चित्तशुद्ध्यर्थमेव उपासनादिWorship and the rest are for purifying the mind
Verse 286
अतः कर्मविधानानि प्रोक्तानि चित्तशुद्धये । नामरूपं बहुविधं तदर्थं कल्पितं मया ॥ २८६ ॥
ataḥ karmavidhānāni prōktāni cittaśuddhayē | nāmarūpaṁ bahuvidhaṁ tadarthaṁ kalpitaṁ mayā || 286 ||
Translation
Therefore the procedures of rites have been taught for the purifying of the mind; for that purpose I have devised names and forms of many kinds.
Word by word
- ataḥ
- therefore
- karma
- of rites
- vidhānāni
- the procedures
- prōktāni
- have been taught
- citta
- of the mind
- śuddhayē
- for the purifying
- nāma
- names
- rūpaṁ
- and forms
- bahuvidhaṁ
- of many kinds
- tad
- (tat) that
- arthaṁ
- for the purpose
- kalpitaṁ
- have been devised
- mayā
- by me
Meaning
A disarming statement from Śiva himself: the rites and the many deities, their names and forms, are means devised for the purifying of the mind, for the sake, the commentary says, of those who have not attained union. They are ladders, not the goal. The commentary reads verses 286 to 289 together.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
Tadartham: for the sake of mortals who have not attained yoga. (This explanation covers verses 286 to 289.)