Linga Purana

क्वचिन्नृत्यति शृङ्गारं क्वचिद्रौति मुहुर्मुहुः आश्रमे ह्यटते भैक्ष्यं याचते च पुनः पुनः

Sometimes he danced amorously, sometimes he roared again and again; in the hermitage he wandered, repeatedly begging for alms.

मायां कृत्वा तथारूपां देवस्तद्वनम् आगतः ततस्ते मुनयः सर्वे तुष्टुवुश् च समाहिताः

Assuming such a form by his own power, the god entered that forest; then all the sages, composed in mind, praised him.

अद्भिर् विविधमाल्यैश् च धूपैर्गन्धैस्तथैव च सपत्नीका महाभागाः सपुत्राः सपरिच्छदाः

With water, various garlands, incense, and fragrances, together with their wives, sons, and attendants, those highly fortunate ones—

मुनयस्ते तथा वाग्भिर् ईश्वरं चेदम् अब्रुवन् अज्ञानाद्देवदेवेश यदस्माभिर् अनुष्ठितम्

Those sages thus addressed the Lord with these words: 'O God of gods, whatever we have done out of ignorance—'

कर्मणा मनसा वाचा तत्सर्वं क्षन्तुमर्हसि चरितानि विचित्राणि गुह्यानि गहनानि च

'By deed, by mind, or by speech, may you forgive all of that; for our actions have been diverse, secret, and profound.'

ब्रह्मादीनां च देवानां दुर्विज्ञेयानि ते हर अगतिं ते न जानीमो गतिं नैव च नैव च

O Hara, even for gods like Brahma and the others, your paths are difficult to comprehend; we do not know your coming nor your going, not at all.

विश्वेश्वर महादेव यो ऽसि सो ऽसि नमो ऽस्तु ते स्तुवन्ति त्वां महात्मानो देवदेवं महेश्वरम्

O Lord of all, Great God, you are who you are—salutations to you! The great souls praise you, O God of gods, O Supreme Lord.

नमो भवाय भव्याय भावनायोद्भवाय च अनन्तबलवीर्याय भूतानां पतये नमः

Salutations to Bhava, to the Auspicious, to the source and cause of existence; to the one of infinite strength and power, to the Lord of beings, salutations.

संहर्त्रे च पिशङ्गाय अव्ययाय व्ययाय च गङ्गासलिलधाराय आधाराय गुणात्मने

To the destroyer, to the tawny-hued one, to the imperishable and the perishable, to the bearer of the Ganga's stream, to the support, to the essence of qualities—salutations.

त्र्यंबकाय त्रिनेत्राय त्रिशूलवरधारिणे कन्दर्पाय हुताशाय नमो ऽस्तु परमात्मने

To Tryambaka, the three-eyed one, the wielder of the trident; to the god of desire, to the fire-god, to the Supreme Self—salutations.

शङ्कराय वृषाङ्काय गणानां पतये नमः दण्डहस्ताय कालाय पाशहस्ताय वै नमः

To Shankara, to the one marked by the bull, to the Lord of the hosts—salutations; to the one holding the staff, to Time, to the one holding the noose—salutations indeed.

वेदमन्त्रप्रधानाय शतजिह्वाय वै नमः भूतं भव्यं भविष्यं च स्थावरं जङ्गमं च यत्

To the one who is foremost in Vedic mantras, who has a hundred tongues—salutations; to all that is past, present, and future, to all that is stationary and moving.

तव देहात्समुत्पन्नं देव सर्वमिदं जगत् पासि हंसि च भद्रं ते प्रसीद भगवंस्ततः

O God, from your body this entire universe has arisen; you protect and you destroy it—may all be well with you, be gracious, O Lord.

अज्ञानाद्यदि विज्ञानाद् यत् किंचित् कुरुते नरः तत्सर्वं भगवानेव कुरुते योगमायया

Whatever a man does, whether from ignorance or knowledge, all of it, O Lord, is done by you alone through your yogic power.

एवं स्तुत्वा तु मुनयः प्रहृष्टैरन्तरात्मभिः याचन्त तपसा युक्ताः पश्यामस्त्वां यथापुरा

Thus, having praised you, the sages, their inner selves delighted, approached with austerity and asked: 'May we see you as before.'

ततो देवः प्रसन्नात्मा स्वमेवास्थाय शङ्करः रूपं त्र्यक्षं च संद्रष्टुं दिव्यं चक्षुरदात्प्रभुः

Then the God Shankara, his mind pleased, assuming his own form, granted them divine sight to behold his three-eyed form.

लब्धदृष्ट्या तया दृष्ट्वा देवदेवं त्रियंबकम् पुनस्तुष्टुवुरीशानं देवदारुवनौकसः

With that vision obtained, they saw the God of gods, Tryambaka, and again those dwellers of the Daru forest praised the Lord.

नमो दिग्वाससे नित्यं कृतान्ताय त्रिशूलिने विकटाय करालाय करालवदनाय च

Salutations always to the one clothed in the directions, to Death, to the wielder of the trident, to the fierce and terrible one, to the one with a dreadful face.

अरूपाय सुरूपाय विश्वरूपाय ते नमः कटङ्कटाय रुद्राय स्वाहाकाराय वै नमः

To the formless, to the beautiful, to the one of universal form—salutations to you; to the one with jingling ornaments, to Rudra, to the embodiment of the svāhā call—salutations indeed.

सर्वप्रणतदेहाय स्वयं च प्रणतात्मने नित्यं नीलशिखण्डाय श्रीकण्ठाय नमोनमः

To the one whose body is bowed to by all, who himself bows his own soul; ever to the blue-crested, to the glorious-throated—salutations, salutations.

नीलकण्ठाय देवाय चिताभस्माङ्गधारिणे त्वं ब्रह्मा सर्वदेवानां रुद्राणां नीललोहितः

To the blue-throated god, to the one adorned with funeral ash; you are Brahma among all gods, and among the Rudras, you are the blue-red one.

आत्मा च सर्वभूतानां सांख्यैः पुरुष उच्यते पर्वतानां महामेरुर् नक्षत्राणां च चन्द्रमाः

You are the soul of all beings, called Purusha by the Sānkhyas; among mountains, you are great Meru, among stars, the moon.

ऋषीणां च वसिष्ठस् त्वं देवानां वासवस् तथा ओङ्कारः सर्ववेदानां श्रेष्ठं साम च सामसु

Among seers, you are Vasistha; among gods, you are Vasava; among all the Vedas, you are Om, and among Sāman hymns, you are the best Sāman.

आरण्यानां पशूनां च सिंहस्त्वं परमेश्वरः ग्राम्याणामृषभश्चासि भगवांल्लोकपूजितः

Among the wild animals, you are the lion, Supreme Lord; among the domesticated, you are the bull, O Blessed One, honored by the worlds.

सर्वथा वर्तमानो ऽपि यो यो भावो भविष्यति त्वामेव तत्र पश्यामो ब्रह्मणा कथितं तथा

Whatever state exists or will exist in any way, we see you alone therein, just as it was declared by Brahma.

कामः क्रोधश् च लोभश् च विषादो मद एव च एतद् इच्छामहे बोद्धुं प्रसीद परमेश्वर

Desire, anger, greed, dejection, and pride—these we wish to understand; be gracious, Supreme Lord.

महासंहरणे प्राप्ते त्वया देव कृतात्मना करं ललाटे संविध्य वह्निरुत्पादितस्त्वया

At the time of the great dissolution, O God, having composed yourself, you placed your hand on your forehead, and from you fire was produced.

तेनाग्निना तदा लोका अर्चिर्भिः सर्वतो वृताः तस्मादग्निसमा ह्येते बहवो विकृताग्नयः

By that fire, then, the worlds were surrounded on all sides by flames; therefore, many distorted fires, equal to that fire, exist.

कामः क्रोधश् च लोभश् च मोहो दम्भ उपद्रवः यानि चान्यानि भूतानि स्थावराणि चराणि च

Desire, anger, greed, delusion, hypocrisy, calamity, and all other beings, both immobile and mobile—