Adhyaya 316

Verse 1

इत्य् आग्नेये महापुराणे नानामन्त्रा नाम पञ्चदशाधिकत्रिशततमो ऽध्यायः अथ षोडशाधिकत्रिशततमो ऽध्यायः सकलादिमन्त्रोद्धारः ईश्वर उवाच सकलं निष्कलं शून्यं कलाढ्यं स्वमलङ्कृतम् क्षपणं क्षयमन्तस्थं कण्ठोष्ठं चाष्टमंशिवम्

Thus, in the Agni Mahāpurāṇa ends the three-hundred-and-fifteenth chapter called “Various Mantras.” Now begins the three-hundred-and-sixteenth chapter: “Derivation (uddhāra) of the Sakalādi Mantra.” The Lord said: “It is the gross (sakala) and the partless (niṣkala), the void (śūnya), rich in kalās, adorned by its own power. It is the remover (kṣapaṇa), the ender of decay (kṣaya), abiding within (antastha); it is of the throat and lips (kaṇṭha–oṣṭha), and the eighth—auspicious Śiva.”

Verse 2

प्रासादस्य पराख्यस्य स्मृतं रूपं गुहाष्टधा रिपुदुष्टादि वारयेदिति क , ट च प्रसादस्येति ख स्मृतिरूपमिति ख सदाशिवस्य शब्दस्य रूपस्याखिलसिद्धये

The form of the supreme Prāsāda called ‘Parā’ is remembered as the “eightfold secret” (guhya aṣṭadhā). It is said to ward off enemies, wicked persons, and the like—so read the Ka and Ṭa variants; the Kha variant has “of the prāsāda” and also “the remembered form.” (This is taught) for the attainment of complete success through the mantra-form of the word “Sadāśiva”.

Verse 3

अमृतश्चांशुभांश्चेन्दुश्चेश्वरश्चोग्र ऊहकः एकपादेन ओजाख्य औषधश्चांशुमान् वशी

“Amṛta (Immortal), Aṃśubhāṃ (Radiant), Indu (the Moon), Īśvara (the Lord), Ugra (the Fierce), Ūhaka (the Discerner), Ekapāda (the One-footed), the one named Ojas, Auṣadha (Lord of herbs), Aṃśumān (the Luminous), and Vaśī (the Self-controlled).”

Verse 4

अकारादेः क्षकारश् च ककारादेः क्रमादिमे कामदेवः शिखण्डी च गणेशः कालशङ्करौ

From the series beginning with ‘a’ up to ‘kṣa’, and likewise from the series beginning with ‘ka’, in due order—these syllables are indicated as corresponding to the deities: Kāmadeva, Śikhaṇḍī, Gaṇeśa, and Kāla-Śaṅkara.

Verse 5

एकनेत्रो द्विनेत्रश् च त्रिशिखो दीर्घबाहुकः एकपादर्धचन्द्रश् च बलपो योगिनीप्रियः

He is the One-Eyed and also the Two-Eyed; he is three-crested (triśikha), long-armed; one-footed, bearing the half-moon; mighty, and beloved of the Yoginīs.

Verse 6

शक्तीश्वरो महाग्रन्थिस्तर्पकः स्थाणुदन्तुरौ निधीशो नन्दी पद्मश् च तथान्यः शाकिनीप्रियः

He is the Lord of Śakti; the Great-Knotted One (Mahāgranthi); the Satisfier (Tarpaka); the Immovable (Sthāṇu); the Tusked (Dantura); the Lord of treasures (Nidhīśa); Nandī; Padma; and also the “Other,” beyond all; and the Beloved of the Śākinīs.

Verse 7

सुखविम्बो भीषनश् च कृतान्तः प्राणसंज्ञकः तेजस्वी शक्र उदधिः श्रीकण्ठः सिंह एव च

(He is) Sukhavimba, the embodiment of blissful radiance; Bhīṣaṇa, the Terrible; Kṛtānta, Death the Finisher; Prāṇa-saṃjñaka, known as the Life-breath; Tejasvī, the Splendid; Śakra, mighty like Indra; Udadhi, the Ocean; Śrīkaṇṭha, the Auspicious-throated; and Siṃha, the Lion.

Verse 8

शशाङ्को विश्वरूपश् च क्षश् च स्यान्नरसिंहकः सूर्यमात्रासमाक्रान्तं विश्वरूपन्तु कारयेत्

Śaśāṅka and Viśvarūpa are to be employed as the prescribed forms; and the syllable “kṣa” is to be depicted/inscribed as Narasiṃha. One should fashion the Viśvarūpa image according to the Sun’s measure (solar proportion).

Verse 9

अंशुमत्संयुतं कृत्वा शशिवीजं विनायुतम् ईशानमोजसाक्रान्तं प्रथमन्तु समुद्धरेत्

Having combined it with the “aṃśumat” (radiant) element, and having joined the lunar seed-syllable (śaśi-bīja) with Vināyaka (vinā-yuta), one should first extract/utter the Īśāna portion of the mantra, empowered by ojas (vital force).

Verse 10

तृतीयं पुरुषं विद्धि दक्षिणं पञ्चमं तथा सप्तमं वामदेवन्तु सद्योजातन्ततःपरं

Know the third placement as Tatpuruṣa; the fifth as Dakṣiṇa (Aghora, the southern face); and the seventh as Vāmadeva; thereafter, know Sadyojāta as the next placement.

Verse 11

रसयुक्तन्तु नवमं ब्रह्मपञ्चपञ्चकमीरितम् ओंकाराद्याश् चतुर्थ्यन्ता नमोन्ताः सर्वमन्त्रकाः

The ninth set is declared to be “endowed with rasa,” and is taught as the Brahma five-and-five pentads. All mantras are those that begin with Oṃ, end in the dative (fourth case), and conclude with the word “namaḥ.”

Verse 12

सद्योदेवा द्वितीयन्तु हृदयञ्चाङ्गसंयुतम् चतुर्थन्तु शिरो विद्धि ईश्वरन्नामनामतः

Know that the second (mantra/form) is “Sadyodeva,” associated with the heart (hṛdaya) and the auxiliary limbs (aṅgas). Know that the fourth is the head, in accordance with the nomenclature of Īśvara (the Lord).

Verse 13

ऊहकन्तु शिखा ज्ञेया विश्वरूपसमन्विता त्रिशिखी चोर्ध्ववाहुक इति ख , छ च तन्मन्त्रमष्टमं ख्यातं नेत्रन्तु दशमं मतम्

The Śikhā (the crown-tuft/occipital lock used in nyāsa) is to be understood as “Ūhakā,” endowed with the universal form (Viśvarūpa)—as triśikhī (“three-tufted”) and ūrdhva-vāhuka (“with arms raised upward”); this is indicated by the syllables kha and cha. That is proclaimed as the eighth mantra; the Netra (eye-protection mantra) is regarded as the tenth.

Verse 14

अस्त्रं शशी समाख्यातं शिवसंज्ञं शिखिध्यजः नमः स्वाहा तथा वौषत् हूं च फत्कक्रमेण तु

Thus is declared the Śaśī-astra, the lunar missile. O Śikhidhvaja, it bears the appellation “Śiva.” It is to be employed with the mantra-sequence “namaḥ,” “svāhā,” “vauṣaṭ,” “hūṃ,” and “phaṭ,” in due order.

Verse 15

जातिफट्कं हृदादीनां प्रासादं मन्त्रमावदे ईशानाद्रुद्रसंख्यातं प्रोद्धरेच्चांशुरञ्जितम्

One should recite the “jāti-phaṭka” (a class-specific phaṭ-exclamation) for the hṛdaya and the other nyāsa-limbs, and state the “prāsāda” mantra. Beginning from Īśāna, one should extract/arrange it according to the Rudra-count, made radiant with its rays (aṃśu).

Verse 16

औषधाक्रान्तशिरसमूहकस्योपरिस्थितं अर्धचन्द्रोर्धनादश् च विन्दुद्वितयमध्यगं

Placed above the group of head-letters beginning with auṣadha, there are the half-moon and the ardhanāda, positioned between the two bindu-dots.

Verse 17

तदन्ते विश्वरूपन्तु कुटिलन्तु त्रिधा ततः एवं प्रासादमन्त्रश् च सर्वकर्मकरो मनुः

At its end one should form the viśvarūpa, the all-formed configuration; then the kuṭila, the curved form, is to be made threefold. Thus is the prāsāda-mantra, the temple-mantra, a formula held efficacious for accomplishing all rites (sarva-karman).

Verse 18

शिखावीजं समुद्धृत्य फट्कारान्तन्तु चैव फट् अर्धचन्द्रासनं ज्ञेयं कामदेवं ससर्पकम्

Having taken up the Śikhā-bīja and then adding the syllable “phaṭ” at the end—indeed uttering “phaṭ”—one should understand this practice as the Ardhacandra-āsana, associated with Kāmadeva, together with the accompanying serpent element.

Verse 19

महापाशुपतास्त्रन्तु सर्वदुष्टप्रमर्दनम् प्रासादः सकलः प्रोक्तो निष्कलः प्रोच्यते ऽधुना

Now the Great Pāśupata missile-weapon is declared to be the crusher of all evil-doers. The prāsāda in its manifest form (sakala) has been described; now the formless aspect (niṣkala) is explained.

Verse 20

औषधं विश्वरूपन्तु रुद्राख्यं सूर्यमण्डलम् चन्द्रार्धं नादसंयोगं विसंज्ञं कुटिलन्ततः

The auṣadha, the medicinal substance, is of universal form (viśvarūpa); it is called “Rudra” and is likened to the solar orb. It bears the half-moon, is conjoined with nāda (the inner sound), becomes beyond ordinary cognition, and thereafter assumes the coiled (kuṭila), serpentine form.

Verse 21

निष्कलो भुक्तिमुक्तौ स्यात्पञ्चाङ्गो ऽयं सदाशिवः अंशुमान् विश्वरूपञ्च आवृतं शून्यरञ्जितम्

In His partless (niṣkala) aspect, He bestows both worldly enjoyment and liberation. This Sadāśiva manifests fivefold; radiant and of the form of the universe, He is veiled and yet as though “tinged” by the Void, appearing as if covered by emptiness.

Verse 22

ब्रह्माङ्गरहितः शून्यस्तस्य मूर्तिरसस्तरुः विघ्ननाशाय भवति पूजितो बालबालिशैः

Devoid of the limbs (or attributes) of Brahman and thus empty, its form is but an unreal “tree”; yet, when worshipped by childish and ignorant people, it is taken as a means for the destruction of obstacles.

Verse 23

अंशुमान् विश्वरूपाख्यमूहकस्योपरि स्थितम् कलाढ्यं सकलस्यैव पूजाङ्गादि च सर्वतः

Aṃśumān is to be placed above the form called Mūhaka, known as Viśvarūpa. He is endowed with all kalās (divine parts/arts), complete in every respect, and furnished on all sides with the accessories of worship and the like.

Verse 24

नरसिंहं कृतान्तस्थं तेजस्विप्राणमूर्धगम् मन्त्रमादरेदिति ञ चन्द्रार्धनादसंयुक्तमिति ख अंशुमानूहकाक्रान्तमधोर्धं स्वसलङ्घृतम्

“The syllable Ña is to be revered as the mantra of Narasiṃha—abiding in the sphere of Kṛtānta (Death), radiant, and ascending with the prāṇa (life-breath) toward the crown of the head. The syllable Kha is said to be joined with the half-moon sign and with nāda (subtle sound-vibration). It is filled with rays, overcovered by ūhaka (the carrying/impelling force), and its lower half is crossed by its own stroke or mark.”

Verse 25

चन्द्रार्धनादनादान्तं ब्रह्मविष्णुविभूशित उदधिं नरसिंहञ्च सूर्यमात्राविभेदितम्

I contemplate that form which begins with the crescent-moon sign and is without beginning or end; which is adorned by Brahmā and Viṣṇu; which is vast like the ocean; and which is Nṛsiṃha—distinguished by the mātrā, the measured radiance of the Sun.

Verse 26

यदा कृतं तदा तस्य ब्रह्माण्यङ्गानि पूर्ववत् ओजाख्यमंशुमद्युक्तं प्रथमं वर्णमुद्धरेत्

When that has been performed, then—restoring his Brahmā-limbs (the ritualized subtle-body parts) as before—one should utter the first syllable (varṇa), called “Ojas”, joined with the radiant “Aṃśumat”.

Verse 27

अशुमच्चांशुनाक्रान्तं द्वितीयं वर्णनायकम् अंशुमानीश्वरन्तद्वत् तृतीयं मुक्तिदायकम्

The second is “Aśumat” and “Aṃśunākrānta,” the leader of all syllables (letters). Likewise, the third is “Aṃśumān Īśvara,” which bestows liberation.

Verse 28

ऊहकञ्चांशुनाक्रान्तं वरुणप्रानतैजसम् पञ्चमन्तु समाख्यातं कृतान्तन्तु ततः परम्

“Ūhaka” and “Aṃśunākrānta”, and also “Varuṇa” and “Prānata-Tejas”, are declared as the fifth (set of names); after that comes the set beginning with “Kṛtānta”.

Verse 29

अंशुमानुदकप्राणः सप्तमं वर्णमुद्धृतम् पद्ममिन्दुसमाक्रान्तं नन्दीशमेकपादधृक्

The seventh letter is to be taken up (for nyāsa/meditation) as radiant, water-souled, and as life-breath itself—visualized as a lotus suffused by the moon, and as Nandīśa, the bearer of the single foot (Ekāpāda form).

Verse 30

प्रथमञ्चान्ततो योज्यं क्षपणं दशवीजकम् अस्यार्धं तृतीयञ्चैव पञ्चमं सप्तमं तथा

The first syllable should be placed at the end; then one should add the “kṣapaṇa” element, which is a ten-seed (daśa-bīja) formula. Half of this formula is to be applied likewise for the third, the fifth, and the seventh cases.

Verse 31

सद्योजातन्तु नवमं द्वितीयाद्धृदयादिकम् दशार्णप्रणवं यत्तु फडन्तञ्चास्त्रमुद्धरेत्

But the ninth mantra is Sadyojāta. From the second onward one should take up the Heart-mantra and the other ancillary (aṅga) mantras. And that ten-syllabled Praṇava, ending with “phaṭ,” should be extracted/uttered as the Astra-mantra.

Verse 32

नमस्कारयुतान्यत्र ब्रह्माङ्गानि तु नान्यथा द्वितीयादष्टौ यावदष्टौ विद्येश्वरा मताः

Here, Brahmā’s limbs (aṅgas) are to be mentally placed together with salutations (namaskāra)—only in this manner, not otherwise. From the second set up to the eighth, they are regarded as the Vidyeśvaras, Lords of the Vidyās.

Verse 33

अनन्तेशश् च सूक्ष्मश् च तृतीयश् च शिवोक्तमः एकमूर्च्येकरूपस्तु त्रिमूर्तिरपरस् तथा

‘Ananteśa’ and ‘Sūkṣma’ are two forms; the third is the supreme Śiva, as declared in Śaiva teaching. One is of a single embodiment and a single form; another, likewise, is the Trimūrti, embodying three forms.

Verse 34

श्रीकण्ठश् च शिखण्डी च अष्टौविद्येश्वराःस्मृताः शिखण्डिनो ऽप्यनन्तान्तं मन्त्रान्तं मूर्तिरीरिता

Śrīkaṇṭha and Śikhaṇḍī are remembered among the eight Vidyeśvaras. For Śikhaṇḍin as well, the prescribed icon (mūrti) is taught as having ‘Ananta’ as its concluding element, and its mantra likewise ending with ‘Ananta’.