The Yoga of the Knowledge of Pashupati-hood

Verse 1 (shiva.vayaviya.40.1)

उपमन्युरुवाच । विग्रहं देवदेवस्य विश्वमेतत् चराचरम् । तदेवं न विजानन्ति पशवः पाशगौरवात्

upamanyuruvāca | vigrahaṁ devadevasya viśvametat carācaram | tadevaṁ na vijānanti paśavaḥ pāśagauravāt

Upamanyu said: This entire universe, moving and unmoving, is itself the very body of the God of gods; yet the bound creatures, weighed down by the heaviness of their fetters, fail to know it as such.

Verse 2 (shiva.vayaviya.40.2)

तमेकमेव बहुधा वदन्ति यदुनन्दन । अजानन्तः परं भावमविकल्पं महर्षयः

tamekameva bahudhā vadanti yadunandana | ajānantaḥ paraṁ bhāvamavikalpaṁ maharṣayaḥ

O descendant of Yadu, that one alone, without knowing his supreme, unqualified nature, the great sages describe in many different ways.

Verse 3 (shiva.vayaviya.40.3)

अपरं ब्रह्मरूपं च परं ब्रह्मात्मकं तथा । केचिदाहुर्महादेवमनादिनिधनं परम्

aparaṁ brahmarūpaṁ ca paraṁ brahmātmakaṁ tathā | kecidāhurmahādevamanādinidhanaṁ param

Some declare that supreme Mahadeva, without beginning or end, to be of the nature of the lower Brahman, and others, of the higher Brahman.

Verse 4 (shiva.vayaviya.40.4)

भूतेन्द्रियान्तःकरणप्रधानविषयात्मकम् । अपरं ब्रह्म निर्दिष्टं परं ब्रह्म चिदात्मकम्

bhūtendriyāntaḥkaraṇapradhānaviṣayātmakam | aparaṁ brahma nirdiṣṭaṁ paraṁ brahma cidātmakam

That which consists of the elements, the senses, the inner faculty, primordial nature, and their objects is designated the lower Brahman; that which is of the nature of pure consciousness is the higher Brahman.

Verse 5 (shiva.vayaviya.40.5)

बृहत्त्वाद् बृंहणत्वाद्वा ब्रह्म चेत्यभिधीयते । उभे ते ब्रह्मणो रूपे ब्रह्मणोऽधिपतेः प्रभोः । विद्याविद्यास्वरूपीति कैश्चिदीशो निगद्यते

bṛhattvād bṛṁhaṇatvādvā brahma cetyabhidhīyate | ubhe te brahmaṇo rūpe brahmaṇo'dhipateḥ prabhoḥ | vidyāvidyāsvarūpīti kaiścidīśo nigadyate

Because of its vastness, or because it causes expansion, it is called "Brahman"; both these forms belong to that Lord who is master of Brahman itself; and some declare the Lord to be, in his own nature, both knowledge and ignorance.

Verse 6 (shiva.vayaviya.40.6)

विद्यां तु चेतनां प्राहुस्तथाविद्यामचेतनाम् । विद्याविद्यात्मकं चैव विश्वं विश्वगुरोर्विभोः

vidyāṁ tu cetanāṁ prāhustathāvidyāmacetanām | vidyāvidyātmakaṁ caiva viśvaṁ viśvagurorvibhoḥ

Knowledge, they say, is sentient, and ignorance insentient; and this entire universe of that all-pervading teacher of the world is, in its very nature, both knowledge and ignorance combined.

Verse 7 (shiva.vayaviya.40.7)

रूपमेव न सन्देहो विश्वं तस्य वशे यतः । भ्रान्तिर्विद्या परा चेति शार्वं रूपं परं विदुः

rūpameva na sandeho viśvaṁ tasya vaśe yataḥ | bhrāntirvidyā parā ceti śārvaṁ rūpaṁ paraṁ viduḥ

This universe, without doubt, is itself his very form, for it is entirely subject to him; both illusion and the supreme knowledge are to be known as the supreme forms of Sharva.

Verse 8 (shiva.vayaviya.40.8)

अयथाबुद्धिरर्थेषु बहुधा भ्रान्तिरुच्यते । यथार्थाकारसंवित्तिर्विद्येति परिकीर्त्यते

ayathābuddhirartheṣu bahudhā bhrāntirucyate | yathārthākārasaṁvittirvidyeti parikīrtyate

A misapprehension regarding objects, in its various forms, is called "delusion"; and true awareness of the actual form of a thing is proclaimed to be "knowledge."

Verse 9 (shiva.vayaviya.40.9)

विकल्परहितं तत्त्वं परमित्यभिधीयते । वैपरीत्यादसत् शब्दः कथ्यते वेदवादिभिः

vikalparahitaṁ tattvaṁ paramityabhidhīyate | vaiparītyādasat śabdaḥ kathyate vedavādibhiḥ

The reality free of all conceptual distinction is called "the higher"; and its opposite is called "non-being" by those versed in the Vedas.

Verse 10 (shiva.vayaviya.40.10)

तयोः पतित्वात्तु शिवः सदसत्पतिरुच्यते । क्षराक्षरात्मकं प्राहुः क्षराक्षरपरं परे

tayoḥ patitvāttu śivaḥ sadasatpatirucyate | kṣarākṣarātmakaṁ prāhuḥ kṣarākṣaraparaṁ pare

Because he is the lord of both these — being and non-being — Shiva is called "sadasatpati," lord of both; some declare him to be of the nature of both the perishable and imperishable, while others hold him to be beyond both.

Verse 11 (shiva.vayaviya.40.11)

क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते । उभे ते परमेशस्य रूपे तस्य वशे यतः

kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭastho'kṣara ucyate | ubhe te parameśasya rūpe tasya vaśe yataḥ

All beings are perishable, and the unchanging is called imperishable; both these are forms of that Supreme Lord, for both are subject to him.

Verse 12 (shiva.vayaviya.40.12)

तयोः परः शिवः शान्तः क्षराक्षरापरः स्मृतः । समष्टिव्यष्ठिरूपं च समष्टिव्यष्टिकारणम्

tayoḥ paraḥ śivaḥ śāntaḥ kṣarākṣarāparaḥ smṛtaḥ | samaṣṭivyaṣṭhirūpaṁ ca samaṣṭivyaṣṭikāraṇam

Beyond both of these, the tranquil Shiva is held to be higher than both the perishable and imperishable; he is himself of the very form of the collective and the individual, and he is also the cause of both.

Verse 13 (shiva.vayaviya.40.13)

वदन्ति मुनयः केचित् शिवं परमकारणम् । समष्टिमाहुरव्यक्तं व्यष्टिं व्यक्तं तथैव च

vadanti munayaḥ kecit śivaṁ paramakāraṇam | samaṣṭimāhuravyaktaṁ vyaṣṭiṁ vyaktaṁ tathaiva ca

Some sages declare Shiva to be the supreme cause; the collective is called the unmanifest, and the individual, likewise, the manifest.

Verse 14 (shiva.vayaviya.40.14)

ते रूपे परमेशस्य तदिच्छायाः प्रवर्तनात् । तयोः कारणभावेन शिवं परमकारणम्

te rūpe parameśasya tadicchāyāḥ pravartanāt | tayoḥ kāraṇabhāvena śivaṁ paramakāraṇam

These two, arising as they do through the operation of that Supreme Lord's will, are indeed his own forms; and, as the cause of both, Shiva alone is the supreme cause.

Verse 15 (shiva.vayaviya.40.15)

कारणार्थविदः प्राहुः समष्टिव्यष्टिकारणम् । जातिव्यक्तिस्वरूपीति कथ्यते कैश्चिदीश्वरः

kāraṇārthavidaḥ prāhuḥ samaṣṭivyaṣṭikāraṇam | jātivyaktisvarūpīti kathyate kaiścidīśvaraḥ

Those learned in the doctrine of causation call him the cause of both the collective and the individual; and some declare the Lord to be, in his own nature, both universal and particular.

Verse 16 (shiva.vayaviya.40.16)

या पिण्डेऽप्यनुवर्तेत सा जातिरिति कथ्यते । व्यक्तिर्व्यावृत्तिरूपं तं पिण्डजातं समाश्रयम्

yā piṇḍe'pyanuvarteta sā jātiriti kathyate | vyaktirvyāvṛttirūpaṁ taṁ piṇḍajātaṁ samāśrayam

That which persists even in each individual instance is called the "universal"; and the "particular" is that of the nature of distinction, resting upon that individual instance which shares in the universal.

Verse 17 (shiva.vayaviya.40.17)

जातयो व्यक्तयश्चैव तदाज्ञापरिपालिताः । यतस्ततो महादेवो जातिव्यक्तिवपुः स्मृतः

jātayo vyaktayaścaiva tadājñāparipālitāḥ | yatastato mahādevo jātivyaktivapuḥ smṛtaḥ

Because both universals and particulars are upheld and governed by his command, Mahadeva is held to be, in his very body, both the universal and the particular.

Verse 18 (shiva.vayaviya.40.18)

प्रधानपुरुषव्यक्तकालात्मा कथ्यते शिवः । प्रधानं प्रकृतिं प्राहुःक्षेत्रज्ञं पुरुषं तथा

pradhānapuruṣavyaktakālātmā kathyate śivaḥ | pradhānaṁ prakṛtiṁ prāhuḥkṣetrajñaṁ puruṣaṁ tathā

Shiva is also said to be of the nature of primordial matter, the individual soul, the manifest, and time itself; primordial matter is declared to be Prakriti, and Purusha is the knower of the field.

Verse 19 (shiva.vayaviya.40.19)

त्रयोविंशतितत्त्वानि व्यक्तमाहुर्मनीषिणः । कालः कार्यप्रपञ्चस्य परिणामैककारणम्

trayoviṁśatitattvāni vyaktamāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ | kālaḥ kāryaprapañcasya pariṇāmaikakāraṇam

The wise call the twenty-three tattvas "the manifest"; and Time is held to be the sole cause of the transformation of the whole manifold of effects.

Verse 20 (shiva.vayaviya.40.20)

एषामीशोऽधिपो धाता प्रवर्तकनिवर्तकः । आविर्भावतिरोभावहेतुरेकः स्वराडजः

eṣāmīśo'dhipo dhātā pravartakanivartakaḥ | āvirbhāvatirobhāvaheturekaḥ svarāḍajaḥ

Of all these he alone is the lord, the ruler, the sustainer, the cause both of engagement and cessation, the cause of manifestation and disappearance — himself sovereign and unborn.

Verse 21 (shiva.vayaviya.40.21)

तस्मात् प्रधानपुरुषव्यक्तकालस्वरूपवान् । हेतुर्नेताधिपस्तेषां धाता चोक्तो महेश्वरः

tasmāt pradhānapuruṣavyaktakālasvarūpavān | heturnetādhipasteṣāṁ dhātā cokto maheśvaraḥ

Therefore, Maheshvara, who is of the very nature of primordial matter, the soul, the manifest, and time, is declared to be the cause, the leader, the ruler, and the sustainer of them all.

Verse 22 (shiva.vayaviya.40.22)

विराड् हिरण्यगर्भात्मा कैश्चिदीशो निगद्यते । हिरण्यगर्भो लोकानां हेतुर्विश्वात्मको विराट्

virāḍ hiraṇyagarbhātmā kaiścidīśo nigadyate | hiraṇyagarbho lokānāṁ heturviśvātmako virāṭ

Some declare the Lord to be of the nature of Virat and Hiranyagarbha; Hiranyagarbha is the cause of the worlds, and Virat is of the very nature of the universe itself.

Verse 23 (shiva.vayaviya.40.23)

अन्तर्यामी परश्चेति कथ्यते कविभिः शिवः । प्राज्ञस्तैजसविश्वात्मेत्यपरे सम्प्रचक्षते

antaryāmī paraśceti kathyate kavibhiḥ śivaḥ | prājñastaijasaviśvātmetyapare sampracakṣate

The seers also call Shiva the Inner Controller and the Supreme; others declare him to be of the nature of the Prajna, the Taijasa, and the Vishva.

Verse 24 (shiva.vayaviya.40.24)

तुरीयमपरे प्राहुः सौम्यमेव परे विदुः । माता मानं च मेयं च मतिं चाहुरथापरे

turīyamapare prāhuḥ saumyameva pare viduḥ | mātā mānaṁ ca meyaṁ ca matiṁ cāhurathāpare

Others call him the "fourth" state; some know him simply as the gracious one; and others still declare him to be the measurer, the measure, the measured, and the very act of cognition.

Verse 25 (shiva.vayaviya.40.25)

कर्ता क्रिया च कार्यं च करणं कारणं परे । जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्त्यात्मेत्यपरे सम्प्रचक्षते

kartā kriyā ca kāryaṁ ca karaṇaṁ kāraṇaṁ pare | jāgratsvapnasuṣuptyātmetyapare sampracakṣate

Some call him the agent, the action, the effect, the instrument, and the cause; still others declare him to be of the nature of the waking, dreaming, and deep-sleep states.

Verse 26 (shiva.vayaviya.40.26)

तुरीयमपरे प्राहुस्तुर्यातीतमितीतरे । तमाहुर्विगुणं केचिद्गुणवन्तं परे विदुः

turīyamapare prāhusturyātītamitītare | tamāhurviguṇaṁ kecidguṇavantaṁ pare viduḥ

Some call him the "fourth" state, and others say he is even beyond the fourth; some call him devoid of qualities, while others know him as possessed of qualities.

Verse 27 (shiva.vayaviya.40.27)

केचित्संसारिणं प्राहुस्तमसंसारिणं परे । स्वतन्त्रमपरे प्राहुरस्वतन्त्रं परे विदुः

kecitsaṁsāriṇaṁ prāhustamasaṁsāriṇaṁ pare | svatantramapare prāhurasvatantraṁ pare viduḥ

Some call him bound in transmigration, others hold him free of it; some declare him independent, others hold him dependent.

Verse 28 (shiva.vayaviya.40.28)

घोरमित्यपरे प्राहुः सौम्यमेव परे विदुः । रागवन्तं परे प्राहुर्वीतरागं तथा परे

ghoramityapare prāhuḥ saumyameva pare viduḥ | rāgavantaṁ pare prāhurvītarāgaṁ tathā pare

Some call him terrible, others know him only as gentle; some declare him possessed of attachment, and others, likewise, free of all attachment.

Verse 29 (shiva.vayaviya.40.29)

निष्क्रियं च परे प्राहुः सक्रियं चेतरे जनाः । निरिन्द्रियं परे प्राहुः सेन्द्रियं च तथा परे

niṣkriyaṁ ca pare prāhuḥ sakriyaṁ cetare janāḥ | nirindriyaṁ pare prāhuḥ sendriyaṁ ca tathā pare

Some call him inactive, others hold him active; some declare him without senses, and others, likewise, endowed with senses.

Verse 30 (shiva.vayaviya.40.30)

ध्रुवमित्यपरे प्राहुस्तमध्रुवमितीतरे । अरूपं केचिदाहुर्वै रूपवन्तं परे विदुः

dhruvamityapare prāhustamadhruvamitītare | arūpaṁ kecidāhurvai rūpavantaṁ pare viduḥ

Some call him constant, others hold him inconstant; some declare him formless, and others know him as possessed of form.

Verse 31 (shiva.vayaviya.40.31)

अदृश्यमपरे प्राहुर्दृश्यमित्यपरे विदुः । वाच्यमित्यपरे प्राहुरवाच्यमिति चापरे । शब्दात्मकं परे प्राहुश्शब्दातीतमथापरे

adṛśyamapare prāhurdṛśyamityapare viduḥ | vācyamityapare prāhuravācyamiti cāpare | śabdātmakaṁ pare prāhuśśabdātītamathāpare

Some call him invisible, others know him as visible; some declare him expressible in words, others inexpressible; some call him of the very nature of sound, and yet others hold him beyond sound entirely.

Verse 32 (shiva.vayaviya.40.32)

केचित् चिन्तामयं प्राहुश्चिन्तया रहितं परे । ज्ञानात्मकं परे प्राहुर्विज्ञानमिति चापरे

kecit cintāmayaṁ prāhuścintayā rahitaṁ pare | jñānātmakaṁ pare prāhurvijñānamiti cāpare

Some call him made of thought, others hold him free of all thought; some declare him of the nature of knowledge, and others, of the nature of discernment.

Verse 33 (shiva.vayaviya.40.33)

केचित् ज्ञेयमिति प्राहुरज्ञेयमिति केचन । परमेके तमेवाहुरपरं च तथा परे

kecit jñeyamiti prāhurajñeyamiti kecana | parameke tamevāhuraparaṁ ca tathā pare

Some call him knowable, and others unknowable; some declare him alone to be the higher, and others, likewise, the lower as well.

Verse 34 (shiva.vayaviya.40.34)

एवं विकल्प्यमानं तु याथात्म्यं परमेष्ठिनः । नाध्यवस्यन्ति मुनयो नानाप्रत्ययकारणात्

evaṁ vikalpyamānaṁ tu yāthātmyaṁ parameṣṭhinaḥ | nādhyavasyanti munayo nānāpratyayakāraṇāt

Thus, though variously conceived in these many ways, the sages, owing to their manifold and differing convictions, fail to arrive at any certainty regarding the true nature of the Lord who stands supreme.

Verse 35 (shiva.vayaviya.40.35)

येः पुनः सर्वभावेन प्रपन्नाः परमेश्वरम् । ते हि जानन्त्ययत्नेन शिवं परमकारणम्

yeḥ punaḥ sarvabhāvena prapannāḥ parameśvaram | te hi jānantyayatnena śivaṁ paramakāraṇam

But those who take refuge in the Supreme Lord with their whole being — they alone come to know Shiva as the supreme cause, effortlessly.

Verse 36 (shiva.vayaviya.40.36)

यावत्पशुर्नैव पश्यत्यनीशं कविं पुराणं भुवनस्येशितारम् । तावद्दुःखे वर्तते बद्धपाशः संसारेऽस्मिञ्चक्रनेमिक्रमेण

yāvatpaśurnaiva paśyatyanīśaṁ kaviṁ purāṇaṁ bhuvanasyeśitāram | tāvadduḥkhe vartate baddhapāśaḥ saṁsāre'smiñcakranemikrameṇa

As long as the bound creature does not behold that unmastered one — the ancient seer, the primeval one, the ruler of the world — so long, fettered by his bonds, he remains in sorrow within this transmigratory existence, revolving like the rim of a wheel.

Verse 37 (shiva.vayaviya.40.37)

यदा पश्यः पश्यते रुक्मवर्णं कर्तारमीशं पुरुषं ब्रह्मयोनिम् । तदा विद्वान्पुण्यपापे विधूय निरञ्जनः परममुपैति साम्यम्

yadā paśyaḥ paśyate rukmavarṇaṁ kartāramīśaṁ puruṣaṁ brahmayonim | tadā vidvānpuṇyapāpe vidhūya nirañjanaḥ paramamupaiti sāmyam

But when the seer beholds that golden-hued one, the maker, the Lord, the Supreme Person, the very source of Brahma himself, then that wise one, having washed away both merit and sin, becomes spotless and attains the supreme equanimity.