Linga Purana

साम्ये लयो गुणानां तु तयोर्हेतुर्महेश्वरः लीलया देवदेवेन सर्गास्त्वीदृग्विधाः कृताः

When the qualities are in equilibrium, there is dissolution; the cause of both is Maheśvara. By his play, the Lord of gods has made such kinds of creations.

असंख्याताश् च संक्षेपात् प्रधानाद् अन्वधिष्ठितात् असंख्याताश् च कल्पाख्या ह्य् असंख्याताः पितामहाः

In brief, innumerable beings arise from the primordial matter under its control; and innumerable kalpas, and innumerable Pitāmahas as well.

हरयश्चाप्यसंख्यातास् त्व् एक एव महेश्वरः प्रधानादिप्रवृत्तानि लीलया प्राकृतानि तु

And the Haris too are innumerable, but Maheśvara is only one; all the natural evolutions beginning from the primordial matter proceed by his play.

गुणात्मिका च तद्वृत्तिस् तस्य देवस्य वै त्रिधा अप्राकृतस्य तस्यादिर् मध्यान्तं नास्ति चात्मनः

The activity of that god is threefold and consists of qualities; for the transcendent one, there is no beginning, middle, or end to his self.

पितामहस्याथ परः परार्धद्वयसंमितः दिवा सृष्टं तु यत्सर्वं निशि नश्यति चास्य तत्

Beyond Pitāmaha, there is another, whose day equals two parārdhas; whatever is created during his day is destroyed at his night.

भूर्भुवःस्वर्महस्तत्र नश्यते चोर्ध्वतो न च रात्रौ चैकार्णवे ब्रह्मा नष्टे स्थावरजङ्गमे

There, the worlds Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ, and Svar are destroyed, and those above as well; at night, when all that moves and is still is lost, Brahmā remains in the one ocean.

सुष्वापाम्भसि यस्तस्मान् नारायण इति स्मृतः शर्वर्यन्ते प्रबुद्धो वै दृष्ट्वा शून्यं चराचरम्

Immersed in the waters of deep sleep, he is therefore called Nārāyaṇa; at the end of the night, awakened, seeing all that moves and is still as void—

स्रष्टुं तदा मतिं चक्रे ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मविदां वरः उदकैराप्लुतां क्ष्मां तां समादाय सनातनः

Then Brahmā, best among knowers of Brahman, resolved to create; taking up the earth, which had been immersed in the waters, the eternal one—

पूर्ववत्स्थापयामास वाराहं रूपमास्थितः नदीनदसमुद्रांश् च पूर्ववच्चाकरोत्प्रभुः

Assuming the form of a boar, he established it as before; the Lord made the rivers, streams, and oceans as they were formerly.

कृत्वा धरां प्रयत्नेन निम्नोन्नतिविवर्जिताम् धरायां सो ऽचिनोत्सर्वान् गिरीन् दग्धान् पुराग्निना

Having carefully made the earth free from depressions and elevations, he placed upon it all the mountains that had been burned by the ancient fire.

भूराद्यांश् चतुरो लोकान् कल्पयामास पूर्ववत् स्रष्टुं च भगवांश्चक्रे तदा स्रष्टा पुनर्मतिम्

He established the four worlds, beginning with Bhū, as before; and at that time, the Blessed One again resolved to create.

यदा स्रष्टुं मतिं चक्रे मोहश्चासीन्महात्मनः द्विजाश् च बुद्धिपूर्वं तु ब्रह्मणो ऽव्यक्तजन्मनः

When he resolved to create, delusion arose in the great-souled one; and the twice-born, with prior intelligence, came from Brahma, whose birth is unmanifest.

तमो मोहो महामोहस् तामिस्रश्चान्धसंज्ञितः अविद्या पञ्चधा ह्येषा प्रादुर्भूता स्वयम्भुवः

Darkness, delusion, great delusion, Tāmisra, and Andha—these five forms of ignorance appeared from the self-born.

अविद्यया मुनेर्ग्रस्तः सर्गो मुख्य इति स्मृतः असाधक इति स्मृत्वा सर्गो मुख्यः प्रजापतिः

The creation seized by ignorance is called the primary creation; remembering it as ineffective, the primary creation is attributed to the Lord of creatures.

अभ्यमन्यत सो ऽन्यं वै नगा मुख्योद्भवाः स्मृताः त्रिधा कण्ठो मुनेस्तस्य ध्यायतो वै ह्यवर्तत

He considered another creation; the principal trees are remembered as having arisen; the throat of that sage, as he meditated, manifested in three ways.

प्रथमं तस्य वै जज्ञे तिर्यक्स्रोतो महात्मनः ऊर्ध्वस्रोतः परस्तस्य सात्त्विकः स इति स्मृतः

First, from him was born the crosswise-flowing creation; the upward-flowing creation was next, which is remembered as sattvic.

अर्वाक्स्रोतो ऽनुग्रहश् च तथा भूतादिकः पुनः ब्रह्मणो महतस्त्वाद्यो द्वितीयो भौतिकस् तथा

The downward-flowing creation and the gracious one, as well as the elemental creation, again; from the great Brahma, the first is called Mahat, the second is also elemental.

सर्गस्तृतीयश्चैन्द्रियस् तुरीयो मुख्य उच्यते तिर्यग्योन्यः पञ्चमस्तु षष्ठो दैविक उच्यते

The third creation is called the sensory, the fourth is called primary; the fifth is of animals, the sixth is called divine.

सप्तमो मानुषो विप्रा अष्टमो ऽनुग्रहः स्मृतः नवमश्चैव कौमारः प्राकृता वैकृतास्त्विमे

The seventh is human, O brahmins; the eighth is remembered as gracious; and the ninth is youthful; these are natural and modified creations.

पुरस्तादसृजद्देवः सनन्दं सनकं तथा सनातनं मुनिश्रेष्ठा नैष्कर्म्येण गताः परम्

At first, he created Sananda, Sanaka, and Sanātana, the foremost sages, who attained the highest state through actionlessness.

मरीचिभृग्वङ्गिरसः पुलस्त्यं पुलहं क्रतुम् दक्षमत्रिं वसिष्ठं च सो ऽसृजद्योगविद्यया

He created Marīci, Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Dakṣa, Atri, and Vasiṣṭha by the science of yoga.

नवैते ब्रह्मणः पुत्रा ब्रह्मज्ञा ब्राह्मणोत्तमाः ब्रह्मवादिन एवैते ब्रह्मणः सदृशाः स्मृताः

These nine are the sons of Brahma, knowers of Brahman, foremost among brahmins; they are called speakers of Brahman and are remembered as similar to Brahma.

संकल्पश्चैव धर्मश् च ह्य् अधर्मो धर्मसंनिधिः द्वादशैव प्रजास्त्वेता ब्रह्मणो ऽव्यक्तजन्मनः

Resolve, Dharma, Adharma, and the presence of Dharma—these twelve progenies are from Brahma, whose birth is unmanifest.

ऋभुं सनत्कुमारं च ससर्जादौ सनातनः तावूर्ध्वरेतसौ दिव्यौ चाग्रजौ ब्रह्मवादिनौ

Sanātana first created Ṛbhu and Sanatkumāra; both were divine, born with upward-flowing energy, foremost speakers of Brahman.

कुमारौ ब्रह्मणस् तुल्यौ सर्वज्ञौ सर्वभाविनौ वक्ष्ये भार्याकुलं तेषां मुनीनामग्रजन्मनाम्

The sons of Brahma, equal to Brahma, all-knowing and creators of all, I will describe the wives of those sages, the first-born.

समासतो मुनिश्रेष्ठाः प्रजासम्भूतिमेव च शतरूपां तु वै राज्ञीं विराजमसृजत्प्रभुः

In summary, O best of sages, regarding the origin of progeny: the Lord created Śatarūpā, the queen, and Virāj.

स्वायम्भुवात्तु वै राज्ञी शतरूपा त्वयोनिजा लेभे पुत्रद्वयं पुण्या तथा कन्याद्वयं च सा

From Svāyambhuva, the queen Śatarūpā, not born from a womb, obtained two virtuous sons and two daughters.

उत्तानपादो ह्यवरो धीमाञ्ज्येष्ठः प्रियव्रतः ज्येष्ठा वरिष्ठा त्वाकूतिः प्रसूतिश्चानुजा स्मृता

Uttānapāda is the younger, wise one; Priyavrata is the elder. Ākūti is the eldest daughter, and Prasūti is remembered as the younger.

उपयेमे तदाकूतिं रुचिर्नाम प्रजापतिः प्रसूतिं भगवान्दक्षो लोकधात्रीं च योगिनीम्

At that time, the Prajāpati named Ruci married Ākūti, and the venerable Dakṣa, the supporter of worlds and a yogin, married Prasūti.