Śiva manifests as column of fire
Īśvara said:
自在天说：
1. Dear children, hail to ye. I hope the universe and the race of the deities, under my suzerainty, flourish in their respective duties.
亲爱的孩子们，向你们致敬。我希望宇宙和神族们在我的宗主权下，在各自职责范围内蓬勃发展。
2. O gods, the fight between Brahmā and Viṣṇu is already known to me. This agitation on your part is like a redundant speech.
天神们啊，我已经知晓梵天和毗湿奴之间的对决，你们的这种烦乱纯属多此一言。
3. Thus the consort of Ambā consoled the concourse of devas with honeylike speech sweetened with a smile in the manner of appeasing children.
安姆巴（Ambā，小编按：指帕尔瓦蒂）的伴侣以安抚孩子的方法，以甜言蜜语和微笑来安慰天神们。
4. In that very assembly the lord announced his desire to go to the battlefield of Hari and Brahmā and accordingly issued His directive to a hundred of the commanders of his attendants.
在那次集会中，主宣布他将亲自前往诃利（Hari，小编按：指毗湿奴）和梵天对决的战场，他对其一百位侍从首领发出指示。
5-6. Different kinds of musical instruments were played to announce the start of the journey of the Lord. The commanders of the attendants were in readiness fully bedecked in their ornaments, seated in their respective vehicles. The lord, consort of Ambikā, mounted the holy chariot shaped like Oṃkāra from front to the back and embellished in five circular rings. He was accompanied by his sons and Gaṇas. All the devas, Indra and others, followed.
鼓乐齐鸣宣告主之启程，侍从首领们穿戴整齐，坐在各自坐骑上。主，安姆比卡（ Ambikā）的伴侣登上从前至后形状像“唵”（Oṃkāra），装饰着五环的神圣战车。他在他的儿子和伽纳们（Gaṇas）陪同下，所有天神们、因陀罗和其他人都跟随其后。
7. Honoured suitably by the display of banners of various colours, fans, chowries, scattered flowers, music, dance and the instrument players, and accompanied by the great goddess (Pārvatī), Paśupati (Śiva) went to the battle-field with the whole army.
各色旗帜、华盖、拂尘、撒花，音乐、舞蹈和乐手恰当地彰显着主之荣耀，在伟大女神（帕尔瓦蒂）的陪伴下，兽主（Paśupati，湿婆）率领整个军队亲临战场。
8. On espying the battle, the lord vanished in the firmament. The play of the music stopped and the tumult of the Gaṇas subsided.
一看到战场，主就消失在苍穹之中。鼓乐声停止了，伽纳们的骚动平息下来。
9. There in the battlefield Brahmā and Acyuta desirous of killing each other were awaiting the result of the Māheś-vara and the Paśupata weapons hurled by them.
在战场上，欲置对手于死地的梵天和阿秋塔（Acyuta，指毗湿奴），在等候摩醯首罗（Māheśvara）和帕苏帕塔（ Pāśupata）武器一决雌雄的结果。
10-11. The flames emitted by the two weapons of Brahmā and Viṣṇu burned the three worlds. On seeing this imminent untimely dissolution the bodiless form of Śiva assumed the terrific form of a huge column of fire in their midst.
梵天和毗湿奴的两个武器喷射烈焰焚烧三界，看到这个迫在眉睫的猝然毁灭，湿婆的无形形式在他俩之间化作一个巨大无比的火柱。
12. The two weapons of fiery flame potential enough to destroy the entire world fell into the huge column of fire that manifested itself there instantaneously.
那两个足以毁灭整个世界的烈焰武器落入瞬间显现的巨大火柱中。
13. Seeing that auspicious wonderful phenomenon assuaging the weapons they asked each other“What is this wonderful form?”
看到那吉祥神奇的现象缓和了武器（的危害），他俩互问“这个神奇的形式是什么？”
14. “What is this column of fire that has risen up? It is beyond the range of senses. We have to find out its top and bottom.”
“这腾空升起的火柱是什么？它超出了感官范围，我们必须找出它的顶端和底部。”
15. Jointly deciding like this, the two heroes proud of their prowess immediately set about assiduously in their quest.
就这样共同决定后，那两位以英勇而自豪的英雄立刻开始了他们的不懈探寻。
16-18. “Nothing will turn up if we are together”. Saying this, Viṣṇu assumed the form of a Boar and went in search of the root. Brahmā in the form of a swan went up insearch of the top. Piercing through the netherworlds and going very far below, Viṣṇu could not see the root of the fiery column. Utterly exhausted, Viṣṇuin the form of a Boar returned to the former battle-ground.
“如果我们呆在一起的话，将什么都找不到。”说着，毗湿奴化身为野猪往下探寻底部，梵天化身为天鹅往上探寻顶端。毗湿奴穿透阴界，深入地下，还是看不到火柱的底部。毗湿奴筋疲力尽，以野猪之形返回到了之前的战场。
19. Dear one, your father, Brahmā who went high up in the sky saw a certain bunch of Ketakī flower of mysterious nature falling from above.
亲爱的，你的父亲，梵天升上天空，看见一束神秘的露兜树花（Ketakī）自然地从天而降。
20-21. On seeing the mutual fight of Brahmā and Viṣṇu, lord Śiva laughed. When his head shook, the Ketakī flower dropped down. Althoughit had been in its downward course for many years, neither its fragrance norits lustre had been diminished even a bit. The flower had been intended to bless them.
看到梵天和毗湿奴的相互厮杀，主湿婆笑了，当他摇头的时候，露兜树花坠落。虽然它一直坠落了很多年，但它的芳香和光泽丝毫未减，这花本来是用来祝福他们的。
22-23. (Brahmā said)“O lord of flowers, by whom had you been worn? Why do you fall? I have come here to seek out the top, in the form of a swan.” (The flower replied) “I am falling down from the middle of this primordial column that is inscrutable. It has taken me a long time. Hence I do not see how you can see the top.”
（梵天说）“哦，花之王，你被谁佩戴过？你为什么坠落？我化身为天鹅，到这来寻找（火柱）顶端”。（花儿回答说）“我从这根神秘莫测的原始圆柱中间坠落，这花了我很长时间，所以我看不出你怎么能找到顶端。”
24-25.“Dear friend,hereafter you must do as I desire. In the presence of Viṣṇu you must say like this. O Acyuta, the top of the column has been seen by Brahmā. I am the witness for the same.” Saying this he bowed to the Ketakī flower again and again. Even falsehood is recommended in times of danger. So say the authoritative texts.
“亲爱的朋友，以后你必须照我的要求去做。在毗湿奴面前你必须这样说：哦，阿秋塔，梵天已经发现了火柱的顶端，我就是这事的见证。”说着，他向露兜树花一次次作揖。在危险时刻，即使谎言也是可以通融的，权威文献是这么说的。
26. (Returning to the original place) on seeing Viṣṇu there, utterly exhausted and lacking pleasure, Brahmā danced with joy. Viṣṇu,in the manner of a eunuch admitting his inability(to a woman), told him the truth (that he could not see the bottom). But Brahmā told Viṣṇulike this.
（回到原来的地方）毗湿奴在那儿疲惫不堪，闷闷不乐，而梵天则手舞足蹈。毗湿奴以太监承认对（女人）无能的方式，禀告梵天（他看不到底部）的事实。而梵天却如此回告毗湿奴。
27-28. “O Hari, the top of this column has been seen by me. This Ketakī flower is my witness.” The Ketaka flower repeated the falsehood endorsing the words of Brahmā in his presence. Hari, taking it to be true, made obeisance to Brahmā. He worshipped Brahmā with all the sixteen means of service and homage.①
“诃利，我已经发现了这个柱子的顶端，这颗露兜树花是我的见证。”露兜树花重复该谎言，在毗湿奴面前承认梵天的话：诃利，这是真的，敬礼梵天吧。于是，毗湿奴以十六种服务和火供方式来顶礼梵天。
29. The Lord taking up a visible form in order to chastise Brahmā who practised trickery, came out of the column of fire. On seeing the lord, Viṣṇu stood up and with his hands shaking with fear caught hold of the lord’s feet.
为了严惩使诈的梵天，主以有形的形式出现，他从火柱中走出来。看见主，毗湿奴站了起来，他双手颤抖恐惧地抓住主的脚。
30. It is out of ignorance and delusion about you whose body is without a beginning or an end that we indulged in this quest prompted by our own desire. Hence O, Sympathetic Being, forgive us for our fault. In fact, it is but another form of your divine sport.
“出于对您无始无终身体的无知和错觉，我们沉迷于自己欲望所驱使的这次探寻。因此，同情者啊，请原谅我们的过错吧。事实上，它只是你神圣游戏的另一种形式。”
Īśvara said:
自在天说：
31. “O dear Hari, I am pleased with you, because you strictly adhered to truth in spite of your desire to be a lord. Hence among the general public you will have a footing equal to mine. You will be honoured too likewise.
“亲爱的诃利，我对你很满意，尽管你渴望为主，却恪守真理。因此，在普通大众中，你将拥有和我平等的地位，你也会受到同样的尊敬。
32. Hereafter you will be separate from me having separate temple, installation of idols, festivals and worship.”
今后，你将与我区分开来，你将拥有单独的庙宇、偶像安置、节日和崇拜。”
33. Thus, formerly, the lord was delighted by the truthfulness of Hari and offered him a footing equal to his own even as the assembly of the devas was witnessing the same.
因此，从前，主因诃利的诚实而喜悦，赐予他与自己平等的地位，甚至在天神的集会上也见证了（湿婆所言）不虚。
①: Ṣoḍaśopacāra: The sixteen acts of homage to a deity are mentioned in Śiva-purāṇa II.25-29. They are differently enumerated elsewhere:
āsanaṃ svāgataṃ pādyamarghyamācamanīyakam |
madhuparkācamanasnānaṃ vasanābharaṇāni ca |
gandhapuṣpe dhūpadīpau naivedyaṃ vandanaṃ tathā |
Tantrasāra enumerates 64 Upacāras.
Ṣoḍaśopacāra：指在《湿婆往事书》（II.25-29）中提及对神祗的十六种火供，它们在别处有不同列举
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