Linga Purana

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.

तस्मादयोनिजे पुत्रे मृत्युहीने प्रयत्नतः परित्यजाशां विप्रेन्द्र गृहाणात्मसमं सुतम्

Therefore, O foremost of Brahmins, abandon your hope for a son who is not born from a womb and is free from death; accept a son equal to yourself.

तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा पिता मे लोकविश्रुतः शिलाद इति पुण्यात्मा पुनः प्राह शचीपतिम्

Hearing these words, my father, renowned in the world as Śilāda, a virtuous soul, again spoke to the lord of Śacī.

भगवन्नण्डयोनित्वं पद्मयोनित्वमेव च महेश्वराङ्गयोनित्वं श्रुतं वै ब्रह्मणो मया

O Lord, I have heard of birth without a womb, of birth from the lotus, and of birth from the body of Maheśvara, and also of Brahmā.

पुरा महेन्द्रदायादाद् गदतश्चास्य पूर्वजात् नारदाद्वै महाबाहो कथमत्राशु नो वद

O mighty one, formerly, from the lineage of Mahendra, and in earlier births, from Nārada, I have heard this—tell me quickly how this is so here.

दाक्षायणी सा दक्षो ऽपि देवः पद्मोद्भवात्मजः पौत्रीकनकगर्भस्य कथं तस्याः सुतो विभुः

Dakṣāyaṇī is the daughter of Dakṣa, and the god born from the lotus is her son; how then is she the daughter of the golden womb, and how is that mighty one her son?

स्थाने संशयितुं विप्र तव वक्ष्यामि कारणम् कल्पे तत्पुरुषे वृत्तं ब्रह्मणः परमेष्ठिनः

It is appropriate for you to doubt, O Brahmin; I will tell you the reason. In the Purusha Kalpa, this event concerning the supreme Brahmā occurred.

ससर्ज सकलं ध्यात्वा ब्रह्माणं परमेश्वरः जनार्दनो जगन्नाथः कल्पे वै मेघवाहने

Having contemplated, the supreme Lord Janārdana, the Lord of the universe, created all beings, including Brahmā, in the Meghavāhana Kalpa.

दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रं तु मेघो भूत्वावहद्धरम् नारायणो महादेवं बहुमानेन सादरम्

For a divine thousand years, becoming a cloud, Nārāyaṇa, with great respect and honor, bore the great god.

दृष्ट्वा भावं महादेवो हरेः स्वात्मनि शङ्करः प्रददौ तस्य सकलं स्रष्टुं वै ब्रह्मणा सह

Seeing the disposition of Hari within himself, Śaṅkara, the great god, granted him the power to create everything, together with Brahmā.

तदा तं कल्पमाहुर्वै मेघवाहनसंज्ञया हिरण्यगर्भस्तं दृष्ट्वा तस्य देहोद्भवस्तदा

Then, that kalpa was named Meghavāhana; seeing him, Hiraṇyagarbha was then born from his body.