Greatness of Shiva : Mahimnastava of Pushpadanta with commentary

THE GREATNESS OF SHIVA. (Mahimnastava of Pus/padanta)

I

If praise of Thee by one who knows not the supremacy of Thy greatness ! be unbecoming

Then even the speech of Brahma and other Devas regarding Thee is such.

Therefore none should be blamed who speaks

According to the limit of his knowledge

Oh Hara. ? If that be so, then this mine own

attempt is blameless.

5

Thy greatness surpasses the powers of mind and speech.

Even Shruti * speaks with awe of Thee,

Whom it is unable to portray.*

By whom can Thou be (fitly) praised ?

Who knows the number of Thy qualities ?

In that which cannot be described,

Whose mind and speech does not fail ?

1 Which can be known only with the greatest difficulty.

2 The object of the hymn is praise (stuti) of the supreme Shiva who is greater than all the Devas who have issued from Him.

3 Shiva. The word is derived from the root H7/ to take and the affix 4ch for He removes (Harati) all ills. Hari or Vishnu comes from the same root with the affix 7 and has the same meaning.

4 Revelation. The Vedas. '

5 That is distinctly and fully as one can point out a jar or a piece of cloth (Ghafapata). The Brahman, is not the object of any of the four forms of proof, and so it is said of the Devi that She is Etattadityanirdeshya that is cannot be said to be this or that. For this or that is the form which