Linga Purana

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.

पुरुषो वै महादेवो महेशानः परः शिवः एवं विभुर्विनिर्दिष्टो ध्यानं तत्रैव चिन्तनम्

The Purusha is truly Mahadeva, the great Lord, the supreme Shiva. Thus he is described as all-pervading; meditation is contemplation on him alone.

चतुर्व्यूहेण मार्गेण विचार्यालोक्य सुव्रत संसारहेतुः संसारो मोक्षहेतुश् च निर्वृतिः

By the fourfold path, O virtuous one, having examined and considered, the cause of worldly existence is samsara, and the cause of liberation is release.

चतुर्व्यूहः समाख्यातश् चिन्तकस्येह योगिनः चिन्ता बहुविधा ख्याता सैकत्र परमेष्ठिना

The fourfold division has been described for the contemplative yogi here; many kinds of contemplation are known, but all are united in the supreme Lord.

सुनिष्ठेत्यत्र कथिता रुद्रं रौद्री न संशयः ऐन्द्री चेन्द्रे तथा सौम्या सोमे नारायणे तथा

Thus, it has been taught here without doubt: Rudra is in Raudrī, Indrī in Indra, Saumya in Soma, and likewise Nārāyaṇī in Nārāyaṇa.

सूर्ये वह्नौ च सर्वेषां सर्वत्रैवं विचारतः सैवाहं सो ऽहमित्येवं द्विधा संस्थाप्य भावतः

Considering everything in the sun, in fire, and everywhere, one should establish, in thought, the distinction: 'She is I, I am He,' in this twofold manner.

भक्तो ऽसौ नास्ति यस्तस्माच् चिन्ता ब्राह्मी न संशयः एवं ब्रह्ममयं ध्यायेत् पूर्वं विप्र चराचरम्

He is not a devotee who lacks this understanding; there is no doubt that such a one’s contemplation is not Brahmanic. Thus, O Brahmin, first meditate on all that moves and does not move as pervaded by Brahman.

चराचरविभागं च त्यजेदभिमतं स्मरन् त्याज्यं ग्राह्यम् अलभ्यं च कृत्यं चाकृत्यमेव च

One should abandon the distinction between moving and unmoving, remembering to give up attachment and aversion, the attainable and unattainable, what should be done and what should not be done.

यस्य नास्ति सुतृप्तस्य तस्य ब्राह्मी न चान्यथा आभ्यन्तरं समाख्यातम् एवमभ्यर्चनं क्रमात्

For one who is not fully content, there is no Brahmanic state; it is not otherwise. Thus, the inner worship has been described in order.

आभ्यन्तरार्चकाः पूज्या नमस्कारादिभिस् तथा विरूपा विकृताश्चापि न निन्द्या ब्रह्मवादिनः

Those who perform inner worship are to be honored with salutations and the like; even if they are deformed or misshapen, the speakers of Brahman are not to be reviled.

आभ्यन्तरार्चकाः सर्वे न परीक्ष्या विजानता निन्दका एव दुःखार्ता भविष्यन्त्यल्पचेतसः

All those who perform inner worship should not be judged by the wise; those who revile them, being of little understanding, will suffer distress.