Linga Purana

अपि ध्यायन्ति तां सिद्धिं सत्याभिध्यायिनस्तदा प्रादुर्बभूवुस्तासां तु वृक्षास्ते गृहसंज्ञिताः

Even then, those who were devoted to truth meditated on that accomplishment; and for them, the house-trees appeared again.

वस्त्राणि ते प्रसूयन्ते फलान्याभरणानि च तेष्वेव जायते तासां गन्धवर्णरसान्वितम्

From them were produced garments, fruits, and ornaments; and for them, there arose things endowed with fragrance, color, and taste.

अमाक्षिकं महीवीर्यं पुटके पुटके मधु तेन ता वर्तयन्ति स्म सुखमायुः सदैव हि

There was honey, strong as the earth, in every cluster; by that, they always lived happily and with long life.

हृष्टपुष्टास्तया सिद्ध्या प्रजा वै विगतज्वराः ततः कालान्तरेणैव पुनर्लोभावृतास्तु ताः

By that accomplishment, the people became joyful, nourished, and free from suffering; but after some time, they were again overcome by greed.

वृक्षांस्तान्पर्यगृह्णन्ति मधु वा माक्षिकं बलात् तासां तेनोपचारेण पुनर्लोभकृतेन वै

They seized those trees and the honey by force; and because of that treatment, again caused by greed,

प्रनष्टा मधुना सार्धं कल्पवृक्षाः क्वचित्क्वचित् तस्यामेवाल्पशिष्टायां सिद्ध्यां कालवशात्तदा

The wish-fulfilling trees, along with the honey, disappeared here and there; and when only a little of that accomplishment remained, due to the force of time,

आवर्तनात्तु त्रेतायां द्वन्द्वान्यभ्युत्थितानि वै शीतवर्षातपैस्तीव्रैस् ततस्ता दुःखिता भृशम्

With the turning of the Tretā Yuga, pairs of opposites arose—intense cold, rain, and heat; and because of that, they became greatly afflicted.

द्वन्द्वैः सम्पीड्यमानाश् च चक्रुर् आवरणानि तु कृतद्वन्द्वप्रतीघाताः केतनानि गिरौ ततः

Afflicted by those dualities, they made coverings; to ward off those pairs of opposites, they built shelters on the mountains.

पूर्वं निकामचारास्ता ह्य् अनिकेता अथावसन् यथायोगं यथाप्रीति निकेतेष्ववसन्पुनः

Formerly, they moved about as they wished, without fixed dwellings; but then, according to need and desire, they began to live in homes.

कृत्वा द्वन्द्वोपघातांस्तान् वृत्त्युपायमचिन्तयन् नष्टेषु मधुना सार्धं कल्पवृक्षेषु वै तदा

Having suffered from those dualities, they considered means of livelihood; for, at that time, the wish-fulfilling trees and honey had disappeared.

विवादव्याकुलास्ता वै प्रजास्तृष्णाक्षुधार्दिताः ततः प्रादुर्बभौ तासां सिद्धिस्त्रेतायुगे पुनः

The people, troubled by disputes, thirst, and hunger, then, in the Tretā Yuga, another accomplishment appeared for them.

वार्तायाः साधिकाप्यन्या वृष्टिस्तासां निकामतः तासां वृष्ट्युदकादीनि ह्य् अभवन्निम्नगानि तु

Another means of livelihood arose for them, with rain coming as desired; from that rain, streams and other waters came into being for them.

अभवन्वृष्टिसंतत्या स्रोतस्थानानि निम्नगाः एवं नद्यः प्रवृत्तास्तु द्वितीये वृष्टिसर्जने

Because of the continuous rainfall, there arose flowing streams; thus, rivers began to flow when the rain fell a second time.

ये पुनस्तदपां स्तोकाः पतिताः पृथिवीतले अपां भूमेश् च संयोगाद् ओषध्यस्तास्तदाभवन्

Those droplets of water that fell upon the earth, through the union of water and soil, became medicinal plants.

अथाल्पकृष्टाश्चानुप्ता ग्राम्यारण्याश्चतुर्दश ऋतुपुष्पफलाश्चैव वृक्षगुल्माश् च जज्ञिरे

Then, fourteen types of lesser and greater, wild and domestic, seasonal flowering and fruit-bearing trees and shrubs arose.

प्रादुर्भूतानि चैतानि वृक्षजात्यौषधानि च तेनौषधेन वर्तन्ते प्रजास्त्रेतायुगे तदा

These varieties of trees and medicinal herbs appeared, and with these medicines, living beings subsisted in the Tretā age.

ततः पुनरभूत्तासां रागो लोभश् च सर्वशः अवश्यं भाविनार्थेन त्रेतायुगवशेन च

Then, again, passion and greed arose among them in every way, inevitably, due to the destined influence of the Tretā age.

ततस्ताः पर्यगृह्णन्त नदीक्षेत्राणि पर्वतान् वृक्षगुल्मौषधीश्चैव प्रसह्य तु यथाबलम्

Thereafter, they seized rivers, fields, mountains, trees, shrubs, and medicinal herbs forcibly, each according to their strength.

विपर्ययेण चौषध्यः प्रनष्टास्ताश्चतुर्दश मत्वा धरां प्रविष्टास्ता इत्यौषध्यः पितामहः

Conversely, those fourteen medicinal herbs perished, and, considering this, they entered the earth; thus, Oṣadhyaḥ is Pitāmaha.

दुदोह गां प्रयत्नेन सर्वभूतहिताय वै तदाप्रभृति चौषध्यः फालकृष्टास्त्वितस्ततः

Pitāmaha milked the earth with effort for the benefit of all beings; from then on, medicinal herbs were drawn forth by ploughing.

वार्तां कृषिं समायाता वर्तुकामाः प्रयत्नतः वार्ता वृत्तिः समाख्याता कृषिकामप्रयत्नतः

Desiring sustenance, people diligently engaged in agriculture; this pursuit is called livelihood, and agriculture is known as the means of subsistence.

अन्यथा जीवितं तासां नास्ति त्रेतायुगात्यये हस्तोद्भवा ह्यपश्चैव भवन्ति बहुशस्तदा

Otherwise, at the end of the Tretā age, those plants would not survive; then, many water-born and hand-grown ones arise.

तत्रापि जगृहुः सर्वे चान्योन्यं क्रोधमूर्छिताः सुतदारधनाद्यांस्तु बलाद्युगबलेन तु

There, too, all seized one another, overwhelmed by anger, taking sons, wives, and wealth by force, according to the power of the age.

मर्यादायाः प्रतिष्ठार्थं ज्ञात्वा तदखिलं विभुः ससर्ज क्षत्रियांस्त्रातुं क्षतात्कमलसंभवः

For the establishment of boundaries, knowing all this, the Lord, born from the lotus, created the Kṣatriyas to protect from harm.

वर्णाश्रमप्रतिष्ठां च चकार स्वेन तेजसा वृत्तेन वृत्तिना वृत्तं विश्वात्मा निर्ममे स्वयम्

He established the order of varṇa and āśrama by his own power; by conduct and livelihood, the universal self himself fashioned the order.

यज्ञप्रवर्तनं चैव त्रेतायामभवत्क्रमात् पशुयज्ञं न सेवन्ते केचित्तत्रापि सुव्रताः

The initiation of sacrifice also occurred gradually in the Tretā age; some virtuous ones there did not practice animal sacrifice.

बलाद्विष्णुस्तदा यज्ञम् अकरोत्सर्वदृक् क्रमात् द्विजास्तदा प्रशंसन्ति ततस्त्वाहिंसकं मुने

Then, Viṣṇu, all-seeing, performed sacrifice by force; the twice-born praised it, and thereafter, O sage, it was non-violent.

द्वापरेष्वपि वर्तन्ते मतिभेदास्तदा नृणाम् मनसा कर्मणा वाचा कृच्छ्राद्वार्ता प्रसिध्यति

Even in the Dvāpara age, differences of opinion arose among people; by mind, action, and speech, livelihood was attained with difficulty.

तदा तु सर्वभूतानां कायक्लेशवशात्क्रमात् लोभो भृतिर्वणिग्युद्धं तत्त्वानामविनिश्चयः

Then, due to bodily hardship among all beings, gradually arose greed, wages, trade, war, and uncertainty regarding truths.