energy) and evoked into existence the primeval egg.[50] Who else than
that Supreme Lord could be creator of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Space,
Mind, and that which is called Mahat? Tell me, O Sakra, who else than
Siva could create Mind, Understanding, Consciousness or Ego, the
Tanmatras, and the senses? Who is there higher than Siva?[51] The wise
say that the Grandsire Brahma is the creator of this universe. Brahma,
however, acquired his high puissance and prosperity by adoring and
gratifying Mahadeva, that God of gods. That high puissance (consisting of
all the three attributes of creation, protection, and destruction), which
dwells in that illustrious Being who is endowed with the quality of being
one, who created Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra, was derived from Mahadeva.
Tell me who is there that is superior to the Supreme Lord?[52] Who else
than that God of gods is competent to unite the sons of Diti with
lordship and puissance, judging by the sovereignty and the power of
oppressing conferred upon the foremost of the Daityas and Danavas?[53]
The different points of the horizon, Time, the Sun, all fiery entities,
planets, wind, water, and the stars and constellations,--these, know
thou, are from Mahadeva. Tell us who is higher than the Supreme Lord? Who
else is there, except Mahadeva, in the matter of the creation of
Sacrifice and the destruction of Tripura? Who else except Mahadeva, the
grinder of the foes, has offered lordship to the principal?[54] What
need, O Purandara, of many well-sounding statements fraught with spacious
sophisms, when I behold thee of a thousand eyes, O best of the
deities,--thee that art worshipped by Siddhas and Gandharvas and the
deities and the Rishis? O best of the Kusikas, all this is due to the
grace of that God of gods viz., Mahadeva. Know, O Kesava, that this all,
consisting of animate and inanimate existences with heaven and other
unseen entities, which occur in this world, and which has the
all-pervading Lord for their soul, has flowed from Maheswara and has been
created (by him) for enjoyment by Jiva.[55] In the worlds that are known