Linga Purana

सनातनं सतां श्रेष्ठं नैष्कर्म्येण गताः परम् मरीचिभृग्वङ्गिरसं पुलस्त्यं पुलहं क्रतुम्

He created Sanātana, the best among the virtuous, who attained the highest through renunciation; Marīci, Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, and Kratu.

दक्षमत्रिं वसिष्ठं च सो ऽसृजद् योगविद्यया संकल्पं चैव धर्मं च ह्य् अधर्मं भगवान्प्रभुः

He created Dakṣa, Atri, and Vasiṣṭha through the power of yoga; and the lord produced resolve, dharma, and indeed adharma.

द्वादशैव प्रजास्त्वेता ब्रह्मणो ऽव्यक्तजन्मनः ऋभुं सनत्कुमारं च ससर्जादौ सनातनः

These twelve progenitors were created by Brahmā, whose birth is unmanifest; at the beginning, Sanātana produced Ṛbhu and Sanatkumāra as well.

तौ चोर्ध्वरेतसौ दिव्यौ चाग्रजौ ब्रह्मवादिनौ कुमारौ ब्रह्मणस्तुल्यौ सर्वज्ञौ सर्वभाविनौ

Those two, divine, born with upward-flowing energy, foremost, versed in Brahman, were like Brahmā himself, all-knowing and all-encompassing.

एवं मुख्यादिकान् सृष्ट्वा पद्मयोनिः शिलाशन युगधर्मानशेषांश् च कल्पयामास विश्वसृक्

Thus, having created the principal and the first beings, the lotus-born creator established all the duties of the ages, the universal order.

श्रुत्वा शक्रेण कथितं पिता मम महामुनिः पुनः पप्रच्छ देवेशं प्रणम्य रचिताञ्जलिः

Having heard what was spoken by Śakra, my father, the great sage, again questioned the lord of the gods, bowing with joined palms.

भगवन् शक्र सर्वज्ञ देवदेवनमस्कृत शचीपते जगन्नाथ सहस्राक्ष महेश्वर

O blessed Śakra, all-knowing, worshipped by the gods, lord of Śacī, master of the universe, thousand-eyed, great lord.

युगधर्मान्कथं चक्रे भगवान्पद्मसंभवः वक्तुमर्हसि मे सर्वं सांप्रतं प्रणताय मे

How did the blessed one, born from the lotus, establish the duties of the ages? You should tell me everything now, as I am bowed before you.

तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा शिलादस्य महात्मनः व्याजहार यथादृष्टं युगधर्मं सुविस्तरम्

Hearing these words of the great-souled Śilāda, he spoke, describing in detail the duties of the ages as he had seen them.

आद्यं कृतयुगं विद्धि ततस्त्रेतायुगं मुने द्वापरं तिष्यमित्येते चत्वारस्तु समासतः

Know that the first is the Kṛta age, then comes the Tretā age, O sage; after that is Dvāpara, and Tiṣya—these four are the ages in brief.

सत्त्वं कृतं रजस्त्रेता द्वापरं च रजस्तमः कलिस्तमश् च विज्ञेयं युगवृत्तिर्युगेषु च

Kṛta is characterized by sattva, Tretā by rajas, Dvāpara by both rajas and tamas, and Kali by tamas; thus the nature of the ages should be understood.

ध्यानं परं कृतयुगे त्रेतायां यज्ञ उच्यते भजनं द्वापरे शुद्धं दानमेव कलौ युगे

Meditation is supreme in the Kṛta age; sacrifice is praised in Tretā; pure worship in Dvāpara; and only giving is extolled in Kali.

चत्वारि च सहस्राणि वर्षाणां तत्कृतं युगम् तस्य तावच्छती संध्या संध्यांशश् च तथाविधः

The Kṛta age consists of four thousand years; its twilight period is as many hundreds, and its portion of twilight is likewise.

चत्वारि च सहस्राणि मानुषाणि शिलाशन आयुः कृतयुगे विद्धि प्रजानामिह सुव्रत

Know, O steadfast one, that in the Kṛta age, the lifespan of people who eat stones is four thousand years.

ततः कृतयुगे तस्मिन् संध्यांशे च गते तु वै पादावशिष्टो भवति युगधर्मस्तु सर्वतः

Then, when the Kṛta age and its twilight portion have passed, only a quarter remains of the age's duties everywhere.

चतुर्भागैकहीनं तु त्रेतायुगमनुत्तमम् कृतार्धं द्वापरं विद्धि तदर्धं तिष्यमुच्यते

The excellent Tretā age is lacking one fourth; Dvāpara is half of Kṛta; Tiṣya is said to be half of that.

त्रिशती द्विशती संध्या तथा चैकशती मुने संध्यांशकं तथाप्येवं कल्पेष्वेवं युगे युगे

Three hundred, two hundred, and one hundred are the twilight periods, O sage, and the twilight portions likewise; so it is in each cycle, in every age.

आद्ये कृतयुगे धर्मश् चतुष्पादः सनातनः त्रेतायुगे त्रिपादस्तु द्विपादो द्वापरे स्थितः

In the first, the Kṛta age, dharma stands on four feet, eternal; in Tretā, it stands on three; in Dvāpara, on two.

त्रिपादहीनस्तिष्ये तु सत्तामात्रेण धिष्ठितः कृते तु मिथुनोत्पत्तिर् वृत्तिः साक्षाद्रसोल्लसा

In Tiṣya, it is deprived of three feet, supported only by sattva; in Kṛta, the origin of pairs is direct, and sustenance is full of essence.

प्रजास्तृप्ताः सदा सर्वाः सर्वानन्दाश् च भोगिनः अधमोत्तमता तासां न विशेषाः प्रजाः शुभाः

All people are always satisfied, enjoying all happiness; there is no distinction of low or high among them, all are auspicious.

तुल्यमायुः सुखं रूपं तासां तस्मिन्कृते युगे तासां प्रीतिर्न च द्वन्द्वं न द्वेषो नास्ति च क्लमः

Their lifespan, happiness, and form are equal in that Kṛta age; their affection is constant, there is no conflict, no hatred, and no fatigue.

पर्वतोदधिवासिन्यो ह्य् अनिकेताश्रयास्तु ताः विशोकाः सत्त्वबहुला एकान्तबहुलास् तथा

They dwell on mountains and in oceans, without fixed abodes; free from sorrow, abundant in sattva, and full of single-mindedness.

ता वै निष्कामचारिण्यो नित्यं मुदितमानसाः अप्रवृत्तिः कृतयुगे कर्मणोः शुभपापयोः

They act without desire, their minds always joyful; in the Kṛta age, there is no activity of good or evil deeds.

वर्णाश्रमव्यवस्था च तदासीन्न च संकरः रसोल्लासः कालयोगात् त्रेताख्ये नश्यते द्विज

The system of varṇa and āśrama existed then, but there was no mixing; the abundance of essence perishes in Tretā due to the influence of time, O twice-born.

तस्यां सिद्धौ प्रनष्टायाम् अन्या सिद्धिः प्रजायते अपां सौक्ष्म्ये प्रतिगते तदा मेघात्मना तु वै

When that perfection is lost, another perfection arises; when the subtlety of water returns, then, indeed, it comes from the nature of clouds.

मेघेभ्यस्तनयित्नुभ्यः प्रवृत्तं वृष्टिसर्जनम् सकृद् एव तथा वृष्ट्या संयुक्ते पृथिवीतले

From the clouds and thunder, rain began to fall; and with that single rainfall, the earth's surface became saturated.

प्रादुरासंस्तदा तासां वृक्षास्ते गृहसंज्ञिताः सर्ववृत्त्युपभोगस्तु तासां तेभ्यः प्रजायते

Then, from that, those trees called 'house-trees' appeared; all means of sustenance and enjoyment for them arose from these.

वर्तयन्ति स्म तेभ्यस्तास् त्रेतायुगमुखे प्रजाः ततः कालेन महता तासामेव विपर्ययात्

At the beginning of the Tretā Yuga, the people lived from those trees; but after a long time, due to a reversal among them,

रागलोभात्मको भावस् तदा ह्याकस्मिको ऽभवत् विपर्ययेण तासां तु तेन तत्कालभाविना

A state characterized by passion and greed suddenly arose; and because of that reversal, which occurred at that time among them,