Linga Purana

गन्धं पुष्पं तथा धूपं दीपमन्नं क्रमेण तु तोयं सुगन्धितं चैव पुनराचमनीयकम्

Then, in order, one should offer fragrance, flowers, incense, a lamp, food, and again fragrant water, as well as water for sipping.

मुकुटं च शुभं छन्नं तथा वै भूषणानि च दापयेत्प्रणवेनैव मुखवासादिकानि च

One should also offer a beautiful, covered crown, ornaments, and, with the Praṇava, mouth-perfume and the like.

ततः स्फटिकसंकाशं देवं निष्कलमक्षरम् कारणं सर्वदेवानां सर्वलोकमयं परम्

Then, the Lord, shining like crystal, without parts, imperishable, the cause of all the gods, pervading all worlds, the supreme, is to be contemplated.

ब्रह्मेन्द्रविष्णुरुद्राद्यैर् ऋषिदेवैर् अगोचरम् वेदविद्भिर् हि वेदान्तैस् त्व् अगोचरमिति श्रुतिः

He is beyond the perception of Brahmā, Indra, Viṣṇu, Rudra, and the other seers and gods; and, as the Veda says, beyond the reach of those who know the Vedas and Vedānta.

आदिमध्यान्तरहितं भेषजं भवरोगिणाम् शिवतत्त्वमिति ख्यातं शिवलिङ्गे व्यवस्थितम्

He is without beginning, middle, or end, the remedy for those afflicted by worldly existence, known as the principle of Śiva, established in the Śivaliṅga.

प्रणवेनैव मन्त्रेण पूजयेल्लिङ्गमूर्धनि स्तोत्रं जपेच्च विधिना नमस्कारं प्रदक्षिणम्

With the Praṇava mantra, one should worship the top of the Liṅga, recite hymns according to rule, and perform obeisance and circumambulation.

अर्घ्यं दत्त्वाथ पुष्पाणि पादयोस्तु विकीर्य च प्रणिपत्य च देवेशम् आत्मन्यारोपयेच्छिवम्

After offering arghya and scattering flowers at the feet, bowing down, one should meditate upon Śiva, the Lord of gods, as established within oneself.

एवं संक्षिप्य कथितं लिङ्गार्चनमनुत्तमम् आभ्यन्तरं प्रवक्ष्यामि लिङ्गार्चनमिहाद्य ते

Thus, the supreme worship of the Liṅga has been briefly described; now I shall explain to you today the internal worship of the Liṅga here.

आग्नेयं सौरममृतं बिम्बं भाव्यं ततोपरि गुणत्रयं च हृदये तथा चात्मत्रयं क्रमात्

One should meditate upon the fiery, solar, and immortal disc, and above it, the three guṇas in the heart, and then, in order, the three selves.

तस्योपरि महादेवं निष्कलं सकलाकृतिम् कान्तार्धरूढदेहं च पूजयेद्ध्यानविद्यया

Above that, one should worship, by the knowledge of meditation, the great god, formless and with all forms, whose body is half-occupied by his beloved.

ततो बहुविधं प्रोक्तं चिन्त्यं तत्रास्ति चेद्यतः चिन्तकस्य ततश्चिन्ता अन्यथा नोपपद्यते

Then, whatever is to be contemplated there has been described in many ways; for the one who contemplates, contemplation arises accordingly, and not otherwise.

तस्माद्ध्येयं तथा ध्यानं यजमानः प्रयोजनम् स्मरेत्तन्नान्यथा जातु बुध्यते पुरुषस्य ह

Therefore, the worshipper should meditate and remember the purpose in this way, for otherwise a person does not truly awaken.

पुरे शेते पुरं देहं तस्मात्पुरुष उच्यते याज्यं यज्ञेन यजते यजमानस्तु स स्मृतः

He dwells in the city, the body, and thus is called puruṣa; the one who is to be worshipped is worshipped by sacrifice, and the worshipper is so remembered.

ध्येयो महेश्वरो ध्यानं चिन्तनं निर्वृतिः फलम् प्रधानपुरुषेशानं याथातथ्यं प्रपद्यते

The great Lord is to be meditated upon; meditation is contemplation, and liberation is its fruit. One attains the true nature of the Lord of Pradhāna and Puruṣa.

इह षड्विंशको ध्येयो ध्याता वै पञ्चविंशकः चतुर्विंशकम् अव्यक्तं महदाद्यास्तु सप्त च

Here, the twenty-sixth is to be meditated upon, the meditator is the twenty-fifth; the unmanifest is the twenty-fourth, and the seven beginning with the great principle.

महांस् तथा त्वहङ्कारं तन्मात्रं पञ्चकं पुनः कर्मेन्द्रियाणि पञ्चैव तथा बुद्धीन्द्रियाणि च

The great principle, then ego, the five subtle elements again, the five organs of action, likewise the five organs of perception,

मनश् च पञ्च भूतानि शिवः षड्विंशकस्ततः स एव भर्ता कर्ता च विधेरपि महेश्वरः

the mind, and the five elements—thus Shiva is the twenty-sixth. He alone is the sustainer and the creator, the supreme Lord even of Brahma.

हिरण्यगर्भं रुद्रो ऽसौ जनयामास शङ्करः विश्वाधिकश् च विश्वात्मा विश्वरूप इति स्मृतः

Shankara, that Rudra, generated Hiranyagarbha. He surpasses the universe, is the soul of the universe, and is remembered as the form of all.

विना यथा हि पितरं मातरं तनयास्त्विह न जायन्ते तथा सोमं विना नास्ति जगत्त्रयम्

Just as, without a father and mother, children are not born here, so too, without Soma, the three worlds do not exist.

कर्ता यदि महादेवः परमात्मा महेश्वरः तथा कारयिता चैव कुर्वतो ऽल्पात्मनस् तथा

If the great god, the supreme self, Maheshvara, is the doer, then likewise he is the cause of action for those of lesser self who act.

नित्यो विशुद्धो बुद्धश् च निष्कलः परमेश्वरः त्वयोक्तो मुक्तिदः किं वा निष्कलश्चेत्करोति किम्

Eternal, pure, awakened, and partless is the supreme Lord. You have said he grants liberation; but if he is partless, what does he do?

कालः करोति सकलं कालं कलयते सदा निष्कलं च मनः सर्वं मन्यते सो ऽपि निष्कलः

Time creates all that is manifest; time always measures time. The mind considers everything, even the partless, and that too is partless.

कर्मणा तस्य चैवेह जगत्सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम् किमत्र देवदेवस्य मूर्त्यष्टकमिदं जगत्

By his action, indeed, this whole world is established. What, then, is this eightfold form of the world of the god of gods?

विनाकाशं जगन्नैव विना क्ष्मां वायुना विना तेजसा वारिणा चैव यजमानं तथा विना

Without space, the world does not exist; nor without earth, nor without wind, nor without fire, nor water, nor the sacrificer.

भानुना शशिना लोकस् तस्यैतास्तनवः प्रभोः विचारतस्तु रुद्रस्य स्थूलमेतच्चराचरम्

Without the sun and the moon, the world does not exist. These are the forms of the Lord; considering thus, all that moves and does not move is the gross form of Rudra.

सूक्ष्मं वदन्ति ऋषयो यन्न वाच्यं द्विजोत्तमाः यतो वाचो निवर्तन्ते अप्राप्य मनसा सह

The seers speak of the subtle, which is not to be expressed, O best of twice-born; for words, along with the mind, turn back from it, not reaching.

आनन्दं ब्रह्मणो विद्वान् न बिभेति कुतश्चन न भेतव्यं तथा तस्माज् ज्ञात्वानन्दं पिनाकिनः

Knowing the bliss of Brahman, the wise one fears nothing from anywhere; therefore, having known the bliss of Pinākin, there is nothing to fear.

विभूतयश् च रुद्रस्य मत्वा सर्वत्र भावतः सर्वं रुद्र इति प्राहुर् मुनयस्तत्त्वदर्शिनः

Recognizing the manifestations of Rudra everywhere, those seers of truth declare, 'All is Rudra.'

नमस्कारेण सततं गौरवात्परमेष्ठिनः सर्वं तु खल्विदं ब्रह्म सर्वो वै रुद्र ईश्वरः

With constant reverence and salutation to the supreme Lord, indeed, all this is Brahman; all is Rudra, the Lord.