The Nature of Shiva

Verse 1 (shiva.vayaviya.41.1)

उपमन्युरुवाच । न शिवस्याणवो बन्धः कार्यो मायेय एव वा । प्राकृतो वाथ बोद्धा वा ह्यहङ्कारात्मकस्तथा

upamanyuruvāca | na śivasyāṇavo bandhaḥ kāryo māyeya eva vā | prākṛto vātha boddhā vā hyahaṅkārātmakastathā

Upamanyu said: Shiva has no bondage of the anava kind, nor of effects, nor of maya; nor of primordial nature, nor of the intellect, nor of the nature of the ego.

Verse 2 (shiva.vayaviya.41.2)

नैवास्य मानसो बन्धो न चैत्तो नेन्द्रियात्मकः । न च तन्मात्रबन्धोऽपि भूतबन्धो न कश्चन

naivāsya mānaso bandho na caitto nendriyātmakaḥ | na ca tanmātrabandho'pi bhūtabandho na kaścana

He has no bondage related to the mind, none related to the mind-stuff, none of the nature of the senses; nor any bondage of the subtle elements, nor any bondage whatsoever of the gross elements.

Verse 3 (shiva.vayaviya.41.3)

न च कालः कला चैव नाविद्या नियतिस्तथा । न रागो न च विद्वेषः शम्भोरमिततेजसः

na ca kālaḥ kalā caiva nāvidyā niyatistathā | na rāgo na ca vidveṣaḥ śambhoramitatejasaḥ

For Shambhu, of boundless splendor, there is no bondage of time, nor of limited capacity, nor of ignorance, nor of necessity; there is no attachment in him, and no aversion.

Verse 4 (shiva.vayaviya.41.4)

न चास्त्यभिनिवेशोऽस्य कुशलाकुशलान्यपि । कर्माणि तद्विपाकश्च सुखदुःखे च तत्फले

na cāstyabhiniveśo'sya kuśalākuśalānyapi | karmāṇi tadvipākaśca sukhaduḥkhe ca tatphale

He has no clinging to life, no good or evil deeds, no ripening of such deeds, and no pleasure or pain as their fruit.

Verse 5 (shiva.vayaviya.41.5)

आशयैर्नापि सम्बन्धः संस्कारैः कर्मणामपि । भोगैश्च भोगसंस्कारैः कालत्रितयगोचरैः

āśayairnāpi sambandhaḥ saṁskāraiḥ karmaṇāmapi | bhogaiśca bhogasaṁskāraiḥ kālatritayagocaraiḥ

He has no connection whatsoever with mental impressions, nor with the latent traces of deeds, nor with enjoyments or their residual traces, spanning as they do all three periods of time.

Verse 6 (shiva.vayaviya.41.6)

न तस्य कारणं कर्ता नादिरन्तस्तथान्तरम् । न कर्म करणं वापि नाकार्यं कार्यमेव च

na tasya kāraṇaṁ kartā nādirantastathāntaram | na karma karaṇaṁ vāpi nākāryaṁ kāryameva ca

He has no cause, no doer, no beginning, no end, and no middle; no deed, no instrument, neither non-effect nor effect.

Verse 7 (shiva.vayaviya.41.7)

नास्य बन्धुरबन्धुर्वा नियन्ता प्रेरकोऽपि वा । न पतिर्न गुरुस्त्राता नाधिको न समस्तथा

nāsya bandhurabandhurvā niyantā prerako'pi vā | na patirna gurustrātā nādhiko na samastathā

He has no kinsman and no stranger, no controller and no impeller; no lord, no teacher, no protector over him; none greater than he, and none his equal.

Verse 8 (shiva.vayaviya.41.8)

न जन्ममरणे तस्य न काङ्क्षितमकाङ्क्षितम् । न विधिर्न निषेधश्च न मुक्तिर्न च बन्धनम्

na janmamaraṇe tasya na kāṅkṣitamakāṅkṣitam | na vidhirna niṣedhaśca na muktirna ca bandhanam

For him there is no birth and no death; nothing desired and nothing undesired; no injunction and no prohibition; no liberation and no bondage.

Verse 9 (shiva.vayaviya.41.9)

नास्ति यद्यदकल्याणं तत्तदस्य कदाचन । कल्याणं सकलं चास्ति परमात्मा शिवो यतः

nāsti yadyadakalyāṇaṁ tattadasya kadācana | kalyāṇaṁ sakalaṁ cāsti paramātmā śivo yataḥ

Whatever is inauspicious does not exist in him at any time whatsoever; and whatever is auspicious exists in him wholly, for he is the Supreme Self, Shiva.

Verse 10 (shiva.vayaviya.41.10)

स शिवः सर्वमेवेदमधिष्ठाय स्वशक्तिभिः । अप्रच्युतः स्वतो भावः स्थितः स्थाणुरतः स्मृतः

sa śivaḥ sarvamevedamadhiṣṭhāya svaśaktibhiḥ | apracyutaḥ svato bhāvaḥ sthitaḥ sthāṇurataḥ smṛtaḥ

That Shiva, though presiding over this entire universe through his own powers, never falls away from his own true nature; and therefore he is remembered as "Sthanu," the ever-motionless one.

Verse 11 (shiva.vayaviya.41.11)

शिवेनाधिष्ठितं यस्मात् जगत्स्थावरजङ्गमम् । सर्वरूपः स्मृतः शर्वस्तथा ज्ञात्वा न मुह्यति

śivenādhiṣṭhitaṁ yasmāt jagatsthāvarajaṅgamam | sarvarūpaḥ smṛtaḥ śarvastathā jñātvā na muhyati

Because this entire universe, moving and unmoving, is governed by Shiva alone, Sharva is remembered as of the very form of all things; knowing this, one is no longer deluded.

Verse 12 (shiva.vayaviya.41.12)

शर्वो रुद्रो नमस्तस्मै पुरुषः सत्परो महान् । हिरण्यबाहुर्भगवान् हिरण्यपतिरीश्वरः

śarvo rudro namastasmai puruṣaḥ satparo mahān | hiraṇyabāhurbhagavān hiraṇyapatirīśvaraḥ

Sharva, Rudra — homage to him; he is the Supreme Person, being, transcendent, great, golden-armed, the Lord, master of gold, and sovereign.

Verse 13 (shiva.vayaviya.41.13)

अम्बिकापतिरीशानः पिनाकी वृषवाहनः । एको रुद्रः परं ब्रह्म पुरुषः कृष्णपिङ्गलः

ambikāpatirīśānaḥ pinākī vṛṣavāhanaḥ | eko rudraḥ paraṁ brahma puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇapiṅgalaḥ

The husband of Ambika, Ishana, wielder of the Pinaka, mounted upon the bull; he alone, Rudra, is the supreme Brahman, the Supreme Person, dark and tawny in hue.

Verse 14 (shiva.vayaviya.41.14)

बालाग्रमात्रो हृन्मध्ये विचिन्त्यो दहरान्तरे । हिरण्यकेशः पद्माक्षो ह्यरुणस्ताम्र एव च

bālāgramātro hṛnmadhye vicintyo daharāntare | hiraṇyakeśaḥ padmākṣo hyaruṇastāmra eva ca

He, of the size of the mere tip of a hair, is to be meditated upon in the middle of the heart, within its inner space; golden-haired, lotus-eyed, ruddy, and copper-hued as well.

Verse 15 (shiva.vayaviya.41.15)

योऽवसर्पत्यसौ देवो नीलग्रीवो हिरण्मयः । सौम्योऽघोरस्तथा मिश्रश्चाक्षारश्चामृतोऽव्ययः

yo'vasarpatyasau devo nīlagrīvo hiraṇmayaḥ | saumyo'ghorastathā miśraścākṣāraścāmṛto'vyayaḥ

That God, who descends, blue-throated and golden of form, is also gentle, also terrible, also of a mixed nature, imperishable, immortal, and unchanging.

Verse 16 (shiva.vayaviya.41.16)

स पुंविशेषः परमो भगवानन्तकान्तकः । चेतनाचेतनोन्मुक्तः प्रपञ्चाच्च परात्परः

sa puṁviśeṣaḥ paramo bhagavānantakāntakaḥ | cetanācetanonmuktaḥ prapañcācca parātparaḥ

That distinctive Supreme Person, the Lord, is the ender even of Death himself; free of both the sentient and the insentient, he is beyond the manifold universe, and beyond even the transcendent.

Verse 17 (shiva.vayaviya.41.17)

शिवेनातिशयत्वेन ज्ञानैश्वर्ये विलोकिते । लोकेशातिशयत्वेन स्थितं प्राहुर्मनीषिणः

śivenātiśayatvena jñānaiśvarye vilokite | lokeśātiśayatvena sthitaṁ prāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ

On account of the knowledge and lordship seen in Shiva in their most exceeding degree, the wise declare that he stands established in a degree exceeding even the lords of the worlds.

Verse 18 (shiva.vayaviya.41.18)

प्रतिसर्गप्रसूतानां ब्रह्मणां शास्त्रविस्तरम् । उपदेष्टा स एवादौ कालावच्छेदवर्तिनाम्

pratisargaprasūtānāṁ brahmaṇāṁ śāstravistaram | upadeṣṭā sa evādau kālāvacchedavartinām

He alone is the primal instructor, teaching the full expanse of the scriptures to the successive Brahmas born at each re-creation, those who dwell within the bounds of time.

Verse 19 (shiva.vayaviya.41.19)

कालावच्छेदयुक्तानां गुरूणामप्यसौ गुरुः । सर्वेषामेव सर्वेशः कालावच्छेदवर्जितः

kālāvacchedayuktānāṁ gurūṇāmapyasau guruḥ | sarveṣāmeva sarveśaḥ kālāvacchedavarjitaḥ

He is the teacher even of those teachers bound within the limits of time; free of any limitation by time, he is the Lord of all, of every single being.

Verse 20 (shiva.vayaviya.41.20)

शुद्धा स्वाभाविकी तस्य शक्तिः सर्वातिशायिनी । ज्ञानमप्रतिमं नित्यं वपुरत्यन्तनिर्मिलम्

śuddhā svābhāvikī tasya śaktiḥ sarvātiśāyinī | jñānamapratimaṁ nityaṁ vapuratyantanirmilam

His power is pure, natural, and exceeds all else; his knowledge is unequalled and eternal, and his very form is utterly spotless.

Verse 21 (shiva.vayaviya.41.21)

ऐश्वर्यमप्रतिद्वन्द्वं सुखमात्यन्तिकं बलम् । तेजःप्रभावो वीर्यं च क्षमा कारुण्यमेव च

aiśvaryamapratidvandvaṁ sukhamātyantikaṁ balam | tejaḥprabhāvo vīryaṁ ca kṣamā kāruṇyameva ca

His lordship has no rival, his bliss is absolute, and his strength, the power of his splendor, his valor, his forbearance, and his compassion — all these are his.

Verse 22 (shiva.vayaviya.41.22)

परिपूर्णस्य सर्गाद्यैर्नात्मनोऽस्ति प्रयोजनम् । परानुग्रह एवास्य फलं सर्वस्य कर्मणः

paripūrṇasya sargādyairnātmano'sti prayojanam | parānugraha evāsya phalaṁ sarvasya karmaṇaḥ

Being wholly complete, he has no personal purpose to serve through creation and the rest; the fruit of all his action is simply grace bestowed upon others.

Verse 23 (shiva.vayaviya.41.23)

प्रणवो वाचकस्तस्य शिवस्य परमात्मनः । शिवरुद्रादिशब्दानां प्रणवो हि परः स्मृतः

praṇavo vācakastasya śivasya paramātmanaḥ | śivarudrādiśabdānāṁ praṇavo hi paraḥ smṛtaḥ

The syllable Om is the very expresser of that Supreme Self, Shiva; among all the names such as "Shiva," "Rudra," and the rest, Om alone is remembered as supreme.

Verse 24 (shiva.vayaviya.41.24)

शम्भोः प्रणववाच्यस्य भवनात्तज्जपादपि । या सिद्धिः सा परा प्राप्या भवत्येव न संशयः

śambhoḥ praṇavavācyasya bhavanāttajjapādapi | yā siddhiḥ sā parā prāpyā bhavatyeva na saṁśayaḥ

By meditating upon Shambhu, who is expressed by that syllable Om — or even simply by reciting it — the supreme accomplishment that results is, without any doubt, surely attained.

Verse 25 (shiva.vayaviya.41.25)

तस्मादेकाक्षरं देवमाहुरागमपारगाः । वाच्यवाचकयोरैक्यं मन्यमाना मनस्विनः

tasmādekākṣaraṁ devamāhurāgamapāragāḥ | vācyavācakayoraikyaṁ manyamānā manasvinaḥ

Therefore those learned scholars who have mastered the scriptures declare that single syllable itself to be the God, holding, with clear understanding, that the expressed and the expresser are one.

Verse 26 (shiva.vayaviya.41.26)

अस्य मात्राः समाख्याताश्चतस्रो वेदमूर्द्धनि । अकारश्चाप्युकारश्च मकारो नाद इत्यपि

asya mātrāḥ samākhyātāścatasro vedamūrddhani | akāraścāpyukāraśca makāro nāda ityapi

Four component parts of this syllable are declared at the crown of the Veda — the sound "a," the sound "u," the sound "m," and Nada, the resonance, as well.

Verse 27 (shiva.vayaviya.41.27)

अकारं बह्वृचं प्राहुरुकारो यजुरुच्यते । मकारः सामनादोऽस्य श्रुतिराथर्वणी स्मृता

akāraṁ bahvṛcaṁ prāhurukāro yajurucyate | makāraḥ sāmanādo'sya śrutirātharvaṇī smṛtā

The sound "a" is declared to be the Rigveda, the sound "u" is called the Yajurveda; the sound "m" is the resonance of the Sama, and its own scripture is held to be the Atharvan.

Verse 28 (shiva.vayaviya.41.28)

अकारश्च महाबीजं रजः स्रष्टा चतुर्मुखः । उकारः प्रकृतिर्योनिः सत्त्वं पालयिता हरिः

akāraśca mahābījaṁ rajaḥ sraṣṭā caturmukhaḥ | ukāraḥ prakṛtiryoniḥ sattvaṁ pālayitā hariḥ

The sound "a" is the great seed, is Rajas, and is the four-faced creator Brahma; the sound "u" is Prakriti, the very womb of origin, is Sattva, and is Hari, the sustainer.

Verse 29 (shiva.vayaviya.41.29)

मकारः पुरुषो बीजं तमः संहारको हरः । नादः परः पुमानीशो निर्गुणो निष्क्रियः शिवः

makāraḥ puruṣo bījaṁ tamaḥ saṁhārako haraḥ | nādaḥ paraḥ pumānīśo nirguṇo niṣkriyaḥ śivaḥ

The sound "m" is Purusha, the seed, is Tamas, and is Hara, the destroyer; Nada itself is the Supreme Person, the Lord, devoid of qualities, actionless — Shiva himself.

Verse 30 (shiva.vayaviya.41.30)

सर्वं तिसृभिरेवेदं मात्राभिर्निखिलं त्रिधा । अभिधाय शिवात्मानं बोधयत्यर्धमात्रया

sarvaṁ tisṛbhirevedaṁ mātrābhirnikhilaṁ tridhā | abhidhāya śivātmānaṁ bodhayatyardhamātrayā

By those three component parts alone, this entire universe is expressed, wholly, in three ways; and by the half-part beyond them, the very nature of Shiva is made known.

Verse 31 (shiva.vayaviya.41.31)

यस्मात्परं नापरमस्ति किञ्चिद्\- यस्मान्नाणीयो न ज्यायोऽस्ति किञ्चित् । वृक्ष इव स्तब्धो दिवि तिष्ठत्येक\- स्तेनेदं पूर्णं पुरुषेण सर्वम्

yasmātparaṁ nāparamasti kiñcid\- yasmānnāṇīyo na jyāyo'sti kiñcit | vṛkṣa iva stabdho divi tiṣṭhatyeka\- stenedaṁ pūrṇaṁ puruṣeṇa sarvam

There is nothing other than him, higher than him; there is nothing smaller, and nothing greater than him; he alone stands motionless in the sky, like a tree — and by that Supreme Person, this entire universe is filled full.