यदि एवंभूतस्य आत्मनो विभूतिः तत् कथम् अयं मलावृतः अणुः कलादिवलितः संसारी अभिधीयते ? - इत्याहचिद्वत्तच्छक्तिसंकोचात् मलावृतः संसारी ॥ ९ ॥यदा चिदात्मा परमेश्वरः स्वस्वातन्त्र्यात् अभेदव्याप्तिं निमज्ज्य भेदव्याप्तिम् अवलम्बते तदा तदीया इच्छादिशक्तयः असंकुचिता अपि संकोचवत्यो भान्ति तदानीमेव च अयं मलावृतः संसारी भवति ।तथा च अप्रतिहतस्वातन्त्र्यरूपा इच्छाशक्तिः संकुचिता सती अपूर्णंमन्यतारूपम् आणवं मलम् ज्ञानशक्तिः क्रमेण संकोचात् भेदे सर्वज्ञत्वस्य किंचिज्ज्ञत्वाप्तेः अन्तःकरण-बुद्धीन्द्रियतापत्ति-पूर्वम् अत्यन्तं संकोचग्रहणेन भिन्नवेद्यप्रथारूपं मायीयं मलम् क्रियाशक्तिः क्रमेण भेदे सर्वकर्तृत्वस्य किंचित्कर्तृत्वाप्तेः कर्मेन्द्रियरूपसंकोचग्रहणपूर्वम् अत्यन्तं परिमिततां प्राप्ता शुभाशुभानुष्ठानमयं कार्मं मलम् ।तथा सर्व-कर्तृत्व-सर्वज्ञत्व-पूर्णत्व-नित्यत्व-व्यापकत्वशक्तयः संकोचं गृह्णाना यथाक्रमं कला-विद्या-राग-काल-नियतिरूपतया भान्ति ।तथाविधश्च अयं शक्तिदरिद्रः संसारी उच्यते स्वशक्तिविकासे तु शिव एव ॥ ९ ॥
In plain words
If such is the glory of the Self, how is he called covered with mala, an aṇu, wrapped in kalā and the rest, one bound in saṃsāra? He says: The one who is cit, through the contraction of his powers, is covered with mala and bound in saṃsāra. When the Supreme Lord, whose self is cit, by his own freedom submerges the pervasion of non-difference and takes up the pervasion of difference, then his powers, will and the rest, though uncontracted, appear contracted; and at that very moment he becomes one covered with mala, bound in saṃsāra. So the power of will, whose form is unobstructed freedom, once contracted, becomes the āṇava mala, which is the sense of not being full. The power of knowledge, contracting by degrees within difference, so that all-knowing becomes knowing a little, first becomes the inner organ and the organs of knowledge and then, taking on contraction utterly, becomes the māyīya mala, the appearing of knowables as separate. The power of action, by degrees within difference, so that all-doing becomes doing a little, first takes on the contraction of the organs of action and then, reaching utter limitation, becomes the kārma mala, made of the doing of good and bad deeds. So too the powers of all-doing, all-knowing, fullness, eternity and pervasiveness, taking on contraction, appear in order as kalā, vidyā, rāga, kāla and niyati. Such a one, poor in power, is called one bound in saṃsāra; but when his own powers unfold, he is Śiva himself.