Linga Purana

मायां त्यज महाबाहो प्रतिभासा विचारतः विज्ञानानां सहस्राणि दुर्विज्ञेयानि माधव

Abandon illusion, O mighty-armed one; appearances are deceptive. O Madhava, thousands of kinds of knowledge are difficult to comprehend.

मयि पश्य जगत् सर्वं त्वया सार्धम् अनिन्दित ब्रह्माणं च तथा रुद्रं दिव्यां दृष्टिं ददामि ते

See the whole world in me, together with yourself, O blameless one, as well as Brahma and Rudra; I grant you divine sight.

इत्युक्त्वा दर्शयामास स्वतनौ निखिलं मुनिः तं प्राह च हरिं देवं सर्वदेवभवोद्भवम्

Having spoken thus, the sage revealed everything in his own body, and addressed Hari, the god, origin of all the gods.

मायया ह्यनया किं वा मन्त्रशक्त्याथ वा प्रभो वस्तुशक्त्याथ वा विष्णो ध्यानशक्त्याथ वा पुनः

Is this by means of this illusion, or by the power of mantra, or by the power of substance, O Lord, or again by the power of meditation, O Vishnu?

त्यक्त्वा मायामिमां तस्माद् योद्धुमर्हसि यत्नतः एवं तस्य वचः श्रुत्वा दृष्ट्वा माहात्म्यमद्भुतम्

Therefore, abandoning this illusion, you should strive to fight; hearing these words and seeing his wondrous greatness—

देवाश् च दुद्रुवुर्भूयो देवं नारायणं च तम् वारयामास निश्चेष्टं पद्मयोनिर्जगद्गुरुः

The gods again fled, but the Lord of the World, Brahmā, the Lotus-born, restrained Nārāyaṇa, who stood motionless.

निशम्य वचनं तस्य ब्रह्मणस्तेन निर्जितः जगाम भगवान् विष्णुः प्रणिपत्य महामुनिम्

Hearing the words of Brahmā, by whom he had been overcome, the blessed Viṣṇu approached the great sage and bowed to him.

क्षुपो दुःखातुरो भूत्वा सम्पूज्य च मुनीश्वरम् दधीचमभिवन्द्याशु प्रार्थयामास विक्लवः

Kṣupa, afflicted by sorrow, after honoring the best of sages, quickly bowed to Dadhīca and, distressed, began to plead.

दधीच क्षम्यतां देव मयाज्ञानात्कृतं सखे विष्णुना हि सुरैर्वापि रुद्रभक्तस्य किं तव

Dadhīca, forgive me, O god; what was done by me was out of ignorance, O friend. What is there for you, devoted to Rudra, from Viṣṇu or even the other gods?

प्रसीद परमेशान दुर्लभा दुर्जनैर्द्विज भक्तिर्भक्तिमतां श्रेष्ठ मद्विधैः क्षत्रियाधमैः

Be gracious, Supreme Lord; devotion is rare among the wicked, O twice-born. O best of the devoted, among those like me, the lowest of kṣatriyas, devotion is hard to find.

श्रुत्वानुगृह्य तं विप्रो दधीचस्तपतां वरः राजानं मुनिशार्दूलः शशाप च सुरोत्तमान्

Hearing and accepting him, the best of ascetics, Dadhīca, the foremost of sages, cursed the king and the excellent gods.

रुद्रकोपाग्निना देवाः सदेवेन्द्रा मुनीश्वरैः ध्वस्ता भवन्तु देवेन विष्णुना च समन्विताः

By the fire of Rudra’s wrath, may the gods, along with Indra and the great sages, be destroyed by the god, together with Viṣṇu.

प्रजापतेर् मखे पुण्ये दक्षस्य सुमहात्मनः एवं शप्त्वा क्षुपं प्रेक्ष्य पुनराह द्विजोत्तमः

At the auspicious sacrifice of Dakṣa, the great-souled lord of creatures, having thus cursed Kṣupa, the best of twice-born spoke again, looking at him.

देवैश् च पूज्या राजेन्द्र नृपैश् च विविधैर्गणैः ब्राह्मणा एव राजेन्द्र बलिनः प्रभविष्णवः

O king of rulers, the gods are to be worshipped by kings and by various groups, but, O king, the brāhmaṇas alone are powerful and capable.

इत्युक्त्वा स्वोटजं विप्रः प्रविवेश महाद्युतिः दधीचमभिवन्द्यैव जगाम स्वं नृपः क्षयम्

Having spoken thus, the illustrious sage entered his own hermitage; the king, having bowed to Dadhīca, returned to his own abode.

तदेव तीर्थमभवत् स्थानेश्वरमिति स्मृतम् स्थानेश्वरम् अनुप्राप्य शिवसायुज्यम् आप्नुयात्

That very place became a sacred ford, known as Sthāneśvara; one who reaches Sthāneśvara attains union with Śiva.

कथितस्तव संक्षेपाद् विवादः क्षुब्दधीचयोः प्रभावश् च दधीचस्य भवस्य च महामुने

Thus, in brief, has the dispute between Kṣupa and Dadhīca been told to you, as well as the greatness of Dadhīca and of Bhava, O great sage.

य इदं कीर्तयेद्दिव्यं विवादं क्षुब्दधीचयोः जित्वापमृत्युं देहान्ते ब्रह्मलोकं प्रयाति सः

Whoever recites this divine dispute between Kṣupa and Dadhīca, conquering premature death, attains Brahmā’s world at the end of the body.

य इदं कीर्त्य संग्रामं प्रविशेत्तस्य सर्वदा नास्ति मृत्युभयं चैव विजयी च भविष्यति

Whoever, having recited this battle, enters combat, for him there will never be fear of death, and he will always be victorious.

भवान्कथमनुप्राप्तो महादेवमुमापतिम् श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्सर्वं वक्तुमर्हसि मे प्रभो

How did you approach the great god, the consort of Umā? I wish to hear all of that; you ought to tell me everything, O lord.

प्रजाकामः शिलादो ऽभूत् पिता मम महामुने सो ऽप्यन्धः सुचिरं कलं तपस्तेपे सुदुश्चरम्

My father, Śilāda, O great sage, desired offspring; he too, blind for a long time, performed severe and difficult austerities.

तपतस्तस्य तपसा संतुष्टो वज्रधृक् प्रभुः शिलादमाह तुष्टो ऽस्मि वरयस्व वरानिति

As he performed austerities, the Lord, wielder of the thunderbolt, was pleased by his penance; Śilāda was told, 'I am pleased, choose your boons.'

ततः प्रणम्य देवेशं सहस्राक्षं सहामरैः प्रोवाच मुनिशार्दूल कृताञ्जलिपुटो हरिम्

Then, bowing to the Lord of gods, the thousand-eyed one, along with the immortals, the tiger among sages, with joined palms, addressed Hari.

भगवन्देवतारिघ्न सहस्राक्ष वरप्रद अयोनिजं मृत्युहीनं पुत्रमिच्छामि सुव्रत

O Lord, destroyer of the gods’ enemies, thousand-eyed bestower of boons, I desire a son who is not born from a womb, who is free from death, O virtuous one.

पुत्रं दास्यामि विप्रर्षे योनिजं मृत्युसंयुतम् अन्यथा ते न दास्यामि मृत्युहीना न सन्ति वै

O sage among the twice-born, I will give you a son born from a womb, who is subject to death; otherwise, I will not give you a son, for there are truly none who are free from death.

न दास्यति सुतं ते ऽत्र मृत्युहीनमयोनिजम् पितामहो ऽपि भगवान् किमुतान्ये महामुने

Not even the blessed Grandfather, Brahmā, will give you here a son who is not born from a womb and is free from death—how much less, O great sage, would others?

सो ऽपि देवः स्वयं ब्रह्मा मृत्युहीनो न चेश्वरः योनिजश् च महातेजाश् चाण्डजः पद्मसंभवः

Even that god Brahmā himself is not free from death, nor is the Lord; he is born from a womb, of great splendor, born from an egg, and sprung from the lotus.

महेश्वराङ्गजश्चैव भवान्यास्तनयः प्रभुः तस्याप्यायुः समाख्यातं परार्धद्वयसंमितम्

Even the mighty son of Maheśvara, born from his body, the son of Bhavānī, his lifespan too is declared to be equal to two parārddhas.

कोटिकोटिसहस्राणि अहर्भूतानि यानि वै समतीतानि कल्पानां तावच्छेषापरत्रये

The hundreds of billions of days that have passed, which are the duration of kalpas—such is the remaining lifespan in the three worlds.