The Best of Religious Observance

Verse 1 (shiva.vayaviya.32.1)

ऋषय ऊचुः । किं तच्छ्रेष्ठमनुष्ठानं मोक्षो येनापरोक्षितः । तत्तस्य साधनं चाद्य वक्तुमर्हसि मारुत

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | kiṁ tacchreṣṭhamanuṣṭhānaṁ mokṣo yenāparokṣitaḥ | tattasya sādhanaṁ cādya vaktumarhasi māruta

The sages said: What is that highest observance by which liberation is directly realized? Please now tell us its means, O Maruta.

Verse 2 (shiva.vayaviya.32.2)

वायुरुवाच । शैवो हि परमो धर्मः श्रेष्ठानुष्ठानशब्दितः । यत्रापरोक्षो लक्ष्येत साक्षान्मोक्षप्रदः शिवः

vāyuruvāca | śaivo hi paramo dharmaḥ śreṣṭhānuṣṭhānaśabditaḥ | yatrāparokṣo lakṣyeta sākṣānmokṣapradaḥ śivaḥ

Vayu said: The Shaiva dharma is indeed the supreme dharma, called "the highest observance," wherein Shiva, the direct bestower of liberation, becomes directly perceptible.

Verse 3 (shiva.vayaviya.32.3)

स तु पञ्चविधो ज्ञेयः पञ्चभिः पर्वभिः क्रमात् । क्रियातपोजपध्यानज्ञानात्मभिरनुत्तरैः

sa tu pañcavidho jñeyaḥ pañcabhiḥ parvabhiḥ kramāt | kriyātapojapadhyānajñānātmabhiranuttaraiḥ

It is to be known as fivefold, in order, through its five limbs — action, austerity, recitation, meditation, and knowledge — each of them unsurpassed.

Verse 4 (shiva.vayaviya.32.4)

तैरेव सोत्तरैः सिद्धो धर्मस्तु परमो मतः । परोक्षमपरोक्षं च ज्ञानं यत्र च मोक्षदम्

taireva sottaraiḥ siddho dharmastu paramo mataḥ | parokṣamaparokṣaṁ ca jñānaṁ yatra ca mokṣadam

By these very limbs, each surpassing the last, this supreme dharma is accomplished — wherein both mediate and immediate knowledge grant liberation.

Verse 5 (shiva.vayaviya.32.5)

परमोऽपरमश्चोभौ धर्मौ हि श्रुतिचोदितौ । धर्मशब्दाभिधेयेऽर्थे प्रमाणं श्रुतिरेव नः

paramo'paramaścobhau dharmau hi śruticoditau | dharmaśabdābhidheye'rthe pramāṇaṁ śrutireva naḥ

Both the supreme and the lesser dharma are enjoined by the Shruti. In the matter denoted by the word "dharma," the Shruti alone is our authority.

Verse 6 (shiva.vayaviya.32.6)

परमो योगपर्यन्तो धर्मः श्रुतिशिरोगतः । धर्मस्त्वपरमस्तद्वदधः श्रुतिमुखोत्थितः

paramo yogaparyanto dharmaḥ śrutiśirogataḥ | dharmastvaparamastadvadadhaḥ śrutimukhotthitaḥ

The supreme dharma, culminating in yoga, is found at the very crown of the Shruti; the lesser dharma likewise arises from the Shruti's opening portion.

Verse 7 (shiva.vayaviya.32.7)

अपश्वात्माधिकारत्वाद्यो धर्मः परमो मतः । साधारणस्ततोऽन्यस्तु सर्वेषामधिकारतः

apaśvātmādhikāratvādyo dharmaḥ paramo mataḥ | sādhāraṇastato'nyastu sarveṣāmadhikārataḥ

That dharma which pertains to the authority of one who has risen above the state of a mere bound soul is held to be supreme; the other, common dharma pertains to the authority of everyone in general.

Verse 8 (shiva.vayaviya.32.8)

स चायं परमो धर्मः परधर्मस्य साधनम् । धर्मशास्त्रादिभिः सम्यक् साङ्ग एवोपबृंहितः

sa cāyaṁ paramo dharmaḥ paradharmasya sādhanam | dharmaśāstrādibhiḥ samyak sāṅga evopabṛṁhitaḥ

And this supreme dharma is itself the means to that highest state; it is fully elaborated, together with all its limbs, by the treatises on dharma and the like.

Verse 9 (shiva.vayaviya.32.9)

शैवो यः परमो धर्मः श्रेष्ठानुष्ठानशब्दितः । इतिहासपुराणाभ्यां कथञ्चिदुपबृंहितः

śaivo yaḥ paramo dharmaḥ śreṣṭhānuṣṭhānaśabditaḥ | itihāsapurāṇābhyāṁ kathañcidupabṛṁhitaḥ

That supreme Shaiva dharma called "the highest observance" has, to some extent, been elaborated through the Itihasas and the Puranas as well.

Verse 10 (shiva.vayaviya.32.10)

शैवागमैस्तु सम्पन्नः सहाङ्गोपाङ्गविस्तरः । तत्संस्काराधिकारैश्च सम्यगेवोपबृंहितः

śaivāgamaistu sampannaḥ sahāṅgopāṅgavistaraḥ | tatsaṁskārādhikāraiśca samyagevopabṛṁhitaḥ

It is furnished by the Shaiva Agamas, complete with the extension of its limbs and sub-limbs, and is fully elaborated through their teachings on consecration and qualification.

Verse 11 (shiva.vayaviya.32.11)

शैवागमो हि द्विविधः श्रौतोऽश्रौतश्च संस्कृतः । श्रुतिसारमयः श्रौतः स्वतन्त्र इतरो मतः

śaivāgamo hi dvividhaḥ śrauto'śrautaśca saṁskṛtaḥ | śrutisāramayaḥ śrautaḥ svatantra itaro mataḥ

The Shaiva Agama, properly understood, is of two kinds: Shrauta, rooted in the Veda, and non-Shrauta. The Shrauta consists in the very essence of the Shruti, while the other is held to be an independent tradition.

Verse 12 (shiva.vayaviya.32.12)

स्वतन्त्रो दशधा पूर्वं तथाष्टादशधा पुनः । कामिकादिसमाख्याभिः सिद्धः सिद्धान्तसंज्ञितः

svatantro daśadhā pūrvaṁ tathāṣṭādaśadhā punaḥ | kāmikādisamākhyābhiḥ siddhaḥ siddhāntasaṁjñitaḥ

That independent Agama is, first, tenfold, and further, eighteenfold as well; established under names beginning with "Kamika," it is known by the name "Siddhanta."

Verse 13 (shiva.vayaviya.32.13)

श्रुतिसारमयो यस्तु शतकोटिप्रविस्तरः । परं पाशुपतं यत्र व्रतं ज्ञानं च कथ्यते

śrutisāramayo yastu śatakoṭipravistaraḥ | paraṁ pāśupataṁ yatra vrataṁ jñānaṁ ca kathyate

That Agama which consists in the very essence of the Shruti is expounded across a hundred crore verses; in it the supreme Pashupata vow and its attendant knowledge are taught.

Verse 14 (shiva.vayaviya.32.14)

युगावर्तेषु शिष्येत योगाचार्यस्वरूपिणा । तत्र तत्रावतीर्णेन शिवेनैव प्रवर्त्यते

yugāvarteṣu śiṣyeta yogācāryasvarūpiṇā | tatra tatrāvatīrṇena śivenaiva pravartyate

It is taught, in the recurring cycles of the ages, by Shiva himself, who, taking the form of a yoga-teacher, descends again and again and sets it forth in his own person.

Verse 15 (shiva.vayaviya.32.15)

सङ्क्षिप्यास्य प्रवक्तारश्चत्वारः परमर्षयः । रुरुर्दधीचोऽगस्त्यश्च उपमन्युर्महायशाः

saṅkṣipyāsya pravaktāraścatvāraḥ paramarṣayaḥ | rururdadhīco'gastyaśca upamanyurmahāyaśāḥ

In brief, its promulgators are four supreme sages: Ruru, Dadhichi, Agastya, and the greatly renowned Upamanyu.

Verse 16 (shiva.vayaviya.32.16)

ते च पाशुपता ज्ञेयाः संहितानां प्रवर्तकाः । तत्सन्ततीया गुरवः शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः

te ca pāśupatā jñeyāḥ saṁhitānāṁ pravartakāḥ | tatsantatīyā guravaḥ śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ

These are to be known as Pashupatas, the promulgators of their respective Samhitas; and, descending from their lineages, teachers have arisen by the hundreds and thousands.

Verse 17 (shiva.vayaviya.32.17)

तत्रोक्तः परमो धर्मश्चर्याद्यात्मा चतुर्विधः । तेषु पाशुपतो योगः शिवं प्रत्यक्षयेद् दृढम्

tatroktaḥ paramo dharmaścaryādyātmā caturvidhaḥ | teṣu pāśupato yogaḥ śivaṁ pratyakṣayed dṛḍham

The supreme dharma taught there is of four kinds, beginning with proper conduct; among these, it is the Pashupata yoga that makes Shiva firmly and directly manifest.

Verse 18 (shiva.vayaviya.32.18)

तस्माच्छ्रेष्ठमनुष्ठानं योगः पाशुपतो मतः । तत्राप्युपायको युक्तो ब्रह्मणा स तु कथ्यते

tasmācchreṣṭhamanuṣṭhānaṁ yogaḥ pāśupato mataḥ | tatrāpyupāyako yukto brahmaṇā sa tu kathyate

Therefore the Pashupata yoga is held to be the highest observance; and even within it, the truly effective means is that which was taught by Brahma.

Verse 19 (shiva.vayaviya.32.19)

नामाष्टकमयो योगः शिवेन परिकल्पितः । तेन योगेन सहसा शैवी प्रज्ञा प्रजायते

nāmāṣṭakamayo yogaḥ śivena parikalpitaḥ | tena yogena sahasā śaivī prajñā prajāyate

This yoga, consisting in the eight holy names, was devised by Shiva himself; through that very yoga, Shaiva wisdom arises at once.

Verse 20 (shiva.vayaviya.32.20)

प्रज्ञया परमं ज्ञानमचिराल्लभते स्थिरम् । प्रसीदति शिवस्तस्य यस्य ज्ञानं प्रतिष्ठितम्

prajñayā paramaṁ jñānamacirāllabhate sthiram | prasīdati śivastasya yasya jñānaṁ pratiṣṭhitam

Through that wisdom one swiftly attains stable, supreme knowledge; and Shiva grows gracious toward him in whom that knowledge becomes thus firmly established.

Verse 21 (shiva.vayaviya.32.21)

प्रसादात्परमो योगो यः शिवं चापरोक्षयेत् । शिवापरोक्षात्संसारकारणेन वियुज्यते

prasādātparamo yogo yaḥ śivaṁ cāparokṣayet | śivāparokṣātsaṁsārakāraṇena viyujyate

From that grace comes the supreme yoga, which brings Shiva into direct realization; and through that direct realization of Shiva, one becomes separated from the very cause of transmigration.

Verse 22 (shiva.vayaviya.32.22)

ततः स्यान्मुक्तसंसारो मुक्तः शिवसमो भवेत् । ब्रह्मप्रोक्त इत्युपायः स एव पृथगुच्यते

tataḥ syānmuktasaṁsāro muktaḥ śivasamo bhavet | brahmaprokta ityupāyaḥ sa eva pṛthagucyate

Thereupon he becomes freed from transmigration, and, once liberated, becomes equal to Shiva himself. This means, "declared by Brahma," is described here as a distinct teaching in itself.

Verse 23 (shiva.vayaviya.32.23)

शिवो महेश्वरश्चैव रुद्रो विष्णुः पितामहः । संसारवैद्यः सर्वज्ञः परमात्मेति मुख्यतः

śivo maheśvaraścaiva rudro viṣṇuḥ pitāmahaḥ | saṁsāravaidyaḥ sarvajñaḥ paramātmeti mukhyataḥ

Shiva, and Maheshvara too, Rudra, Vishnu, Pitamaha, the Physician of transmigration, the All-Knowing, and the Supreme Self — these, chiefly, are the eight names.

Verse 24 (shiva.vayaviya.32.24)

नामाष्टकमिदं मुख्यं शिवस्य प्रतिपादकम् । आद्यं तु पञ्चकं ज्ञेयं शान्त्यतीताद्यनुक्रमात्

nāmāṣṭakamidaṁ mukhyaṁ śivasya pratipādakam | ādyaṁ tu pañcakaṁ jñeyaṁ śāntyatītādyanukramāt

This principal set of eight names expresses Shiva alone. Of these, the first five names are to be understood in the order beginning with Shantyatita.

Verse 25 (shiva.vayaviya.32.25)

संज्ञा सदाशिवादीनां पञ्चोपाधिपरिग्रहात् । उपाधिविनिवृत्तौ तु यथास्वं विनिवर्तते

saṁjñā sadāśivādīnāṁ pañcopādhiparigrahāt | upādhivinivṛttau tu yathāsvaṁ vinivartate

The designations "Sadashiva" and the rest arise from the assumption of these five limiting conditions; and when each condition is withdrawn, the corresponding name too withdraws accordingly.

Verse 26 (shiva.vayaviya.32.26)

पदमेव हि तं नित्यमनित्याः पदिनः स्मृताः । पदानां परिवृत्तौ तु मुच्यन्ते पदिनो यतः

padameva hi taṁ nityamanityāḥ padinaḥ smṛtāḥ | padānāṁ parivṛttau tu mucyante padino yataḥ

It is the station itself that is eternal; those who occupy the stations are held to be non-eternal — for it is only through the turning-over of the stations that those who occupy them become liberated.

Verse 27 (shiva.vayaviya.32.27)

परिवृत्त्यन्तरे भूयस्तत्पदप्राप्तिरुच्यते । आत्मान्तराभिधानं स्याद्यदाद्यं नामपञ्चकम्

parivṛttyantare bhūyastatpadaprāptirucyate | ātmāntarābhidhānaṁ syādyadādyaṁ nāmapañcakam

At each further turning-over, the attainment of that next station is spoken of anew; hence that first set of five names comes to designate, in turn, a different self occupying each station.

Verse 28 (shiva.vayaviya.32.28)

अन्यत्तु त्रितयं नाम्नामुपादानादियोगतः । त्रिविधोपाधिवचनाच्छिव एवानुवर्तते

anyattu tritayaṁ nāmnāmupādānādiyogataḥ | trividhopādhivacanācchiva evānuvartate

But the other three names, through their connection with Shiva as material cause and the rest, and through their expression of a threefold limiting condition, refer to Shiva himself throughout.

Verse 29 (shiva.vayaviya.32.29)

अनादिमलसंश्लेषः प्रागभावात्स्वभावतः । अत्यन्तं परिशुद्धात्मेत्यतोऽयं शिव उच्यते

anādimalasaṁśleṣaḥ prāgabhāvātsvabhāvataḥ | atyantaṁ pariśuddhātmetyato'yaṁ śiva ucyate

Since, by his very nature, no beginningless conjunction with impurity has ever existed in him at all, his self is utterly pure — for this very reason he is called "Shiva."

Verse 30 (shiva.vayaviya.32.30)

अथवाशेषकल्याणगुणैकधन ईश्वरः । शिव इत्युच्यते सद्भिः शिवतत्त्वार्थवादिभिः

athavāśeṣakalyāṇaguṇaikadhana īśvaraḥ | śiva ityucyate sadbhiḥ śivatattvārthavādibhiḥ

Or else, the Lord, whose sole wealth is the totality of auspicious qualities, is called "Shiva" by the wise, those who expound the true meaning of the principle of Shiva.

Verse 31 (shiva.vayaviya.32.31)

त्रयोविंशतितत्त्वेभ्यः प्रकृतिर्हि परा मता । प्रकृतेस्तु परं प्राहुः पुरुषं पञ्चविंशकम्

trayoviṁśatitattvebhyaḥ prakṛtirhi parā matā | prakṛtestu paraṁ prāhuḥ puruṣaṁ pañcaviṁśakam

Beyond the twenty-three material tattvas, Prakriti itself is held to be the higher principle; and beyond Prakriti, they declare, stands Purusha, the twenty-fifth principle.

Verse 32 (shiva.vayaviya.32.32)

यं वेदादौ स्वरं प्राहुर्वाच्यवाचकभावतः । वेदैकवेद्ययाथात्म्याद्वेदान्ते च प्रतिष्ठितः

yaṁ vedādau svaraṁ prāhurvācyavācakabhāvataḥ | vedaikavedyayāthātmyādvedānte ca pratiṣṭhitaḥ

He whom, at the very beginning of the Veda, they declare to be the primordial sound, in the relation of the signified and the signifier — established, in his true nature, as knowable through the Veda alone, and likewise established in the Vedanta —

Verse 33 (shiva.vayaviya.32.33)

तस्य प्रकृतिलीनस्य यः परः स महेश्वरः । तदधीनप्रवृत्तित्वात्प्रकृतेः पुरुषस्य च

tasya prakṛtilīnasya yaḥ paraḥ sa maheśvaraḥ | tadadhīnapravṛttitvātprakṛteḥ puruṣasya ca

He who is beyond even that Purusha, when Purusha is dissolved in Prakriti, is Maheshvara — since the very activity of both Prakriti and Purusha depends entirely upon him.

Verse 34 (shiva.vayaviya.32.34)

अथवा त्रिगुणं तत्त्वमुपेयमिदमव्ययम् । मायां तु प्रकृतिं विद्यान्मायिनं तु महेश्वरम्

athavā triguṇaṁ tattvamupeyamidamavyayam | māyāṁ tu prakṛtiṁ vidyānmāyinaṁ tu maheśvaram

Or else, this imperishable tattva made of the three gunas is itself what is to be attained; one should know Maya to be Prakriti, and Maheshvara to be the wielder of that Maya.

Verse 35 (shiva.vayaviya.32.35)

मायाविक्षोभकोऽनन्तो महेश्वरसमन्वयात् । कालात्मा परमात्मादिः स्थूलः सूक्ष्मः प्रकीर्तितः

māyāvikṣobhako'nanto maheśvarasamanvayāt | kālātmā paramātmādiḥ sthūlaḥ sūkṣmaḥ prakīrtitaḥ

The infinite one who stirs Maya into activity, through his very union with Maheshvara, is proclaimed to be of the nature of Time, the Supreme Self and the rest, both gross and subtle.

Verse 36 (shiva.vayaviya.32.36)

रुद् दुःखं दुःखहेतुर्वा तद्रावयति नः प्रभुः । रुद्र इत्युच्यते सद्भिः शिवः परमकारणम्

rud duḥkhaṁ duḥkhaheturvā tadrāvayati naḥ prabhuḥ | rudra ityucyate sadbhiḥ śivaḥ paramakāraṇam

"Rud" means suffering, or the cause of suffering; and since our Lord makes that suffering flee away, Shiva, the supreme cause, is called "Rudra" by the wise.

Verse 37 (shiva.vayaviya.32.37)

तत्त्वादिभूतपर्यन्तं शरीरादिष्वतन्द्रितः । व्याप्याधितिष्ठति शिवस्ततो रुद्र इतस्ततः

tattvādibhūtaparyantaṁ śarīrādiṣvatandritaḥ | vyāpyādhitiṣṭhati śivastato rudra itastataḥ

From the first tattva down to the gross elements, and within bodies and the rest, Shiva, ever tireless, pervades and presides — and it is for this reason that he is "Rudra," everywhere.

Verse 38 (shiva.vayaviya.32.38)

जगतः पितृभूतानां शिवो मूर्त्यात्मनामपि । पितृभावेन सर्वेषां पितामह उदीरितः

jagataḥ pitṛbhūtānāṁ śivo mūrtyātmanāmapi | pitṛbhāvena sarveṣāṁ pitāmaha udīritaḥ

Shiva, as the very father of the fathers of the world, and of embodied selves as well, is proclaimed, in his role as father to them all, as "Pitamaha," the Grandfather.

Verse 39 (shiva.vayaviya.32.39)

निदानज्ञो यथा वैद्यो रोगस्य विनिवर्तकः । उपायैर्भेषजैस्तद्वल्लयभोगाधिकारतः

nidānajño yathā vaidyo rogasya vinivartakaḥ | upāyairbheṣajaistadvallayabhogādhikārataḥ

Just as a physician, knowing the diagnosis, removes disease through his own means and remedies — in the same way, Shiva acts according to each soul's authority for dissolution or for experience.

Verse 40 (shiva.vayaviya.32.40)

संसारस्येश्वरो नित्यं समूलस्य निवर्तकः । संसारवैद्य इत्युक्तः सर्वतत्त्वार्थवेदिभिः

saṁsārasyeśvaro nityaṁ samūlasya nivartakaḥ | saṁsāravaidya ityuktaḥ sarvatattvārthavedibhiḥ

The Lord, who ever removes transmigration, root and all, is called "the Physician of Transmigration" by those who know the true meaning of all the tattvas.

Verse 41 (shiva.vayaviya.32.41)

दशार्थज्ञानसिद्ध्यर्थमिन्द्रियेष्वेषु सत्स्वपि । त्रिकालभाविनो भावान्स्थूलान्सूक्ष्मानशेषतः

daśārthajñānasiddhyarthamindriyeṣveṣu satsvapi | trikālabhāvino bhāvānsthūlānsūkṣmānaśeṣataḥ

Even though these senses do exist, for the accomplishment of knowledge of the ten kinds of objects — the entirety of gross and subtle things existing in the three times —

Verse 42 (shiva.vayaviya.32.42)

अणवो नैव जानन्ति माययैव मलावृताः । असत्स्वपि च सर्वेषु सर्वार्थज्ञानहेतुषु

aṇavo naiva jānanti māyayaiva malāvṛtāḥ | asatsvapi ca sarveṣu sarvārthajñānahetuṣu

these bound souls, veiled by Maya itself as though by impurity, are unable truly to know — and this even though all the causes of knowledge of every object may be entirely absent for them.

Verse 43 (shiva.vayaviya.32.43)

यद्यथावस्थितं वस्तु तत्तथैव सदाशिवः । अयत्नेनैव जानाति तस्मात्सर्वज्ञ उच्यते

yadyathāvasthitaṁ vastu tattathaiva sadāśivaḥ | ayatnenaiva jānāti tasmātsarvajña ucyate

Whatever thing exists in whatever state, Sadashiva knows it exactly as it is, without the slightest effort — therefore he is called "Sarvajna," the All-Knowing.

Verse 44 (shiva.vayaviya.32.44)

सर्वात्मा परमैरेभिर्गुणैर्नित्यसमन्वयात् । स्वस्मात्परात्मविरहात्परमात्मा शिवः स्वयम्

sarvātmā paramairebhirguṇairnityasamanvayāt | svasmātparātmavirahātparamātmā śivaḥ svayam

Being the very self of all, ever united with these supreme qualities, and utterly free of any self higher than himself, Shiva is, of himself, the Supreme Self.

Verse 45 (shiva.vayaviya.32.45)

नामाष्टकमिदं चैव लब्ध्वाचार्यप्रसादतः । निवृत्त्यादिकलाग्रन्थिं शिवाद्यैः पञ्चनामभिः

nāmāṣṭakamidaṁ caiva labdhvācāryaprasādataḥ | nivṛttyādikalāgranthiṁ śivādyaiḥ pañcanāmabhiḥ

Having obtained this very set of eight names through a teacher's grace, and, with the first five names beginning with "Shiva," [addressing] the knot formed by the kalas beginning with Nivritti —

Verse 46 (shiva.vayaviya.32.46)

यथास्वं क्रमशश्छित्वा शोधयित्वा यथागुणम् । गुणितैरेव सोद्धातैः निरुद्धैरथापि वा

yathāsvaṁ kramaśaśchitvā śodhayitvā yathāguṇam | guṇitaireva soddhātaiḥ niruddhairathāpi vā

severing each in its own proper order, and purifying each according to its quality — whether through them multiplied and heightened, or through them held restrained —

Verse 47 (shiva.vayaviya.32.47)

हृत्कण्ठतालुभ्रूमध्यब्रह्मरन्ध्रसमन्विताम् । छित्त्वा पर्यष्टकाकारं स्वात्मानं च सुषुम्णया

hṛtkaṇṭhatālubhrūmadhyabrahmarandhrasamanvitām | chittvā paryaṣṭakākāraṁ svātmānaṁ ca suṣumṇayā

having thus, through the Sushumna channel, pierced his own eightfold-arrayed body, joined at the heart, the throat, the palate, the point between the brows, and the crown of the head —

Verse 48 (shiva.vayaviya.32.48)

द्वादशान्तः स्थितस्येन्दोर्नीत्वोपरि शिवौजसि । संहृत्य वदनं पश्चाद्यथासंस्करणं लयात्

dvādaśāntaḥ sthitasyendornītvopari śivaujasi | saṁhṛtya vadanaṁ paścādyathāsaṁskaraṇaṁ layāt

having then led the moon that resides at the dvadashanta upward into the very radiance of Shiva, and thereafter drawn the outward-facing mind within, dissolving it according to due method —

Verse 49 (shiva.vayaviya.32.49)

शाक्तेनामृतवर्षेण संसिक्तायां तनौ पुनः । अवतार्य स्वमात्मानममृतात्माकृतिं हृदि

śāktenāmṛtavarṣeṇa saṁsiktāyāṁ tanau punaḥ | avatārya svamātmānamamṛtātmākṛtiṁ hṛdi

and, with the body thus drenched anew by Shakti's nectar-rain, having brought his own self down once more into the heart, in the very form of the immortal self —

Verse 50 (shiva.vayaviya.32.50)

द्वादशान्तःस्थितस्येन्दोः परस्ताच्छ्वेतपङ्कजे । समासीनं महादेवं शङ्करं भक्तवत्सलम्

dvādaśāntaḥsthitasyendoḥ parastācchvetapaṅkaje | samāsīnaṁ mahādevaṁ śaṅkaraṁ bhaktavatsalam

the practitioner should meditate upon Mahadeva, Shankara, ever tender toward his devotees, seated upon the white lotus beyond the moon at the dvadashanta —

Verse 51 (shiva.vayaviya.32.51)

अर्धनारीश्वरं देवं निर्मलं मधुराकृतिम् । शुद्धस्फटिकसङ्काशं प्रसन्नं शीतलद्युतिम्

ardhanārīśvaraṁ devaṁ nirmalaṁ madhurākṛtim | śuddhasphaṭikasaṅkāśaṁ prasannaṁ śītaladyutim

the god Ardhanarishvara, stainless, of gracious and sweet form, resembling pure crystal, serene, of cool and gentle radiance —

Verse 52 (shiva.vayaviya.32.52)

ध्यात्वा हि मानसे देवं स्वस्थचित्तोऽथ मानवः । शिवनामाष्टकेनैव भावपुष्पैः समर्चयेत्

dhyātvā hi mānase devaṁ svasthacitto'tha mānavaḥ | śivanāmāṣṭakenaiva bhāvapuṣpaiḥ samarcayet

having thus meditated on the god in his own mind, the practitioner, his mind now settled, should worship him with the flowers of devotion, using this very eightfold name of Shiva.

Verse 53 (shiva.vayaviya.32.53)

अभ्यर्च्चनान्ते तु पुनः प्राणानायम्य मानवः । सम्यक् चित्तं समाधाय शार्वं नामाष्टकं जपेत्

abhyarccanānte tu punaḥ prāṇānāyamya mānavaḥ | samyak cittaṁ samādhāya śārvaṁ nāmāṣṭakaṁ japet

At the end of that worship, the practitioner should once again restrain his breath, and, having composed his mind properly, should recite this very eightfold name of Sharva.

Verse 54 (shiva.vayaviya.32.54)

नाभौ चाष्टाहुतीर्हुत्वा पूर्णाहुत्या नमस्ततः । अष्टपुष्पप्रदानेन कृत्वाभ्यर्च्चनमन्तिमम्

nābhau cāṣṭāhutīrhutvā pūrṇāhutyā namastataḥ | aṣṭapuṣpapradānena kṛtvābhyarccanamantimam

having offered eight oblations at the navel-centre, and then the full oblation together with homage, and having completed the final worship with the offering of eight flowers —

Verse 55 (shiva.vayaviya.32.55)

निवेदयेत्स्वमात्मानं चुलुकोदकवर्त्मना । एवं कृत्वाचिरादेव ज्ञानं पाशुपतं शुभम्

nivedayetsvamātmānaṁ culukodakavartmanā | evaṁ kṛtvācirādeva jñānaṁ pāśupataṁ śubham

he should offer up his own self through the water held in his cupped hands. Practising in this way, he swiftly attains the auspicious Pashupata knowledge —

Verse 56 (shiva.vayaviya.32.56)

लभते तत्प्रतिष्ठां च वृत्तं चानुत्तमं तथा । योगं च परमं लब्ध्वा मुच्यते नात्र संशयः

labhate tatpratiṣṭhāṁ ca vṛttaṁ cānuttamaṁ tathā | yogaṁ ca paramaṁ labdhvā mucyate nātra saṁśayaḥ

and along with it, firm establishment in that knowledge and the highest conduct as well; and, having attained the supreme yoga, he is liberated — of this there is no doubt.