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Mahānirvāṇa Tantra 11.9

Traditional

Ullāsas
14
Verses
2517
Minutes
1258
Level
advanced

Ullāsa 11 · Verse 9

देवीस्तुतिःHymn to the Goddess

Verse 9

त्वमेव वेदाः प्रणवः स्मृतयस्त्वं हि संहिताः । निगमागमतन्त्राणि सर्वशास्त्रमयी शिवा ॥ ९ ॥

tvamēva vēdāḥ praṇavaḥ smṛtayastvaṁ hi saṁhitāḥ | nigamāgamatantrāṇi sarvaśāstramayī śivā || 9 ||

Translation

You are the Vedas and the praṇava, the smṛtis and the saṁhitās, the Nigamas, Āgamas and Tantras: Śivā, whose form is all scripture.

Word by word

tvam
(tvam) you
ēva
indeed
vēdāḥ
(vedāḥ) the Vedas
praṇavaḥ
(praṇavaḥ) the praṇava
smṛtayaḥ
(smṛtayaḥ) the smṛtis
tvaṁ
you
hi
indeed
saṁhitāḥ
(saṁhitāḥ) the saṁhitās
nigama
the Nigamas
āgama
Āgamas
tantrāṇi
and Tantras
sarva
all
śāstra
scripture
mayī
whose form is
śivā
Śivā

Meaning

All sacred literature is her form: the Vedas, oṁ, the law-books (smṛti), the epics (saṁhitā, such as the Mahābhārata), and the Tantric texts. The ṭīkā distinguishes them: a Nigama is spoken by the Goddess in answer to Śiva, an Āgama by Śiva to the Goddess, a Tantra by Śiva for Ambikā and written down by Gaṇeśa.

Commentary

Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated

"Tvam eva". The Vedas, the Yajus and the rest: that form is you. The praṇava, whose form is oṁkāra, is you. The smṛtis, the dharma-śāstras told by Manu and the rest: that form is you. The saṁhitās, the Mahābhārata and the rest: that form is you. A nigama is a particular book in verse, born from Pārvatī's mouth at Śambhu's question; an āgama is a particular book in verse, from Śiva's mouth, reaching Girijā's ear, approved by Vāsudeva; and a tantra is a particular book told by Śiva for Ambikā and written by Gaṇeśa: that form too is you. Sarvaśāstramayī: whose form is all the śāstras, Vedānta and the rest. Śivā: the one abode of all good.