 (shiva.vayaviya.31.7)

अनुग्राह्यानपेक्षोऽस्ति न हि कश्चिदनुग्रहः । अतः स्वातन्त्र्यशब्दार्थाननपेक्षत्वलक्षणः

anugrāhyānapekṣo'sti na hi kaścidanugrahaḥ | ataḥ svātantryaśabdārthānanapekṣatvalakṣaṇaḥ

There can be no act of grace at all without someone to be graced; hence the very meaning of the word "independence" is simply the absence of dependence on anything for one's own being — not the exclusion of relation to the one graced.

Verse 8 (shiva.vayaviya.31.8)

एतत्पुनरनुग्राह्यं परतन्त्रं तदिष्यते । अनुग्रहाद् ऋते तस्य भुक्तिमुक्त्योरनन्वयात्

etatpunaranugrāhyaṁ paratantraṁ tadiṣyate | anugrahād ṛte tasya bhuktimuktyorananvayāt

But this one who is to be graced is indeed held to be dependent, since apart from receiving grace, no connection with either enjoyment or liberation is possible for it at all.

Verse 9 (shiva.vayaviya.31.9)

मूर्तात्मनोऽप्यनुग्राह्या शिवाज्ञाननिवर्तनात् । अज्ञानाधिष्ठितं शम्भोर्न किञ्चिदिह विद्यते

mūrtātmano'pyanugrāhyā śivājñānanivartanāt | ajñānādhiṣṭhitaṁ śambhorna kiñcidiha vidyate

Even embodied selves are objects of grace, through the removal of ignorance about Shiva; for nothing here, once presided over by Shambhu, remains under the sway of ignorance.

Verse 10 (shiva.vayaviya.31.10)

येनोपलभ्यतेऽस्माभिः सकलेनापि निष्कलः । स मूर्त्यात्मा शिवः शैवमूर्तिरित्युपचर्यते

yenopalabhyate'smābhiḥ sakalenāpi niṣkalaḥ | sa mūrtyātmā śivaḥ śaivamūrtirityupacaryate

That by which the partless Shiva is apprehended by us, even though we ourselves have parts — that embodied form of Shiva is spoken of, by way of designation, as "the Shaiva form."

Verse 11 (shiva.vayaviya.31.11)

न ह्यसौ निष्कलः साक्षाच्छिवः परमकारणम् । साकारेणानुभावेन केनाप्यनुपलक्षितः

na hyasau niṣkalaḥ sākṣācchivaḥ paramakāraṇam | sākāreṇānubhāvena kenāpyanupalakṣitaḥ

That partless Shiva, the supreme cause, is truly never directly apprehended through any experience possessing form whatsoever.

Verse 12 (shiva.vayaviya.31.12)

प्रमाणगम्यतामात्रं तत्स्वभावोपपादकम् । न तावतात्रोपेक्षाधीरुपलक्षणमन्तरा

pramāṇagamyatāmātraṁ tatsvabhāvopapādakam | na tāvatātropekṣādhīrupalakṣaṇamantarā

Only through valid means of knowledge is his nature established; without some outward sign to point to it, mere disregard of form cannot produce any settled understanding here.

Verse 13 (shiva.vayaviya.31.13)

आत्मोपमोल्बणं साक्षान्मूर्तिरेव हि काचन । शिवस्य मूर्तिर्मूर्त्यात्मा परस्तस्योपलक्षणम्

ātmopamolbaṇaṁ sākṣānmūrtireva hi kācana | śivasya mūrtirmūrtyātmā parastasyopalakṣaṇam

Any form whatsoever is, in truth, merely an exaggerated likeness of the self. The "form of Shiva" — the embodied self — is only the outward sign of that transcendent Shiva.

Verse 14 (shiva.vayaviya.31.14)

यथा काष्ठेष्वनारूढो न वह्निरुपलभ्यते । एवं शिवोऽपि मूर्त्यात्मन्यनारूढ इति स्थितिः

yathā kāṣṭheṣvanārūḍho na vahnirupalabhyate | evaṁ śivo'pi mūrtyātmanyanārūḍha iti sthitiḥ

Just as fire, when not present within wood, cannot be perceived there, so too Shiva, when not present within an embodied form, cannot be perceived there either — this is the settled position.

Verse 15 (shiva.vayaviya.31.15)

यथाग्निमानयेत्युक्ते ज्वलत्काष्ठादृते स्वयम् । नाग्निरानीयते तद्वत्पूज्यो मूर्त्यात्मना शिवः

yathāgnimānayetyukte jvalatkāṣṭhādṛte svayam | nāgnirānīyate tadvatpūjyo mūrtyātmanā śivaḥ

Just as, when told "bring the fire," one cannot bring fire itself apart from some burning wood — in exactly the same way, Shiva is worshipped only through an embodied form.

Verse 16 (shiva.vayaviya.31.16)

अत एव हि पूजादौ मूर्त्यात्मपरिकल्पनम् । मूर्त्यात्मनि कृतं साक्षाच्छिव एव कृतं यतः

ata eva hi pūjādau mūrtyātmaparikalpanam | mūrtyātmani kṛtaṁ sākṣācchiva eva kṛtaṁ yataḥ

It is precisely for this reason that, in worship and the like, an embodied form is conceived — for whatever is done to that embodied form is regarded as done, in truth, to Shiva himself.

Verse 17 (shiva.vayaviya.31.17)

लिङ्गादावपि तत्कृत्यमर्चायां च विशेषतः । तत्तन्मूर्त्यात्मभावेन शिवोऽस्माभिरुपास्यते

liṅgādāvapi tatkṛtyamarcāyāṁ ca viśeṣataḥ | tattanmūrtyātmabhāvena śivo'smābhirupāsyate

This same principle applies also to the linga and the like, and especially to image-worship; it is through each such embodied form that we worship Shiva.

Verse 18 (shiva.vayaviya.31.18)

यथानुगृह्यते सोऽपि मूर्त्यात्मा पारमेष्ठिना । तथा मूर्त्यात्मनिष्ठेन शिवेन पशवो वयम्

yathānugṛhyate so'pi mūrtyātmā pārameṣṭhinā | tathā mūrtyātmaniṣṭhena śivena paśavo vayam

Just as that embodied form is itself graced by the Supreme Lord within it, so too are we, mere bound souls, graced by that same Shiva who abides within the embodied form.

Verse 19 (shiva.vayaviya.31.19)

लोकानुग्रहणायैव शिवेन परमेष्ठिना । सदाशिवादयः सर्वे मूर्त्यात्मनोऽप्यधिष्ठिताः

lokānugrahaṇāyaiva śivena parameṣṭhinā | sadāśivādayaḥ sarve mūrtyātmano'pyadhiṣṭhitāḥ

For the sake of graciously helping the world, Shiva, the Supreme Lord, has caused Sadashiva and all the others to preside as well over their respective embodied forms.

Verse 20 (shiva.vayaviya.31.20)

आत्मनामेव भोगाय मोक्षाय च विशेषतः । तत्त्वातत्त्वस्वरूपेषु मूर्त्यात्मसु शिवान्वयः

ātmanāmeva bhogāya mokṣāya ca viśeṣataḥ | tattvātattvasvarūpeṣu mūrtyātmasu śivānvayaḥ

Precisely for the enjoyment, and especially the liberation, of individual souls, Shiva's connection extends into embodied forms possessing the nature of tattva and beyond it alike.

Verse 21 (shiva.vayaviya.31.21)

भोगः कर्मविपाकात्मा सुखदुःखात्मको मतः । न च कर्म शिवेऽस्तीति तस्य भोगः किमात्मकः

bhogaḥ karmavipākātmā sukhaduḥkhātmako mataḥ | na ca karma śive'stīti tasya bhogaḥ kimātmakaḥ

Enjoyment is held to consist in the ripening of karma, of the nature of pleasure and pain. But since there is no karma at all in Shiva, of what nature could his "enjoyment" possibly be?

Verse 22 (shiva.vayaviya.31.22)

सर्वं शिवोऽनुगृह्णाति न निगृह्णाति किञ्चन । निगृह्णतां तु ये दोषाश्शिवे तेषामसम्भवात्

sarvaṁ śivo'nugṛhṇāti na nigṛhṇāti kiñcana | nigṛhṇatāṁ tu ye doṣāśśive teṣāmasambhavāt

Shiva graces everything; he punishes nothing at all — for whatever faults belong to those who truly punish, such faults simply cannot exist in Shiva.

Verse 23 (shiva.vayaviya.31.23)

ये पुनर्निग्रहाः केचिद् ब्रह्मादिषु निदर्शिताः । तेऽपि लोकहितायैव कृताः श्रीकण्ठमूर्तिना

ye punarnigrahāḥ kecid brahmādiṣu nidarśitāḥ | te'pi lokahitāyaiva kṛtāḥ śrīkaṇṭhamūrtinā

As for those instances of punishment shown toward Brahma and others — even these were performed, solely for the good of the world, by the form known as Shrikantha.

Verse 24 (shiva.vayaviya.31.24)

ब्रह्माण्डस्याधिपत्यं हि श्रीकण्ठस्य न संशयः । श्रीकण्ठाख्यां शिवो मूर्तिं क्रीडतीमधितिष्ठति

brahmāṇḍasyādhipatyaṁ hi śrīkaṇṭhasya na saṁśayaḥ | śrīkaṇṭhākhyāṁ śivo mūrtiṁ krīḍatīmadhitiṣṭhati

Lordship over the cosmic egg belongs, without doubt, to Shrikantha; Shiva presides over this playful form known as Shrikantha.

Verse 25 (shiva.vayaviya.31.25)

सदोषा एव देवाद्या निगृहीता यथोदितम् । ततस्तेऽपि विपाप्मानः प्रजाश्चापि गतज्वराः

sadoṣā eva devādyā nigṛhītā yathoditam | tataste'pi vipāpmānaḥ prajāścāpi gatajvarāḥ

It was indeed only those gods and others who were themselves at fault who were punished, as described; and thereby they too became free of sin, and their subjects too were freed of affliction.

Verse 26 (shiva.vayaviya.31.26)

निग्रहोऽपि स्वरूपेण विदुषां न जुगुप्सितः । अत एव हि दण्ड्येषु दण्डो राज्ञां प्रशस्यते

nigraho'pi svarūpeṇa viduṣāṁ na jugupsitaḥ | ata eva hi daṇḍyeṣu daṇḍo rājñāṁ praśasyate

Punishment, in its own nature, is not condemned by the wise; for this very reason the punishment inflicted by kings upon those who deserve it is praised.

Verse 27 (shiva.vayaviya.31.27)

यत्सिद्धिरीश्वरत्वेन कार्यवर्गस्य कृत्स्नशः । न स चेदीशतां कुर्याज्जगतः कथमीश्वरः

yatsiddhirīśvaratvena kāryavargasya kṛtsnaśaḥ | na sa cedīśatāṁ kuryājjagataḥ kathamīśvaraḥ

That accomplishment of the entire range of created effects through his very lordship — if he did not exercise that lordship, how then could he be the Lord of the world at all?

Verse 28 (shiva.vayaviya.31.28)

ईशेच्छा च विधातृत्वं विधेराज्ञापनं परम् । आज्ञावश्यमिदं कुर्यान्न कुर्यादिति शासनम्

īśecchā ca vidhātṛtvaṁ vidherājñāpanaṁ param | ājñāvaśyamidaṁ kuryānna kuryāditi śāsanam

The Lord's will is itself the very act of ordaining, and the supreme proclamation of that ordinance is his command: "this must be done, this must not be done" — such is his rule.

Verse 29 (shiva.vayaviya.31.29)

तच्छासनानुवर्तित्वं साधुभावस्य लक्षणम् । विपरीतमसाधोः स्यान्न सर्वं तत्तु दृश्यते

tacchāsanānuvartitvaṁ sādhubhāvasya lakṣaṇam | viparītamasādhoḥ syānna sarvaṁ tattu dṛśyate

Conformity to that rule is the mark of virtuous conduct; its opposite belongs to the wicked — yet not everything in the world is seen to happen according to that alone.

Verse 30 (shiva.vayaviya.31.30)

साधु संरक्षणीयं चेद्विनिवर्त्यमसाधु यत् । निवर्तते च सामादेरन्ते दण्डो हि साधनम्

sādhu saṁrakṣaṇīyaṁ cedvinivartyamasādhu yat | nivartate ca sāmāderante daṇḍo hi sādhanam

If virtue is to be protected, then whatever is unvirtuous must be checked; and this is achieved through conciliation and the like, punishment being the final means when the rest fail.

Verse 31 (shiva.vayaviya.31.31)

हितार्थलक्षणं चेदं दण्डान्तमनुशासनम् । अतो यद्विपरीतं तदहितं सम्प्रचक्षते

hitārthalakṣaṇaṁ cedaṁ daṇḍāntamanuśāsanam | ato yadviparītaṁ tadahitaṁ sampracakṣate

This entire discipline, culminating in punishment, is characterized precisely by its aim of benefit; hence whatever runs contrary to it is called harmful.

Verse 32 (shiva.vayaviya.31.32)

हिते सदा निषण्णानामीश्वरस्य निदर्शनम् । स कथं दुष्यते सद्भिरसतामेव निग्रहात्

hite sadā niṣaṇṇānāmīśvarasya nidarśanam | sa kathaṁ duṣyate sadbhirasatāmeva nigrahāt

This is merely an illustration, for those ever devoted to what is beneficial, of how the Lord himself acts; how then could he be faulted by the virtuous, simply for punishing the wicked alone?

Verse 33 (shiva.vayaviya.31.33)

अयुक्तकारिणो लोके गर्हणीया विवेकिता । यदुद्वेजयते लोकं तदयुक्तं प्रचक्षते

ayuktakāriṇo loke garhaṇīyā vivekitā | yadudvejayate lokaṁ tadayuktaṁ pracakṣate

In this world, the reasoning of one who acts improperly is itself held blameworthy. Whatever causes distress to the world at large is precisely what is called "improper."

Verse 34 (shiva.vayaviya.31.34)

सर्वोऽपि निग्रहो लोके न च विद्वेषपूर्वकः । न हि द्वेष्टि पिता पुत्रं यो निगृह्याति शिक्षयेत्

sarvo'pi nigraho loke na ca vidveṣapūrvakaḥ | na hi dveṣṭi pitā putraṁ yo nigṛhyāti śikṣayet

Not every act of punishment in the world proceeds from hatred; for a father who disciplines and instructs his son through punishment does not thereby hate him.

Verse 35 (shiva.vayaviya.31.35)

माध्यस्थेनापि निग्राह्यान्यो निगृह्णाति मार्गतः । तस्याप्यवश्यं यत्किञ्चिन्नैर्घृण्यमनुवर्तते

mādhyasthenāpi nigrāhyānyo nigṛhṇāti mārgataḥ | tasyāpyavaśyaṁ yatkiñcinnairghṛṇyamanuvartate

Even one who, remaining impartial, punishes another who truly deserves it, in due and proper manner — even in him some measure of severity necessarily remains at work.

Verse 36 (shiva.vayaviya.31.36)

अन्यथा न हिनस्त्येव सदोषानप्यसौ परान् । हिनस्ति चायमप्यज्ञान्परं माध्यस्थ्यमाचरन्

anyathā na hinastyeva sadoṣānapyasau parān | hinasti cāyamapyajñānparaṁ mādhyasthyamācaran

Otherwise, such a person would not harm even the truly guilty; and yet this very person, merely putting on a show of impartiality, ends up harming the innocent instead.

Verse 37 (shiva.vayaviya.31.37)

तस्माद्दुःखात्मिकां हिंसां कुर्वाणो यः स निर्घृणः । इति निर्बन्धयन्त्येके नियमो नेति चापरे

tasmādduḥkhātmikāṁ hiṁsāṁ kurvāṇo yaḥ sa nirghṛṇaḥ | iti nirbandhayantyeke niyamo neti cāpare

Therefore, some insist that whoever inflicts suffering-causing injury is thereby cruel; while others hold that this is not an absolute rule.

Verse 38 (shiva.vayaviya.31.38)

निदानज्ञस्य भिषजो रुग्णे हिंसां प्रयुञ्जतः । न किञ्चिदपि नैर्घृण्यं घृणैवात्र प्रयोजिका

nidānajñasya bhiṣajo rugṇe hiṁsāṁ prayuñjataḥ | na kiñcidapi nairghṛṇyaṁ ghṛṇaivātra prayojikā

When a physician who knows the diagnosis inflicts pain upon a patient through treatment, there is not the slightest cruelty in it — indeed, compassion alone is what motivates him here.

Verse 39 (shiva.vayaviya.31.39)

घृणापि न गुणायैव हिंस्रेषु प्रतियोगिषु । तादृशेषु घृणी भ्रान्त्या घृणान्तरितनिर्घृणः

ghṛṇāpi na guṇāyaiva hiṁsreṣu pratiyogiṣu | tādṛśeṣu ghṛṇī bhrāntyā ghṛṇāntaritanirghṛṇaḥ

Compassion, too, is not always beneficial when shown toward violent adversaries; one who, through mere confusion, shows compassion toward such beings is, beneath that show of compassion, in fact cruel to their victims.

Verse 40 (shiva.vayaviya.31.40)

उपेक्षापीह दोषाय रक्ष्येषु प्रतियोगिषु । शक्तौ सत्यामुपेक्षातो रक्ष्यः सद्यो विपद्यते

upekṣāpīha doṣāya rakṣyeṣu pratiyogiṣu | śaktau satyāmupekṣāto rakṣyaḥ sadyo vipadyate

Even indifference becomes a fault here, when those who need protection face an adversary; for when one has the power to help yet remains indifferent, the one needing protection perishes at once.

Verse 41 (shiva.vayaviya.31.41)

सर्पस्यास्यगतं पश्यन् यस्तु रक्ष्यमुपेक्षते । दोषाभासान्समुत्प्रेक्ष्य फलतः सोऽपि निर्घृणः

sarpasyāsyagataṁ paśyan yastu rakṣyamupekṣate | doṣābhāsānsamutprekṣya phalataḥ so'pi nirghṛṇaḥ

He who, seeing one who needs protection already within the mouth of a serpent, remains indifferent, merely imagining some semblance of fault in intervening — he too, in effect, is cruel.

Verse 42 (shiva.vayaviya.31.42)

तस्माद् घृणा गुणायैव सर्वथेति न सम्मतम् । सम्मतं प्राप्तकामित्वं सर्वं त्वन्यदसम्मतम्

tasmād ghṛṇā guṇāyaiva sarvatheti na sammatam | sammataṁ prāptakāmitvaṁ sarvaṁ tvanyadasammatam

Therefore it is not accepted, without qualification, that compassion is always beneficial. What is truly accepted is only the accomplishment of the rightly desired end; everything else, as an absolute rule, is not accepted.

Verse 43 (shiva.vayaviya.31.43)

मूर्त्यात्मस्वपि रागाद्या दोषाः सन्त्येव वस्तुतः । तथापि तेषामेवैते न शिवस्य तु सर्वथा

mūrtyātmasvapi rāgādyā doṣāḥ santyeva vastutaḥ | tathāpi teṣāmevaite na śivasya tu sarvathā

Faults such as passion do indeed exist, in truth, even within embodied forms; nevertheless, these belong only to those forms themselves, never at all to Shiva.

Verse 44 (shiva.vayaviya.31.44)

अग्नावपि समाविष्टं ताम्रं खलु सकालिकम् । इति नाग्निरसौ दुष्येत्ताम्रसंसर्गकारणात्

agnāvapi samāviṣṭaṁ tāmraṁ khalu sakālikam | iti nāgnirasau duṣyettāmrasaṁsargakāraṇāt

Even when copper mixed with impurity is placed within fire, the fire itself is never thereby tainted by its contact with the copper.

Verse 45 (shiva.vayaviya.31.45)

नाग्नेरशुचिसंसर्गादशुचित्वमपेक्षते । अशुचेस्त्वग्निसंयोगाच्छुचित्वमपि जायते

nāgneraśucisaṁsargādaśucitvamapekṣate | aśucestvagnisaṁyogācchucitvamapi jāyate

Fire does not become dependent on impurity merely through contact with something impure; rather, through union with fire, even an impure thing comes to acquire purity.

Verse 46 (shiva.vayaviya.31.46)

एवं शोध्यात्मसंसर्गान्न ह्यशुद्धः शिवो भवेत् । शिवसंसर्गतस्त्वेष शोध्यात्मैव हि शुद्ध्यति

evaṁ śodhyātmasaṁsargānna hyaśuddhaḥ śivo bhavet | śivasaṁsargatastveṣa śodhyātmaiva hi śuddhyati

In just the same way, Shiva does not become impure through contact with what itself needs purifying; rather, it is that very object needing purification which, through contact with Shiva, becomes pure.

Verse 47 (shiva.vayaviya.31.47)

अयस्यग्नौ समाविष्टे दाहोऽग्नेरेव नायसः । मूर्त्तात्मन्येवमैश्वर्यमीश्वरस्यैव नात्मनाम्

ayasyagnau samāviṣṭe dāho'gnereva nāyasaḥ | mūrttātmanyevamaiśvaryamīśvarasyaiva nātmanām

When iron is placed within fire, the burning belongs to the fire alone, not to the iron. In just the same way, the sovereign power at work within the embodied form belongs to the Lord alone, not to the souls.

Verse 48 (shiva.vayaviya.31.48)

न हि काष्ठं ज्वलत्यूर्ध्वमग्निरेव ज्वलत्यसौ । काष्ठस्याङ्गारता नाग्नेरेवमत्रापि योज्यताम् । अत एव जगत्यस्मिन्काष्ठपाषाणमृत्स्वपि

na hi kāṣṭhaṁ jvalatyūrdhvamagnireva jvalatyasau | kāṣṭhasyāṅgāratā nāgnerevamatrāpi yojyatām | ata eva jagatyasminkāṣṭhapāṣāṇamṛtsvapi

It is not the wood that blazes upward — it is the fire alone that blazes. Turning to embers is the property of the wood, not of the fire; this same principle is to be applied here as well. For this very reason, in this world, even within wood, stone, and clay —

Verse 49 (shiva.vayaviya.31.49)

शिवावेशवशादेव शिवत्वमुपचर्यते । मैत्र्यादयो गुणा गौणास्तस्मात्ते भिन्नवृत्तयः । तैर्गुणैरुपरक्तानां दोषाय च गुणाय च

śivāveśavaśādeva śivatvamupacaryate | maitryādayo guṇā gauṇāstasmātte bhinnavṛttayaḥ | tairguṇairuparaktānāṁ doṣāya ca guṇāya ca

It is only by virtue of Shiva's own indwelling presence that "Shiva-ness" is spoken of at all. Qualities such as friendliness are secondary; hence their operation always remains distinct — and for those souls tinged by such qualities, they become the cause of either fault or merit.

Verse 50 (shiva.vayaviya.31.50)

यत्तु गौणमगौणं च तत्सर्वमनुगृह्णतः । न गुणाय न दोषाय शिवस्य गुणवृत्तयः

yattu gauṇamagauṇaṁ ca tatsarvamanugṛhṇataḥ | na guṇāya na doṣāya śivasya guṇavṛttayaḥ

But for him who graces all, whether these qualities be secondary or not, none of their operations bring either merit or fault to Shiva himself.

Verse 51 (shiva.vayaviya.31.51)

न चानुग्रहशब्दार्थं गौणमाहुर्विपश्चितः । संसारमोचनं किं तु शैवमाज्ञामयं हितम्

na cānugrahaśabdārthaṁ gauṇamāhurvipaścitaḥ | saṁsāramocanaṁ kiṁ tu śaivamājñāmayaṁ hitam

Nor do the wise take the meaning of the word "grace" to be merely secondary or figurative; rather, what it means is precisely release from the round of transmigration — the true good embodied in the Shaiva command itself.

Verse 52 (shiva.vayaviya.31.52)

हितं तदाज्ञाकरणं यद्धितं तदनुग्रहः । सर्वं हिते नियुञ्जानः सर्वानुग्रहकारकः

hitaṁ tadājñākaraṇaṁ yaddhitaṁ tadanugrahaḥ | sarvaṁ hite niyuñjānaḥ sarvānugrahakārakaḥ

That which is beneficial is precisely the performance of his command; and whatever is truly beneficial is itself grace. He who engages all beings in what benefits them is the very bestower of grace on all.

Verse 53 (shiva.vayaviya.31.53)

यस्तूपकारशब्दार्थस्तमप्याहुरनुग्रहम् । तस्यापि हितरूपत्वाच्छिवः सर्वोपकारकः

yastūpakāraśabdārthastamapyāhuranugraham | tasyāpi hitarūpatvācchivaḥ sarvopakārakaḥ

And that which is meant by the word "benefit" — this too the wise call grace; and since this too is, in its very nature, beneficial, Shiva is the benefactor of all.

Verse 54 (shiva.vayaviya.31.54)

हिते सदा नियुक्तं तु सर्वं चिदचिदात्मकम् । स्वभावप्रतिबन्धं तत्समं न लभते हितम्

hite sadā niyuktaṁ tu sarvaṁ cidacidātmakam | svabhāvapratibandhaṁ tatsamaṁ na labhate hitam

All things, whether conscious or unconscious, are indeed constantly engaged toward what benefits them; yet, owing to the limits of their own respective natures, that benefit is not received equally by all.

Verse 55 (shiva.vayaviya.31.55)

यथा विकासयत्येव रविः पद्मानि भानुभिः । समं न विकसन्त्येव स्वस्वभावानुरोधतः

yathā vikāsayatyeva raviḥ padmāni bhānubhiḥ | samaṁ na vikasantyeva svasvabhāvānurodhataḥ

Just as the sun, with its rays, does indeed cause lotuses to open — yet they do not all open equally, each according to its own particular nature.

Verse 56 (shiva.vayaviya.31.56)

स्वभावोऽपि हि भावानां भाविनोऽर्थस्य कारणम् । न हि स्वभावो नश्यन्तमर्थं कर्तृषु साधयेत्

svabhāvo'pi hi bhāvānāṁ bhāvino'rthasya kāraṇam | na hi svabhāvo naśyantamarthaṁ kartṛṣu sādhayet

The very nature of beings is itself the cause of what is to come to pass in them; nature could never bring about, in its agents, a result contrary to itself.

Verse 57 (shiva.vayaviya.31.57)

सुवर्णमेव नाङ्गारं द्रावयत्यग्निसङ्गमः । एवं पक्वमलानेव मोचयेन्न शिवः परान्

suvarṇameva nāṅgāraṁ drāvayatyagnisaṅgamaḥ | evaṁ pakvamalāneva mocayenna śivaḥ parān

Contact with fire melts gold, not charcoal; in just the same way, Shiva releases only those whose impurities have ripened — not all others indiscriminately.

Verse 58 (shiva.vayaviya.31.58)

यद्यथा भवितुं योग्यं तत्तथा न भवेत्स्वयम् । विना भावनया कर्ता स्वतन्त्रः सन्ततो भवेत्

yadyathā bhavituṁ yogyaṁ tattathā na bhavetsvayam | vinā bhāvanayā kartā svatantraḥ santato bhavet

Whatever is fit to become a certain way does not become so of itself, without some determining cause; otherwise the agent would have to be considered, without any condition at all, continuously and absolutely free.

Verse 59 (shiva.vayaviya.31.59)

स्वभावविमलो यद्वत्सर्वानुग्राहकः शिवः । स्वभावमलिनास्तद्वदात्मनो जीवसंज्ञिताः

svabhāvavimalo yadvatsarvānugrāhakaḥ śivaḥ | svabhāvamalināstadvadātmano jīvasaṁjñitāḥ

Just as Shiva, pure by his very nature, is the one who graces all, so too, in just the same way, are souls called "jivas" impure by their own nature.

Verse 60 (shiva.vayaviya.31.60)

अन्यथा संसरन्त्येते नियमान्न शिवः कथम् । कर्ममायानुबन्धोऽस्य संसारः कथ्यते बुधैः

anyathā saṁsarantyete niyamānna śivaḥ katham | karmamāyānubandho'sya saṁsāraḥ kathyate budhaiḥ

Were it otherwise, they would not undergo transmigration at all — and if not bound by such a rule, how could Shiva then be held responsible? It is this very bondage to karma and maya that the wise call "samsara."

Verse 61 (shiva.vayaviya.31.61)

अनुबन्धोऽयमस्यैव न शिवस्येति हेतुमान् । स हेतुरात्मनामेव निजो नागन्तुको मलः

anubandho'yamasyaiva na śivasyeti hetumān | sa heturātmanāmeva nijo nāgantuko malaḥ

This bondage, by sound reasoning, belongs to the soul itself, not to Shiva. That cause is the soul's own innate impurity — never one arriving from outside.

Verse 62 (shiva.vayaviya.31.62)

आगन्तुकत्वे कस्यापि भाव्यं केनापि हेतुना । योऽयं हेतुरसावेकस्त्वविचित्रस्वभावतः

āgantukatve kasyāpi bhāvyaṁ kenāpi hetunā | yo'yaṁ heturasāvekastvavicitrasvabhāvataḥ

Were it something arriving from outside, its very arising would need some further cause. But this primal cause is itself one alone, of a nature admitting no such variety.

Verse 63 (shiva.vayaviya.31.63)

आत्मतायाः समत्वेऽपि बद्धा मुक्ताः परे यतः । बद्धेष्वेव पुनः केचिल्लयभोगाधिकारतः

ātmatāyāḥ samatve'pi baddhā muktāḥ pare yataḥ | baddheṣveva punaḥ kecillayabhogādhikārataḥ

Though souls are equal in their fundamental nature as selves, some are bound while others are liberated; and among the bound themselves, some possess the authority for dissolution, others for continued experience.

Verse 64 (shiva.vayaviya.31.64)

ज्ञानैश्वर्यादिवैषम्यं भजन्ते सोत्तराधराः । केचिन्मूर्त्यात्मतां यान्ति केचिदासन्नगोचराः

jñānaiśvaryādivaiṣamyaṁ bhajante sottarādharāḥ | kecinmūrtyātmatāṁ yānti kecidāsannagocarāḥ

These souls, ranged higher and lower, partake unequally of knowledge, sovereignty, and the rest; some attain the state of an embodied divine self, while others remain confined to a nearer, lesser sphere.

Verse 65 (shiva.vayaviya.31.65)

मूर्त्यात्मसु शिवाः केचिदध्वनां मूर्द्धसु स्थिताः । मध्ये महेश्वरा रुद्रास्त्वर्वाचीनपदे स्थिताः

mūrtyātmasu śivāḥ kecidadhvanāṁ mūrddhasu sthitāḥ | madhye maheśvarā rudrāstvarvācīnapade sthitāḥ

Among embodied selves, some, standing at the very summit of the paths, are Shivas; in the middle stand the Maheshvaras; while the Rudras occupy the nearer, lower station.

Verse 66 (shiva.vayaviya.31.66)

आसन्नेऽपि च मायायाः परस्मात्कारणात्त्रयम् । तत्राप्यात्मा स्थितोऽधस्तादन्तरात्मा च मध्यतः

āsanne'pi ca māyāyāḥ parasmātkāraṇāttrayam | tatrāpyātmā sthito'dhastādantarātmā ca madhyataḥ

And nearer still to Maya, from the supreme cause, there is a threefold order; among these too, the outer self stands lowest, the inner self in the middle —

Verse 67 (shiva.vayaviya.31.67)

परस्तात्परमात्मेति ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेश्वराः । वर्तन्ते वसवः केचित्परमात्मपदाश्रयाः

parastātparamātmeti brahmaviṣṇumaheśvarāḥ | vartante vasavaḥ kecitparamātmapadāśrayāḥ

and, higher still, the Supreme Self; Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshvara, and some of the Vasus too, abide, resting upon the station of the Supreme Self.

Verse 68 (shiva.vayaviya.31.68)

अन्तरात्मपदे केचित्केचिदात्मपदे तथा । शान्त्यतीतपदे शैवाः शान्ते माहेश्वरे ततः

antarātmapade kecitkecidātmapade tathā | śāntyatītapade śaivāḥ śānte māheśvare tataḥ

Some souls abide at the station of the inner self, others likewise at the station of the outer self; the Shaivas abide at the station beyond Shanti, while the followers of Maheshvara abide at the station of Shanti itself.

Verse 69 (shiva.vayaviya.31.69)

विद्यायां तु यथा रौद्राः प्रतिष्ठायां तु वैष्णवाः । निवृत्तौ च तथात्मानो ब्रह्मा ब्रह्माङ्गयोनयः

vidyāyāṁ tu yathā raudrāḥ pratiṣṭhāyāṁ tu vaiṣṇavāḥ | nivṛttau ca tathātmāno brahmā brahmāṅgayonayaḥ

In the kala Vidya abide the followers of Rudra; in Pratishtha, the followers of Vishnu; and in Nivritti abide the ordinary souls, together with Brahma and those born from Brahma's own limbs.

Verse 70 (shiva.vayaviya.31.70)

देवयोन्यष्टकं मुख्यं मानुष्यमथ मध्यमम् । पक्ष्यादयोऽधमाः पञ्च योनयस्ताश्चतुर्दश

devayonyaṣṭakaṁ mukhyaṁ mānuṣyamatha madhyamam | pakṣyādayo'dhamāḥ pañca yonayastāścaturdaśa

The eight classes of divine birth are the highest; the human state is the middling one; the five classes beginning with birds and beasts are the lowest — these together make fourteen kinds of birth.

Verse 71 (shiva.vayaviya.31.71)

उत्तराधरभावोऽपि ज्ञेयः संसारिणो मलः । यथाऽऽमभावो मुक्तस्य पूर्वं पश्चात्तु पक्वता

uttarādharabhāvo'pi jñeyaḥ saṁsāriṇo malaḥ | yathā''mabhāvo muktasya pūrvaṁ paścāttu pakvatā

This distinction of higher and lower, too, is to be understood as rooted in the transmigrating soul's own impurity — just as, for one destined to be liberated, there is first an unripe state, and afterward, ripeness.

Verse 72 (shiva.vayaviya.31.72)

मलोऽप्यामश्च पक्वश्च भवेत्संसारकारणम् । आमे त्वधरता पुंसां पक्वे तूत्तरता क्रमात्

malo'pyāmaśca pakvaśca bhavetsaṁsārakāraṇam | āme tvadharatā puṁsāṁ pakve tūttaratā kramāt

Impurity itself, whether unripe or ripened, becomes the cause of transmigration; in its unripe state, souls occupy the lower stations, while in its ripened state, they occupy the higher, in due order.

Verse 73 (shiva.vayaviya.31.73)

पश्वात्मानस्त्रिधा भिन्ना एकद्वित्रिमलाः क्रमात् । अत्रोत्तरा एकमला द्विमला मध्यमा मताः । त्रिमलास्त्वधमा ज्ञेया यथोत्तरमधिष्ठिताः

paśvātmānastridhā bhinnā ekadvitrimalāḥ kramāt | atrottarā ekamalā dvimalā madhyamā matāḥ | trimalāstvadhamā jñeyā yathottaramadhiṣṭhitāḥ

Bound souls are divided into three kinds, in order, according to whether they bear one, two, or three impurities. Among these, the single-impurity souls are held highest, the two-impurity souls middling, and the three-impurity souls lowest — each standing successively above the one below.

Verse 74 (shiva.vayaviya.31.74)

त्रिमलानधितिष्ठन्ति द्विमलैकमलाः क्रमात् । इत्थमौपाधिको भेदो विश्वस्य परिकल्पितः

trimalānadhitiṣṭhanti dvimalaikamalāḥ kramāt | itthamaupādhiko bhedo viśvasya parikalpitaḥ

Those with two impurities and those with one preside, in order, over those with three; thus this distinction, based on their differing limiting conditions, has been posited across the whole universe.

Verse 75 (shiva.vayaviya.31.75)

एकद्वित्रिमलान्सर्वाञ्छिव एकोऽधितिष्ठति । अशिवात्मकमप्येतच्छिवेनाधिष्ठितं यथा

ekadvitrimalānsarvāñchiva eko'dhitiṣṭhati | aśivātmakamapyetacchivenādhiṣṭhitaṁ yathā

Over all these souls, whether bearing one, two, or three impurities, Shiva alone presides; and thus, even this world, not itself of the nature of Shiva, is nonetheless presided over by Shiva.

Verse 76 (shiva.vayaviya.31.76)

अरुद्रात्मकमित्येवं रुद्रैर्जगदधिष्ठितम् । अण्डान्ता हि महाभूमिः शतरुद्राद्यधिष्ठिता

arudrātmakamityevaṁ rudrairjagadadhiṣṭhitam | aṇḍāntā hi mahābhūmiḥ śatarudrādyadhiṣṭhitā

In just the same way, this world, not itself of the nature of Rudra, is presided over by the Rudras; the great earth, extending up to the limit of the cosmic egg, is presided over by the hundred Rudras and the rest.

Verse 77 (shiva.vayaviya.31.77)

मायान्तमन्तरिक्षं तु ह्यमरेशादिभिः क्रमात् । अङ्गुष्ठमात्रपर्यन्तैः समन्तात्सन्ततं ततम्

māyāntamantarikṣaṁ tu hyamareśādibhiḥ kramāt | aṅguṣṭhamātraparyantaiḥ samantātsantataṁ tatam

And the mid-region of the sky, extending up to the level of Maya, is pervaded on every side, in unbroken succession, by the lords of the immortals and others, down even to those subtle beings no larger than a thumb.

Verse 78 (shiva.vayaviya.31.78)

महामायावसाना द्यौर्वाय्वाद्यैर्भुवनाधिपैः । अनाश्रितान्तैरध्वान्तर्वर्त्तिभिः समधिष्ठिताः

mahāmāyāvasānā dyaurvāyvādyairbhuvanādhipaiḥ | anāśritāntairadhvāntarvarttibhiḥ samadhiṣṭhitāḥ

The heavens, ending at Mahamaya, are presided over jointly by the lords of the worlds beginning with Vayu, each abiding within their own place upon the path, down to the very last, the "unsupported" ones.

Verse 79 (shiva.vayaviya.31.79)

ते हि साक्षाद्दिविषदस्त्वन्तरिक्षसदस्तथा । पृथिवीपद इत्येवं देवा देवव्रतैः स्तुताः

te hi sākṣāddiviṣadastvantarikṣasadastathā | pṛthivīpada ityevaṁ devā devavrataiḥ stutāḥ

These, verily, are the dwellers of heaven, and likewise the dwellers of the mid-region, and those at the station of the earth — such are the gods, praised by those devoted to the vows of the gods.

Verse 80 (shiva.vayaviya.31.80)

एवं त्रिभिर्मलैरामैः पक्वैरेव पृथक्पृथक् । निदानभूतैः संसाररोगः पुंसां प्रवर्तते

evaṁ tribhirmalairāmaiḥ pakvaireva pṛthakpṛthak | nidānabhūtaiḥ saṁsārarogaḥ puṁsāṁ pravartate

Thus, by these three impurities, whether unripe or ripened, each serving separately as its root cause, the disease of transmigration comes to afflict souls.

Verse 81 (shiva.vayaviya.31.81)

अस्य रोगस्य भैषज्यं ज्ञानमेव न चापरम् । भिषगाज्ञापकः शम्भुः शिवः परमकारणम्

asya rogasya bhaiṣajyaṁ jñānameva na cāparam | bhiṣagājñāpakaḥ śambhuḥ śivaḥ paramakāraṇam

The only remedy for this disease is knowledge itself, nothing else. The physician who prescribes it is Shambhu, Shiva, the supreme cause.

Verse 82 (shiva.vayaviya.31.82)

अदुःखेनाऽपि शक्तोऽसौ पशून्मोचयितुं शिवः । कथं दुःखं करोतीति नात्र कार्या विचारणा

aduḥkhenā'pi śakto'sau paśūnmocayituṁ śivaḥ | kathaṁ duḥkhaṁ karotīti nātra kāryā vicāraṇā

Shiva is indeed capable of freeing bound souls even without any accompanying suffering; hence there is no need to raise here the question of how he could seem to cause suffering.

Verse 83 (shiva.vayaviya.31.83)

दुःखमेव हि सर्वोऽपि संसार इति निश्चितम् । कथं दुःखमदुःखं स्यात्स्वभावो ह्यविपर्ययः

duḥkhameva hi sarvo'pi saṁsāra iti niścitam | kathaṁ duḥkhamaduḥkhaṁ syātsvabhāvo hyaviparyayaḥ

It is settled that this entire transmigratory existence is itself nothing but suffering. How, then, could suffering ever become non-suffering? For nature never reverses itself.

Verse 84 (shiva.vayaviya.31.84)

न हि रोगी ह्यरोगी स्याद्भिषग्भैषज्यकारणात् । रोगार्तं तु भिषग्रोगाद्भैषजैः सुखमुद्धरेत्

na hi rogī hyarogī syādbhiṣagbhaiṣajyakāraṇāt | rogārtaṁ tu bhiṣagrogādbhaiṣajaiḥ sukhamuddharet

A sick person does not become well merely on account of the physician's presence alone; rather, the physician, by means of remedies, lifts the one afflicted with disease out of that disease and into well-being.

Verse 85 (shiva.vayaviya.31.85)

एवं स्वभावमलिनान्स्वभावाद्दुःखिनः पशून् । स्वाज्ञौषधविधानेन दुःखान्मोचयते शिवः

evaṁ svabhāvamalinānsvabhāvādduḥkhinaḥ paśūn | svājñauṣadhavidhānena duḥkhānmocayate śivaḥ

In just the same way, Shiva releases from suffering those bound souls who, by their own nature, are impure and, by that same nature, suffering — through the prescription of the medicine that is his own command.

Verse 86 (shiva.vayaviya.31.86)

न भिषक् कारणं रोगे शिवः संसारकारणम् । इत्येतदपि वैषम्यं न दोषायास्य कल्पते

na bhiṣak kāraṇaṁ roge śivaḥ saṁsārakāraṇam | ityetadapi vaiṣamyaṁ na doṣāyāsya kalpate

"The physician is not the cause of the disease, yet Shiva is called the cause of transmigration" — even this apparent inconsistency does not amount to a fault in him.

Verse 87 (shiva.vayaviya.31.87)

दुःखे स्वभावसंसिद्धे कथं तत्कारणं शिवः । स्वाभाविको मलः पुंसां स हि संसारयत्यमून्

duḥkhe svabhāvasaṁsiddhe kathaṁ tatkāraṇaṁ śivaḥ | svābhāviko malaḥ puṁsāṁ sa hi saṁsārayatyamūn

When suffering is already established by the soul's own nature, how could Shiva be called its cause? It is the innate impurity belonging to souls themselves that causes them to transmigrate.

Verse 88 (shiva.vayaviya.31.88)

संसारकारणं यत्तु मलं मायाद्यचेतनम् । तत्स्वयं न प्रवर्तेत शिवसान्निध्यमन्तरा

saṁsārakāraṇaṁ yattu malaṁ māyādyacetanam | tatsvayaṁ na pravarteta śivasānnidhyamantarā

But that impurity — beginning with Maya, itself unconscious — which is the cause of transmigration, could not of itself become active at all without the mere proximity of Shiva.

Verse 89 (shiva.vayaviya.31.89)

यथा मणिरयस्कान्तः सान्निध्यादुपकारकः । अयसश्चलतस्तद्वच्छिवोऽप्यस्येति सूरयः

yathā maṇirayaskāntaḥ sānnidhyādupakārakaḥ | ayasaścalatastadvacchivo'pyasyeti sūrayaḥ

Just as a magnetic stone, by its mere proximity, causes iron to move, the wise say that Shiva, in just the same way, acts upon that unconscious impurity merely by his presence.

Verse 90 (shiva.vayaviya.31.90)

न निवर्तयितुं शक्यं सान्निध्यं सदकारणम् । अधिष्ठाता ततो नित्यमज्ञातो जगतः शिवः

na nivartayituṁ śakyaṁ sānnidhyaṁ sadakāraṇam | adhiṣṭhātā tato nityamajñāto jagataḥ śivaḥ

That eternal, causeless proximity can never be withdrawn by anyone; hence Shiva, though unknown to ordinary beings, remains forever the presiding lord of the universe.

Verse 91 (shiva.vayaviya.31.91)

न शिवेन विना किञ्चित्प्रवृत्तमिह विद्यते । तत्प्रेरितमिदं सर्वं तथापि न स मुह्यति

na śivena vinā kiñcitpravṛttamiha vidyate | tatpreritamidaṁ sarvaṁ tathāpi na sa muhyati

Nothing whatsoever comes into activity here without Shiva; all this is impelled by him alone — and yet, even so, he himself is never deluded by any of it.

Verse 92 (shiva.vayaviya.31.92)

शक्तिराज्ञात्मिका तस्य नियन्त्री विश्वतोमुखी । तया ततमिदं शश्वत्तथापि स न दुष्यति

śaktirājñātmikā tasya niyantrī viśvatomukhī | tayā tatamidaṁ śaśvattathāpi sa na duṣyati

His power, of the very nature of his own command, is the ruler of all, facing every direction; by her this universe is forever pervaded — and yet, even so, he is never tainted by it.

Verse 93 (shiva.vayaviya.31.93)

अनिदं प्रथमं सर्वमीशितव्यं स ईश्वरः । ईशनाच्च तदीयाज्ञा तथापि स न दुष्यति

anidaṁ prathamaṁ sarvamīśitavyaṁ sa īśvaraḥ | īśanācca tadīyājñā tathāpi sa na duṣyati

Before this created universe existed, he alone was the Lord, with all things to be ruled by him; and from that very act of ruling comes his command — and yet, even so, he is never tainted by it.

Verse 94 (shiva.vayaviya.31.94)

योऽन्यथा मन्यते मोहात्स विनश्यति दुर्मतिः । तच्छक्तिवैभवादेव तथापि स न दुष्यति

yo'nyathā manyate mohātsa vinaśyati durmatiḥ | tacchaktivaibhavādeva tathāpi sa na duṣyati

He who, out of delusion, thinks otherwise — that ill-minded one perishes; this too comes about only through the very majesty of his power — and yet, even so, he himself is never tainted by it.

Verse 95 (shiva.vayaviya.31.95)

एतस्मिन्नन्तरे व्योम्नः श्रुता वागशरीरिणी । सत्यमोममृतं सौम्यमित्याविरभवत्स्फुटम्

etasminnantare vyomnaḥ śrutā vāgaśarīriṇī | satyamomamṛtaṁ saumyamityāvirabhavatsphuṭam

At this very moment, a bodiless voice was heard from the sky, clearly proclaiming: "Truth. Om. Nectar. Gentle."

Verse 96 (shiva.vayaviya.31.96)

ततो हृष्टतराः सर्वे विनष्टाशेषसंशयाः । मुनयो विस्मयाविष्टाः प्रणेमुः पवनं प्रभुम्

tato hṛṣṭatarāḥ sarve vinaṣṭāśeṣasaṁśayāḥ | munayo vismayāviṣṭāḥ praṇemuḥ pavanaṁ prabhum

Then all the sages, their doubts entirely dispelled, filled with the greatest joy and wonder, bowed down to Pavana, the lord.

Verse 97 (shiva.vayaviya.31.97)

तथा विगतसन्देहान्कृत्वापि पवनो मुनीन् । नैते प्रतिष्ठितज्ञाना इति मत्वैवमब्रवीत्

tathā vigatasandehānkṛtvāpi pavano munīn | naite pratiṣṭhitajñānā iti matvaivamabravīt

And Pavana, having thus freed the sages of their doubt, yet reflecting, "this knowledge of theirs is not yet firmly established," spoke on further, as follows.

Verse 98 (shiva.vayaviya.31.98)

वायुरुवाच परोक्षमपरोक्षं च द्विविधं ज्ञानमिष्यते । परोक्षमस्थिरं प्राहुरपरोक्षं तु सुस्थिरम्

vāyuruvāca parokṣamaparokṣaṁ ca dvividhaṁ jñānamiṣyate | parokṣamasthiraṁ prāhuraparokṣaṁ tu susthiram

Vayu said: Knowledge is held to be of two kinds — mediate (indirect) and immediate (direct). Mediate knowledge, it is said, is unstable, while immediate knowledge is thoroughly stable.

Verse 99 (shiva.vayaviya.31.99)

हेतूपदेशगम्यं यत्तत्परोक्षं प्रचक्षते । अपरोक्षं पुनः श्रेष्ठादनुष्ठानाद्भविष्यति

hetūpadeśagamyaṁ yattatparokṣaṁ pracakṣate | aparokṣaṁ punaḥ śreṣṭhādanuṣṭhānādbhaviṣyati

That which is attained through reasoning and instruction is called mediate knowledge; immediate knowledge, however, will come about only through the highest religious practice.

Verse 100 (shiva.vayaviya.31.100)

नापरोक्षादृते मोक्ष इति कृत्वा विनिश्चयम् । श्रेष्ठानुष्ठानसिद्ध्यर्थं प्रयतध्वमतन्द्रिताः

nāparokṣādṛte mokṣa iti kṛtvā viniścayam | śreṣṭhānuṣṭhānasiddhyarthaṁ prayatadhvamatandritāḥ

Having settled, therefore, that there is no liberation apart from immediate knowledge — strive on, O tireless seekers, toward the accomplishment of that highest practice.