Linga Purana

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.

मेघवाहनकृष्णाय गजचर्मनिवासिने कृष्णाजिनोत्तरीयाय व्यालयज्ञोपवीतिने

To the dark one who rides the clouds, who wears an elephant hide, who has a black antelope skin as an upper garment, and a serpent as his sacred thread—

सुरचितसुविचित्रकुण्डलाय सुरचितमाल्यविभूषणाय तुभ्यम् मृगपतिवरचर्मवाससे च प्रथितयशसे नमो ऽस्तु शङ्कराय

To you, adorned with beautifully crafted earrings and garlands made by the gods, clothed in the skin of the lord of beasts, famed everywhere—homage to Shankara.

ततस् तान् स मुनीन् प्रीतः प्रत्युवाच महेश्वरः प्रीतो ऽस्मि तपसा युष्मान् वरं वृणुत सुव्रताः

Then, pleased, the great lord spoke to those sages: 'I am pleased with your austerity; O virtuous ones, choose a boon.'

ततस्ते मुनयः सर्वे प्रणिपत्य महेश्वरम् भृग्वङ्गिरा वसिष्ठश् च विश्वामित्रस्तथैव च

Thereupon, all those sages—Bhrigu, Angiras, Vasishtha, and likewise Vishvamitra—bowed to Maheshvara.

गौतमो ऽत्रिः सुकेशश् च पुलस्त्यः पुलहः क्रतुः मरीचिः कश्यपः कण्वः संवर्तश् च महातपाः

Gautama, Atri, Sukesha, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Marichi, Kashyapa, Kanva, and the great ascetic Samvarta—

ते प्रणम्य महादेवम् इदं वचनमब्रुवन् भस्मस्नानं च नग्नत्वं वामत्वं प्रतिलोमता

Having bowed to Mahadeva, they spoke these words: 'We wish to know about bathing in ash, nakedness, left-handedness, and contrary conduct—what is to be followed and what is to be avoided?'

सेव्यासेव्यत्वमेवं च ह्य् एतदिच्छाम वेदितुम् ततस्तेषां वचः श्रुत्वा भगवान्परमेश्वरः

Having heard their words, the blessed supreme lord—

सस्मितं प्राह सम्प्रेक्ष्य सर्वान्मुनिवरांस्तदा

Smiling, he looked upon all those best of sages and then spoke.

एतद्वः सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि कथा सर्वस्वमद्य वै अग्निर्ह्यहं सोमकर्ता सोमश्चाग्निमुपाश्रितः

Now I shall tell you this story, my all, today: I am Agni, the maker of Soma, and Soma is dependent upon Agni.

कृतमेतद्वहत्यग्निर् भूयो लोकसमाश्रयात् असकृत्त्वग्निना दग्धं जगत् स्थावरजङ्गमम्

Agni bears this creation, and again, for the sake of the world, the universe of moving and unmoving beings has been burned many times by Agni.