Linga Purana

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.

वैराग्यं ब्रह्मणो वक्ष्ये तमोद्भूतं समासतः नारायणो ऽपि भगवान् द्विधा कृत्वात्मनस्तनुम्

I will now speak of Brahmā’s detachment, which arose from darkness, in brief; even the blessed Nārāyaṇa, having divided his own form in two—

ससर्ज सकलं तस्मात् स्वाङ्गादेव चराचरम् ततो ब्रह्माणमसृजद् ब्रह्मा रुद्रं पितामहः

From his own limb, he created all moving and unmoving beings; then Brahmā created the Brahmāṇas, and Brahmā, the Grandfather, created Rudra.

मुने कल्पान्तरे रुद्रो हरिं ब्रह्माणम् ईश्वरम् ततो ब्रह्माणमसृजन् मुने कल्पान्तरे हरिः

O sage, at the end of a kalpa, Rudra created Hari, Brahmāṇa, and Īśvara; then, at the end of a kalpa, Hari created Brahmāṇa, O sage.

नारायणं पुनर्ब्रह्मा ब्रह्माणं च पुनर्भवः तदा विचार्य वै ब्रह्मा दुःखं संसार इत्यजः

Again, Brahmā created Nārāyaṇa, and Bhava created Brahmāṇa; then Brahmā, reflecting, realized that worldly existence is suffering.

सर्गं विसृज्य चात्मानम् आत्मन्येव नियोज्य च संहृत्य प्राणसञ्चारं पाषाण इव निश्चलः

Having withdrawn creation and established himself within himself, restraining the movement of breath, he became motionless like a stone.

दशवर्षसहस्राणि समाधिस्थो ऽभवत्प्रभुः अधोमुखं तु यत्पद्मं हृदि संस्थं सुशोभनम्

The Lord remained in samādhi for ten thousand years; the downward-facing lotus, beautiful and situated in the heart—

पूरितं पूरकेणैव प्रबुद्धं चाभवत्तदा तदूर्ध्ववक्त्रम् अभवत् कुम्भकेन निरोधितम्

Was filled by the act of inhalation, and then awakened; its upward face was restrained by retention of breath.

तत्पद्मकर्णिकामध्ये स्थापयामास चेश्वरम् तदोमिति शिवं देवम् अर्धमात्रापरं परम्

In the center of that lotus’s pericarp, he established the Lord, the syllable 'Om', Śiva, the god, the supreme, which is beyond the half-measure.

मृणालतन्तुभागैकशतभागे व्यवस्थितम् यमी यमविशुद्धात्मा नियम्यैवं हृदीश्वरम्

Situated in a hundredth part of a lotus fiber, controlling the Lord in the heart in this way, the self-controlled one, pure in mind, through restraint—

यमपुष्पादिभिः पूज्यं याज्यो ह्ययजदव्ययम् तस्य हृत्कमलस्थस्य नियोगाच्चांशजो विभुः

Worshipped with yam-flower and the like, worthy of sacrifice, unaging and undecaying; by the command of him who dwells in the heart-lotus, the mighty one was born from a portion.