Linga Purana

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—

महादेवपरा नित्यं चरन्तो ह्यूर्ध्वरेतसः अर्चयन्ति महादेवं वाङ्मनःकायसंयताः

Those always intent on Mahadeva, living with their seed held upward, worship Mahadeva, restrained in speech, mind, and body.

रुद्रलोकमनुप्राप्य न निवर्तन्ति ते पुनः तस्मादेतद्व्रतं दिव्यम् अव्यक्तं व्यक्तलिङ्गिनः

Having attained the world of Rudra, they do not return again; therefore, this vow is divine, mysterious, for those marked by the manifest linga.

भस्मव्रताश् च मुण्डाश् च व्रतिनो विश्वरूपिणः न तान्परिवदेद्विद्वान् न चैतान्नाभिलङ्घयेत्

Those who observe the ash vow, those who are shaven-headed, and those who undertake vows in various forms—let the wise not revile them, nor should one transgress their food.

न हसेन्नाप्रियं ब्रूयाद् अमुत्रेह हितार्थवान् यस्तान्निन्दति मूढात्मा महादेवं स निन्दति

One should not laugh at them, nor speak unpleasant words, here or elsewhere, with harmful intent; whoever insults them, that deluded soul insults Mahadeva himself.

यस् त्वेतान् पूजयेन् नित्यं स पूजयति शङ्करम् एवमेष महादेवो लोकानां हितकाम्यया

But whoever worships these people constantly, indeed worships Shankara; thus this great god, desiring the welfare of the worlds—

युगे युगे महायोगी क्रीडते भस्मगुण्ठितः एवं चरत भद्रं वस् ततः सिद्धिमवाप्स्यथ

In every age, the great yogi, covered in ash, plays in this way; act thus, O blessed ones, and you will thereby attain perfection.

अतुलमिह महाभयप्रणाशहेतुं शिवकथितं परमं पदं विदित्वा व्यपगतभवलोभमोहचित्ताः प्रणिपतिताः सहसा शिरोभिर् उग्रम्

Knowing this supreme state, told by Shiva, which is incomparable here and the cause of the destruction of great fear, those whose minds are free from the delusion of worldly attachment, greed, and infatuation, bow down swiftly with their heads to the fierce one.

ततः प्रमुदिता विप्राः श्रुत्वैवं कथितं तदा गन्धोदकैः सुशुद्धैश् च कुशपुष्पविमिश्रितैः

Then, the delighted brahmins, having heard this teaching, with pure sandal-water mixed with sacred grass and flowers—

स्नापयन्ति महाकुम्भैर् अद्भिर् एव महेश्वरम् गायन्ति विविधैर्गुह्यैर् हुंकारैश्चापि सुस्वरैः

They bathe the great lord with water from large vessels, singing with various secret hymns and with resonant 'hum' sounds.

नमो देवाधिदेवाय महादेवाय वै नमः अर्धनारीशरीराय सांख्ययोगप्रवर्तिने

Homage to the god of gods, indeed homage to the great god, homage to the one whose body is half-woman, the initiator of Sankhya and Yoga.