Linga Purana

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—

दह्यन्ते प्राणिनस्ते तु त्वत्समुत्थेन वह्निना अस्माकं दह्यमानानां त्राता भव सुरेश्वर

These living beings are burned by the fire that arises from you; as we are being burned, be our protector, Lord of the gods.

त्वं च लोकहितार्थाय भूतानि परिषिञ्चसि महेश्वर महाभाग प्रभो शुभनिरीक्षक

And for the welfare of the worlds, you sprinkle the beings, O Great Lord, greatly fortunate, master, with auspicious gaze.

आज्ञापय वयं नाथ कर्तारो वचनं तव भूतकोटिसहस्रेषु रूपकोटिशतेषु च

Command us, O Lord; we are ready to carry out your word. Among the thousands of classes of beings and the hundreds of forms—

अन्तं गन्तुं न शक्ताः स्म देवदेव नमो ऽस्तु ते

We are not able to reach the end, O God of gods; homage to you.

ततस्तुतोष भगवान् अनुगृह्य महेश्वरः स्तुतिं श्रुत्वा स्तुतस्तेषाम् इदं वचनमब्रवीत्

Then the Blessed Great Lord, gratified and having shown favor, after hearing their praise, spoke these words to them.

यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि युष्माभिः कीर्तितं स्तवम् श्रावयेद्वा द्विजान्विप्रो गाणपत्यमवाप्नुयात्

Whoever recites or hears this hymn sung by you, or causes twice-born Brahmins to hear it, attains the state of Ganapati.

वक्ष्यामि वो हितं पुण्यं भक्तानां मुनिपुङ्गवाः स्त्रीलिङ्गमखिलं देवी प्रकृतिर्मम देहजा

I will tell you what is beneficial and holy for devotees, O best of sages: the entire feminine principle is the goddess, born from my own body.

पुंल्लिङ्गं पुरुषो विप्रा मम देहसमुद्भवः उभाभ्यामेव वै सृष्टिर् मम विप्रा न संशयः

The masculine principle is the man, O Brahmins, arising from my body; indeed, by both alone is my creation, O Brahmins, without doubt.

न निन्देद्यतिनं तस्माद् दिग्वाससमनुत्तमम् बालोन्मत्तविचेष्टं तु मत्परं ब्रह्मवादिनम्

Therefore, one should not revile the ascetic, the peerless one clad in directions, the child, the madman, or the one devoted to me who speaks of Brahman.

ये हि मां भस्मनिरता भस्मना दग्धकिल्बिषाः यथोक्तकारिणो दान्ता विप्रा ध्यानपरायणाः

Those who are devoted to me, smeared with ashes, whose sins are burned by ashes, who act as prescribed, self-restrained Brahmins devoted to meditation—