Linga Purana

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.

जनार्दनसुतः प्राह तपसा प्राप्य शङ्करम् तव वामाङ्गजो विष्णुर् दक्षिणाङ्गभवो ह्यहम्

The son of Janārdana spoke, having attained Śaṅkara through austerity: ‘Viṣṇu is born from your left side, and I am born from your right side.’

मया सह जगत्सर्वं तथाप्यसृजदच्युतः जगन्मयो ऽवहद्यस्मान् मेघो भूत्वा दिवानिशम्

Together with me, Acyuta created the entire world; being the essence of the universe, he, becoming a cloud, bore us day and night.

भवन्तमवहद्विष्णुर् देवदेवं जगद्गुरुम् नारायणादपि विभो भक्तो ऽहं तव शङ्कर

Viṣṇu brought you, O god of gods, teacher of the world; O mighty one, I am your devotee, Śaṅkara, even more than of Nārāyaṇa.

प्रसीद देहि मे सर्वं सर्वात्मत्वं तव प्रभो तदाथ लब्ध्वा भगवान् भवात्सर्वात्मतां क्षणात्

Be gracious, grant me everything, for you are the soul of all, O Lord. Then, having obtained this, the blessed one instantly gained the state of being the soul of all from you.

त्वरमाणो ऽथ संगम्य ददर्श पुरुषोत्तमम् एकार्णवालये शुभ्रे त्व् अन्धकारे सुदारुणे

Hastening, he approached and saw the Supreme Person, in the pure abode of the single ocean, in a darkness most terrible.

हेमरत्नचिते दिव्ये मनसा च विनिर्मिते दुष्प्राप्ये दुर्जनैः पुण्यैः सनकाद्यैरगोचरे

In a divine place adorned with gold and jewels, fashioned by the mind, unattainable by the wicked, accessible only by the virtuous, and unseen even by Sanaka and others.

जगदावासहृदयं ददर्श पुरुषं त्वजः अनन्तभोगशय्यायां शायिनं पङ्कजेक्षणम्

The unborn one beheld the Person whose heart is the abode of the world, lying on the endless serpent-bed, with lotus-like eyes.

शङ्खचक्रगदापद्मं धारयन्तं चतुर्भुजम् सर्वाभरणसंयुक्तं शशिमण्डलसन्निभम्

Bearing conch, discus, mace, and lotus, with four arms, adorned with all ornaments, resembling the orb of the moon.

श्रीवत्सलक्षणं देवं प्रसन्नास्यं जनार्दनम् रमामृदुकराम्भोजस्पर्शरक्तपदाम्बुजम्

The god marked with Śrīvatsa, with a gracious face, Janārdana, whose lotus feet are reddened by the gentle touch of Lakṣmī's hands.

परमात्मानमीशानं तमसा कालरूपिणम् रजसा सर्वलोकानां सर्गलीलाप्रवर्तकम्

The Supreme Self, the Lord, who is darkness in the form of time, and by rajas sets in motion the play of creation for all worlds.