अस्मत्परमेष्ठिभट्टारकश्रीसोमानन्दपादैः शिवदृष्टिशास्त्रे ऽयमभिनवः सर्वरहस्यशास्त्रान्तर्गतः सन्निगूढत्वादप्रसिद्धो बाह्यान्तरचर्याप्राणायामादिक्लेशप्रयासकलाविरहात् सुघटस्तावदुक्तः , स एवात्र प्रकटतां परवादकलङ्कशङ्कापसारणेन नीतः । यत एवं शास्त्रगुरुस्वप्रत्ययसिद्धोऽयमर्थः , तदिति तस्मादत्र प्रमेयपदे परामर्शं विश्रमयन् विश्वकर्तृत्वलक्षणमैश्वर्यमात्मनो विभाव्य दार्ढ्येन यदा परामृशति तर्हि तत्परामर्शमात्रादेव तावज्जीवन्मुक्तो भगवाञ्छिव एव । यथोक्तं परमेष्ठिपादैः
{ज्ञाते शिवत्वे सर्वस्थे प्रतिपत्त्या दृढात्मना ।
करणेन नास्ति कृत्यं क्वापि भावनयापि वा ॥
सकृज्ज्ञाते सुवर्णे किं भावनाकरणादिना ।
सर्वथा पितृमात्रादि तुल्यदार्ढ्येन सत्यता ॥} (शि। दृ।)
इत्यादि । तां विभाव्य यद्यनिशमाविशति शरीरप्राणबुद्धिशून्येभ्योऽन्यतमं द्वयं सर्वं वा तत्रैव निमज्जयति , अनवरतं तत्तां तां विभूतिं महाविभूतिपर्यन्तां लभते ॥१६॥
ननु यद्यात्माख्यं वस्तु तदेव तर्हि तस्य प्रत्यभिज्ञानाप्रत्यभिज्ञानयोरविशेषः , न हि बीजमप्रत्यभिज्ञाने निर्बन्धः ? उच्यते , द्विविधार्थक्रियास्ति , बाह्या चाङ्कुरादिका , प्रमातृविश्रान्तिचमत्कारसारा च प्रीत्यादिरूपा । तत्राद्या सत्यं प्रत्यभिज्ञानं नापेक्षते , द्वितीया तु तदपेक्षते एव । इह च अहं महेश्वरः इत्येवंभूतचमत्कारसारा परापरसिद्धिलक्षणा जीवन्मुक्तिविभूतियोगमय्यर्थक्रिया , इतीश्वरप्रत्यभिज्ञानमत्रावश्यापेक्षणीयम् । ननु प्रमातृविश्रान्तिसारार्थक्रिया प्रत्यभिज्ञानेन विना न दृष्टा , सति तत्र दृष्टा , इति क्वैतदुपलब्धमित्याशङ्क्याह ----
तैस्तैरप्युपयाचितैरुपनतस्तन्व्याः स्थितोऽप्यन्तिके कान्तो लोकसमान एवमपरिज्ञातो न रन्तुं यथा ।
लोकस्यैष तथानवेक्षितगुणः स्वात्मापि विश्वेश्वरो नैवालं निजवैभवाय तदियं तत्प्रत्यभिज्ञोदिता ॥ §०§
In plain words
This path, new, lying within all the secret yet unknown because it is deeply hidden, and easy to tread because it lacks even a trace of the toil and strain of outer and inner observance, breath control and the like, was first told by our ’s ’s , the revered and venerable , in the ; and here that same path has been brought into the open, by clearing away the stain of doubt cast by the views of others. Since this matter is established in this way by the , by the and by what one knows in oneself: “therefore”, that is, for that reason; “here”, on the level of the , letting rest; having realised one’s own sovereignty, marked by being the maker of the universe: when one holds it in awareness firmly, then by that alone one is, to begin with, , the blessed Himself. As our ’s ’s , the venerable one, has said:
“When being , present in all, has been known by an understanding firm in itself, there is nothing to be done anywhere by any instrument, or even by contemplation.
“Once gold has been known, what use is contemplation, instrument and the like? Truth holds in every way with the same firmness as one’s father, mother and the rest.”
And so on. Having realised it, if he enters it without ceasing, he sinks into it one of body, , and the void, or two, or all; and so, without a break, he gains one after another, up to the great .
But surely, if the real thing called the is just the same either way, then for it there is no difference between being recognised and not being recognised; for not being recognised puts no bond on a seed. It is answered. Effective action is of two kinds: the outer, a sprout and the like; and one whose essence is the wonder of resting in the , in the form of delight and the like. Of these, the first, true, does not look to ; but the second surely does. And here the effective action is made of and of joining with , marked by the higher and the lower attainment, and its essence is wonder of the kind “I am the Great Lord”; so of the Lord must of necessity be looked to here. But surely, effective action whose essence is resting in the “is not seen without , and is seen where it is”: where has this been found? With this doubt in view, he says:
As a lover, brought near to a slender woman by vow upon vow, standing even at her side, is, while not recognised, like any other man, and gives her no delight; so this Lord of all, though people’s own self, while His excellences are not looked at, is not able to bring forth His own glory: therefore this of Him has been set forth.