अपह्नुतौ साधने वा वस्तूनांआद्यमीदृशम्। यत्तत्र के प्रमाणानामुपपत्त्युपयोगिते॥५७॥

Such (Supreme Reality) --viz. Śiva-- (īdṛśam) (is) primordial --i.e. It is proved in the first place-- (ādyam) whether in the negation or in the affirmation --lit. proof-- (apahnutau sādhane vā) of the things --i.e. knowledge, knower and knowable-- (vastūnām). For that reason (yad), with respect to It --to the Supreme Reality-- (tatra), what (ke) pramāṇa-s (pramāṇānām) are useful to prove (upapatti-upayogite) (Its existence, i.e. the existence of Śiva)?||57||