Linga Purana

चतुर्युगानां सर्वेषाम् अनेनैव तु साधनम् एषा चतुर्युगावृत्तिर् आ सहस्राद् गुणीकृता

For all four ages, this is the method; this is the cycle of the four ages, multiplied up to a thousand.

ब्रह्मणस्तदहः प्रोक्तं रात्रिश्चैतावती स्मृता अनार्जवं जडीभावो भूतानाम् आ युगक्षयात्

This is said to be the day of Brahma, and the night is remembered as equal in length; from the end of the age arises dullness and lack of integrity among beings.

एतदेव तु सर्वेषां युगानां लक्षणं स्मृतम् एषां चतुर्युगाणां च गुणिता ह्येकसप्ततिः

This is remembered as the characteristic of all the ages; for these four ages, multiplied, the total is seventy-one.

क्रमेण परिवृत्ता तु मनोरन्तरम् उच्यते चतुर्युगे यथैकस्मिन् भवतीह यदा तु यत्

As they revolve in succession, it is called a Manvantara; in each of the four ages, whatever occurs here, happens accordingly.

तथा चान्येषु भवति पुनस्तद्वै यथाक्रमम् सर्गे सर्गे यथा भेदा उत्पद्यन्ते तथैव तु

So too, in the others, it happens again in order; in each creation, as distinctions arise, so it occurs likewise.

पञ्चविंशत्परिमिता न न्यूना नाधिकास् तथा तथा कल्पा युगैः सार्धं भवन्ति सह लक्षणैः

There are twenty-five, neither fewer nor more; thus, Kalpas occur together with ages and their characteristics.

मन्वन्तराणां सर्वेषाम् एतदेव तु लक्षणम्

This is the characteristic of all the Manvantaras.

यथा युगानां परिवर्तनानि चिरप्रवृत्तानि युगस्वभावात् तथा तु संतिष्ठति जीवलोकः क्षयोदयाभ्यां परिवर्तमानः

Just as the changes of ages have long continued, so the world of living beings persists, revolving through decline and rise according to the nature of the ages.

इत्येतल्लक्षणं प्रोक्तं युगानां वै समासतः अतीतानागतानां हि सर्वमन्वन्तरेषु वै

Thus, the characteristics of the ages have been described in summary, for past and future, in all the Manvantaras.

मन्वन्तरेण चैकेन सर्वाण्येवान्तराणि च व्याख्यातानि न संदेहः कल्पः कल्पेन चैव हि

With a single Manvantara, all the intervening periods have indeed been explained; there is no doubt, for a Kalpa is determined by a Kalpa.

अनागतेषु तद्वच्च तर्कः कार्यो विजानता मन्वन्तरेषु सर्वेषु अतीतानागतेष्विह

In those yet to come, likewise, reasoning should be applied by one who understands, regarding all Manvantaras, both past and future, here.

तुल्याभिमानिनः सर्वे नामरूपैर्भवन्त्युत देवा ह्यष्टविधा ये च ये च मन्वन्तरेश्वराः

All those who possess equal pride become, through names and forms, the eightfold gods and the rulers of the Manvantaras.

ऋषयो मनवश्चैव सर्वे तुल्यप्रयोजनाः एवं वर्णाश्रमाणां तु प्रविभागो युगे युगे

The sages and Manus, too, all have equal purpose; thus, the division of castes and stages of life occurs in every age.

युगस्वभावश् च तथा विधत्ते वै तदा प्रभुः वर्णाश्रमविभागाश् च युगानि युगसिद्धयः

The nature of the ages is likewise established by the Lord at that time; the divisions of caste and stage of life, and the ages, are accomplished in each age.

युगानां परिमाणं ते कथितं हि प्रसङ्गतः वदामि देवीपुत्रत्वं पद्मयोनेः समासतः

The measure of the ages has been told to you in passing; I will now briefly speak of the divine sonship of the Lotus-born.

पुनः ससर्ज भगवान् प्रभ्रष्टाः पूर्ववत्प्रजाः सहस्रयुगपर्यन्ते प्रभाते तु पितामहः

Again, the Blessed One created the lost beings as before, at the end of a thousand ages, when dawn came, the Grandfather.

एवं परार्धे विप्रेन्द्र द्विगुणे तु तथा गते तदा धराम्भसि व्याप्ता ह्य् आपो वह्नौ समीरणे

Thus, O best of twice-born, when half the supreme period had passed, then the waters spread over the earth, and fire over the wind.

वह्निः समीरणश्चैव व्योम्नि तन्मात्रसंयुतः इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च तन्मात्राणि द्विजोत्तम

Fire and wind, united with the subtle elements in the sky, and the eleven senses, O best of Brahmins, and the subtle elements.

अहङ्कारमनुप्राप्य प्रलीनास्तत्क्षणादहो अभिमानस्तदा तत्र महान्तं व्याप्य वै क्षणात्

Having reached the ego, they were dissolved at that moment; then pride, having pervaded the great principle, was dissolved instantly.

महानपि तथा व्यक्तं प्राप्य लीनो ऽभवद्द्विज अव्यक्तं स्वगुणैः सार्धं प्रलीनमभवद्भवे

The great principle, too, having attained manifestation, was dissolved, O Brahmin; the unmanifest, along with its own qualities, was dissolved into existence.

ततः सृष्टिरभूत्तस्मात् पूर्ववत्पुरुषाच्छिवात् अथ सृष्टास्तदा तस्य मनसा तेन मानसाः

Then creation arose from that, as before, from the Purusha Shiva; and those created at that time were born from his mind, the mind-born.

न व्यवर्धन्त लोके ऽस्मिन् प्रजाः कमलयोनिना वृद्ध्यर्थं भगवान्ब्रह्मा पुत्रैर्वै मानसैः सह

The beings created by the Lotus-born did not increase in this world; for their growth, the Blessed Brahma, together with his mind-born sons,

दुश्चरं विचचारेशं समुद्दिश्य तपः स्वयम् तुष्टस्तु तपसा तस्य भवो ज्ञात्वा स वाञ्छितम्

Performed difficult austerity, aiming at the Lord himself; pleased by his austerity, Bhava knew his desire.

ललाटमध्यं निर्भिद्य ब्रह्मणः पुरुषस्य तु पुत्रस्नेहमिति प्रोच्य स्त्रीपुंरूपो ऽभवत्तदा

Piercing the middle of Brahma's forehead, the Lord, speaking of paternal affection, then became of both female and male form.

तस्य पुत्रो महादेवो ह्य् अर्धनारीश्वरो ऽभवत् ददाह भगवान्सर्वं ब्रह्माणं च जगद्गुरुम्

His son, Mahadeva, became the Lord of Half-Woman; the Blessed One burned everything, including Brahma, the teacher of the world.

अथार्धमात्रां कल्याणीम् आत्मनः परमेश्वरीम् बुभुजे योगमार्गेण वृद्ध्यर्थं जगतां शिवः

Then Shiva enjoyed the auspicious half-measure of his own supreme self by the path of yoga, for the growth of the worlds.

तस्यां हरिं च ब्रह्माणं ससर्ज परमेश्वरः विश्वेश्वरस्तु विश्वात्मा चास्त्रं पाशुपतं तथा

In her, the Supreme Lord created Hari and Brahma; and the Lord of the Universe, the soul of all, also created the Pashupata weapon.

तस्माद्ब्रह्मा महादेव्याश् चांशजश् च हरिस् तथा अण्डजः पद्मजश्चैव भवाङ्गभव एव च

Therefore, from the Great Goddess came Brahmā, and from her portion also Hari, the one born from the egg, the one born from the lotus, and the one arisen from the body of Bhava.

एतत्ते कथितं सर्वम् इतिहासं पुरातनम् परार्धं ब्रह्मणो यावत् तावद्भूतिः समासतः

All this ancient history has been told to you; the prosperity of Brahmā lasted as long as a parārdha, in summary.