Linga Purana

द्विजाः परिवहश्चेति वायोर्वै सप्त नेमयः बलाहकास् तथा भानुश् चन्द्रो नक्षत्रराशयः

O twice-born, Parivaha is the seventh; these are the seven rims of the wind. Likewise, the clouds, the sun, the moon, and the groups of stars.

ग्रहाणि ऋषयः सप्त ध्रुवो विप्राः क्रमादिह योजनानां महीपृष्ठाद् ऊर्ध्वं पञ्चदश आ ध्रुवात्

The planets, the seven sages, and the pole star, O brāhmaṇas, are all arranged in order here, fifteen yojanas above the surface of the earth up to the pole star.

नियुतान्येकनियुतं भूपृष्ठाद्भानुमण्डलम् रथः षोडशसाहस्रो भास्करस्य तथोपरि

From the earth's surface to the sun's sphere is one hundred thousand yojanas; above that is the chariot of the sun, sixteen thousand yojanas higher.

चतुरशीतिसाहस्रो मेरुश्चोपरि भूतलात् कोटियोजनमाक्रम्य महर्लोको ध्रुवाद्ध्रुवः

Above the earth, Meru is eighty-four thousand yojanas high; spanning ten million yojanas from the pole star is the Maharloka, the world above the pole star.

जनलोको महर्लोकात् तथा कोटिद्वयं द्विजाः जनलोकात्तपोलोकश् चतस्रः कोटयो मतः

From Maharloka to Janaloka is, likewise, two crores, O twice-born; from Janaloka to Tapoloka is said to be four crores.

प्राजापत्याद्ब्रह्मलोकः कोटिषट्कं विसृज्य तु पुण्यलोकास्तु सप्तैते ह्य् अण्डे ऽस्मिन्कथिता द्विजाः

From the world of Prajāpati to Brahmaloka is six crores in extent; these seven virtuous worlds have been described within this cosmic egg, O twice-born.

अधः सप्ततलानां तु नरकाणां हि कोटयः मायान्ताश्चैव घोराद्या अष्टाविंशतिरेव तु

Below are the seven netherworlds, and the hells, which are in crores; and, ending with Māyā, there are twenty-eight dreadful ones.

पापिनस्तेषु पच्यन्ते स्वस्वकर्मानुरूपतः अवीच्यन्तानि सर्वाणि रौरवाद्यानि तेषु च

The sinful are tormented there according to their own deeds; all the hells such as Avīci and Raurava are found among them.

प्रत्येकं पञ्चकान्याहुर् नरकाणि विशेषतः अण्डमादौ मया प्रोक्तम् अण्डस्यावरणानि च

They say that each has five particular hells; at the beginning of the cosmic egg, I described its coverings as well.

हिरण्यगर्भसर्गश् च प्रसंगाद्बहुविस्तरात् अण्डानामीदृशानां तु कोट्यो ज्ञेयाः सहस्रशः

The creation of Hiraṇyagarbha, due to its extensive context, should be understood as consisting of countless crores of such eggs, in the thousands.

सर्वगत्वात् प्रधानस्य तिर्यग् ऊर्ध्वम् अधस् तथा अण्डेष्वेतेषु सर्वेषु भुवनानि चतुर्दश

Because the primordial matter pervades everywhere—across, above, and below—within all these eggs exist the fourteen worlds.

प्रत्यण्डं द्विजशार्दूलास् तेषां हेतुर्महेश्वरः अण्डेषु चाण्डबाह्येषु तथाण्डावरणेषु च

O best of twice-born, for each egg, the cause is Maheśvara; within the eggs, outside the eggs, and in their coverings as well.

तमो ऽन्ते च तमःपारे चाष्टमूर्तिर्व्यवस्थितः अस्यात्मनो महेशस्य महादेवस्य धीमतः

At the end of darkness and beyond darkness, the Eight-formed One is established—this is the self of Maheśa, the wise Mahādeva.

अदेहिनस् त्वहो देहम् अखिलं परमात्मनः अस्याष्टमूर्तेः शर्वस्य शिवस्य गृहमेधिनः

O indeed, the bodiless one is the entire body of the Supreme Self—of this Eight-formed Śarva, Śiva, the householder.

गृहिणी प्रकृतिर्दिव्या प्रजाश् च महदादयः पशवः किङ्करास्तस्य सर्वे देहाभिमानिनः

The divine Prakṛti is the wife; the progeny, the Mahat and others; the cattle and servants are all those who identify with the body.

आद्यन्तहीनो भगवान् अनन्तः पुमान्प्रधानप्रमुखाश् च सप्त प्रधानमूर्तिस्त्वथ षोडशाङ्गो महेश्वरश्चाष्टतनुः स एव

The Blessed One is without beginning or end, infinite; the seven, headed by Pradhāna, and the form of Pradhāna, then the sixteen-limbed Maheśvara, and the Eight-bodied One—he alone.

आज्ञाबलात्तस्य धरा स्थितेह धराधरा वारिधराः समुद्राः ज्योतिर्गणः शक्रमुखाः सुराश् च वैमानिकाः स्थावरजङ्गमाश् च

By his command, the earth stands here, along with mountains, clouds, oceans, the host of luminaries, the gods led by Śakra, the celestial beings, and all that is stationary and moving.

दृष्ट्वा यक्षं लक्षणैर्हीनमीशं दृष्ट्वा सेन्द्रास्ते किमेतत्त्विहेति यक्षं गत्वा निश्चयात्पावकाद्याः शक्तिक्षीणाश्चाभवन् यत्ततो ऽपि

Seeing the Yakṣa lacking distinguishing marks, and seeing the Lord with Indra, they wondered, 'What is this?' Approaching the Yakṣa with certainty, the fire and others, their powers exhausted, became even more so.

दग्धुं तृणं वापि समक्षमस्य यक्षस्य वह्निर्न शशाक विप्राः वायुस्तृणं चालयितुं तथान्ये स्वान्स्वान्प्रभावान् सकलामरेन्द्राः

The fire could not burn even a blade of grass before that Yakṣa, O Brāhmaṇas; nor could the wind move the grass, nor could any of the gods led by Indra exert their own powers.

तदा स्वयं वृत्ररिपुः सुरेन्द्रैः सुरेश्वरः सर्वसमृद्धिहेतुः सुरेश्वरं यक्षमुवाच को वा भवानितीत्थं स कुतूहलात्मा

Then, Vṛtraripu himself, the lord of the gods, the cause of all prosperity, spoke to the Yakṣa, lord of the gods, with the other gods, asking, 'Who are you?'—thus, being curious.

तदा ह्यदृश्यं गत एव यक्षस् तदांबिका हैमवती शुभास्या उमा शुभैराभरणैरनेकैः सुशोभमाना त्वनु चाविरासीत्

Then the Yakṣa became invisible and departed; at that moment, Ambikā, the daughter of Himavat, with auspicious face, Umā, adorned with many beautiful ornaments, appeared there.

किमेतदीशे बहुशोभमाने वांबिके यक्षवपुश्चकास्ति

What is this, O Lord, so splendid? O Ambikā, the Yakṣa form remains.

प्रणेमुरेनां मृगराजगामिनीमुमामजां लोहितशुक्लकृष्णाम्

They bowed to her, who moves like a lioness, Umā, the daughter of Majā, who is red, white, and black.

संभाविता सा सकलामरेन्द्रैः सर्वप्रवृत्तिस्तु सुरासुराणाम् अहं पुरासं प्रकृतिश् च पुंसो यक्षस्य चाज्ञावशगेत्यथाह

She was honored by all the lords of the gods; all the gods and demons were active. 'I am the primordial nature and the cause of beings; the Yakṣa is subject to my command,' she said.

तस्माद्द्विजाः सर्वमजस्य तस्य नियोगतश्चाण्डमभूदजाद्वै अजश् च अण्डादखिलं च तस्माज् ज्योतिर्गणैर्लोकमजात्मकं तत्

Therefore, O twice-born, everything belonging to the unborn one came into being by his command; and from the egg, the unborn arose, and from him, the entire world, and the realm of light, whose essence is the unborn.

ज्योतिर्गणप्रचारं वै संक्षिप्याण्डे ब्रवीम्यहम् देवक्षेत्राणि चालोक्य ग्रहचारप्रसिद्धये

I will now briefly explain the movement of the luminous bodies within the cosmic egg, having observed the divine regions, for the purpose of understanding the course of the planets.

मानसोपरि माहेन्द्री प्राच्यां मेरोः पुरी स्थिता दक्षिणे भानुपुत्रस्य वरुणस्य च वारुणी

Above the mind lies the city of Mahendra in the east of Meru; in the south are the cities of Bhanuputra and Varuna, along with Varuni.

सौम्ये सोमस्य विपुला तासु दिग्देवताः स्थिताः अमरावती संयमनी सुखा चैव विभा क्रमात्

In the region of Soma is the vast city of Saumya; in these directions reside the guardian deities: Amaravati, Samyamani, Sukha, and Vibha, each in their proper order.

लोकपालोपरिष्टात् तु सर्वतो दक्षिणायने काष्ठां गतस्य सूर्यस्य गतिर् या तां निबोधत

Above the guardians of the worlds, everywhere in the southern solstice, listen to the path taken by the sun as it moves towards that region.