Vibhuti-Yoga of Shiva

ॐ

Today we read from the seventh chapter of Ishvara Gita (the Lord's Song), an ancient gita spoken by Lord Shiva to the assembled sages in the Naimisha forest (Naimisharanya). The Ishvara Gita comes to us from the latter book (uttarabhaga) of the Kurma Purana. In modern rendering, the chapter is entitled "Vibhuti-Yoga of Shiva." The teaching is in line with the doctrines of the Vedic Pashupatas and is absent of overt concepts from Agamic Shaivism except in seed form. The concepts around the essential triad are beautifully incorporated alongside theistic sankhya philosophy. The pashas (fetters) are said to be two: karma and maya; anava is curiously missing. Nevertheless, asmita (egotism) is said to be one of the six klesha (miseries) caused by maya.  By all accounts, this is a very ancient composition. 

In the chapter below, we find that Shiva as best of the best, the highest of the highest, the essence of All; He is the supreme Lord, He indeed is Aum. He is the Overlord of both prakriti and purusha, and Maya Shakti is His primordial energy. He is the Causer of bondage and He is the Causer of liberation. As we read, we also note the similarity between this chapter and sixth chapter of the Shiva Gita and the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. 

||Aum Namah Shivaya, Shivaya Namah Aum||

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Ishvara said:

1. Ye Sages, listen all of you to the prowess of Parameshthin (highest objective) on realizing which man becomes liberated and does not fall into the worldly existence again. 

2. That is my greatest abode, the Brahman, which is greater than the greatest, eternal, steady and immutable, of perpetual bliss, devoid of doubts and alternatives. 

3. Among the knowers of Brahman, I am the God, Brahmā, the self-born deity, with faces all round. Among the wielders of maya, I am the ancient, imperishable God, Hari. 

4. Among yogins, I am Shambhu, among ladies, I am the Goddess (Parvati), the Daughter of the lord of mountains. I am Vishnu among solar deities, and am the fire-god among Vasus. 

5. Among Rudras, I am Shankara; among those who fly, I am Garuda; among the leading elephants, I am Airavata, and among those who bear weapons, I am Rama. 

6. Among sages, I am Vasishtha; among Devas, I am Satakratu (i.e., Indra); among craftsmen, I am Vishvakarman, and among the enemies of Devas, I am Prahlada. 

7. Among ascetics, I am Vyasa; among the Ganas (attendants of Shiva) I am Vinayaka; among heroes, I am Virabhadra; and among the Siddhas, I am the ascetic Kapila. 

8. Among the mountains, I am Meru; among constellations, I am the Moon; among the weapons of striking potentiality, I am the thunderbolt; and among holy rites, I am truthfulness.

9. Among serpents, I am Ananta (Shesa); among generals of armies, I am Lord Pāvaki (i.e. Skanda); among the stages of life, I am the householder’s stage and among lshvaras (Rulers), I am Maheshvara. 

10. Among kalpas (cycles of time), I am mahakalpa (the great kalpa); among the yugas, I am Krtayuga (golden age); among the Yaksas, I am Kubera and among grasses, I am Virudha. 

11. Among the Prajapatis (progenitors ofthe world), I am Daksha; among the Rakshasas I am Nirrti; among powerful persons, I am Vayu, and among the continents, I am Pushkara. 

12. Among the leaders of beasts, I am the lion; among mechanical devices, I am the bow; among the Vedas, I am Samaveda and among Yajur mantras, I am Shatarudriya (Vaj. Sam. XVI. 1-66). 

13. Among the mantras for the purpose of chanting, I am Savitri (Gayatri mantra; RV. III. 62. 10); among mystic secret mantras, I am Pranava (AUM), among the hymns, I am the Purusha Sukta (RV. X. 90); and among the Saman mantras I am Jyestha Saman. 

14. Among the scholars of Vedic topics, I am Svayambhuva Manu; among territories, I am Brahmavarta, and among holy centers, I am Avimuktaka (Varanasi). 

15. Among Vidyas (lores), I am the Atmavidya (spiritual science, leading to realization of Atman). Among types of knowledge, I am the greatest knowledge pertaining to Ishvara; among the elements, I am the ether (akasha), and among the entities (realities), I am mrtyu (death). 

16. Among the nooses and fetters, I am maya, and among the calculators, I am kala (time); among goals, I am liberation (from samsara) and among the greatest ones, I am Parameshvara (supreme Lord).

17. Whatever else be in the world that stands most prominent by means of sattva guna, brilliance of power, you can vouchsafe for it that it is a manifestation of (My) brilliance.

18. All the Atmans existing in the world are said to be pashus. I am remembered as their Lord, Pashupati, by the wise sages.

19. In my sportive activity, I bind all these pashus by means of the noose of the maya. Expounders of the Vedas say that I am the Liberator of the pashus. 

20. Excepting me, the great Atman, the unchanging overlord of the bhutas (beings), there is no other liberator of those who are bound with the noose of the maya. 

21. The twenty-four principles, the maya, the karma and the three gunas—these are the nooses (in the hands) of Pashupati; and distresses are the bondages of individual souls (pashus). 

22. The mind, the intellect, the ego, the firmament, the wind, the fire, the water, and the earth—these eight are prakritis (causes) and the other things are vikaras (effects). 

23-24. The ears, the sense of touch, the eyes, the tongue and the fifth one the nose (these are the sense-organs of knowledge), the anus, the genitals, the hands, the feet and the organ of speech (these are the organs of activity), sound, touch, color, taste and smell (these are the five objects of pleasure) —these fifteen together with the eight objects mentioned before constitute the twenty-three prakritas or products of Prakriti. 

25. The twenty-fourth principle is the Avyakta (unmanifest), Pradhana characterized by its gunas. It has neither beginning nor middle nor destruction. It is the supreme cause of the universe.

26. Sattva, rajas and tamas—these are called the three gunas. The state of equilibrium of these, three, they know to be the Avyakta Prakriti (the unmanifest Prakrti). 

27. Sattva is knowledge; the rajas is a mixture of knowledge and ignorance; and the tamas is ignorance (ajnana). The wise sages know that the inequality of the gunas is due to the disequilibrium in intellect. 

28. What are called dharma and adharma are the binding nooses called karmas. But those karmas dedicated unto Me are conducive to liberation and not to bondage. 

29. Avidya (ignorance); asmita (egotism), raga (passion), dvesha (hatred) and abhinivesha (attachment) are collectively called kleshas (miseries). They are themselves the bonds that fetter the Atman. 

30. Maya alone is called the cause of these pashas (fetters). It is the original unmanifest Prakriti. That Shakti (divine power) stays in me. 

31. He alone is the primordial nature or pradhana as well as purusha, and the product such as mahat, etc. (i.e. evolutes of prakriti). He is the eternal God of gods. 

32. He alone is the bondage and the Maker of bondage; He alone is the pasha and the Sustainer of the pashus. He knows everything, but no one knows him. They call him the Primordial and Ancient Purusha.  

Ishvara Gita VII:1-23 (Kurma Purana, Book II, VII:1-32)