Linga Purana

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.

दक्षिणप्रक्रमे भानुः क्षिप्तेषुरिव धावति ज्योतिषां चक्रमादाय सततं परिगच्छति

When the sun begins its southern journey, it moves swiftly like a released arrow, taking up the wheel of the luminaries and continually traversing it.

पुरान्तगो यदा भानुः शक्रस्य भवति प्रभुः सर्वैः सायमनैः सौरो ह्य् उदयो दृश्यते द्विजाः

When the sun enters the city of Purānta, it becomes the lord of Śakra; at that time, all the evening planets are seen, and the solar rise is observed, O twice-born.

स एव सुखवत्यां तु निशान्तस्थः प्रदृश्यते अस्तमेति पुनः सूर्यो विभायां विश्वदृग् विभुः

That very sun, situated in Sukhavati at the end of night, is seen to set again in Vibha, the universal lord, at dawn.

मया प्रोक्तो ऽमरावत्यां यथासौ वारितस्करः तथा संयमनीं प्राप्य सुखां चैव विभां खगः

As I have described in Amaravati, the sun acts as the remover of darkness; likewise, upon reaching Samyamani, Sukha, and Vibha, the bird (sun) proceeds.

यदापराह्णस्त्वाग्नेय्यां पूर्वाह्णो नैरृते द्विजाः तदा त्वपररात्रश् च वायुभागे सुदारुणः

When it is afternoon in Agneya, and morning in Nairṛta, O twice-born, then it is late night in the region of Vayu, which is exceedingly harsh.

ईशान्यां पूर्वरात्रस्तु गतिरेषा च सर्वतः एवं पुष्करमध्ये तु यदा सर्पति वारिपः

In Īśānya, it is early night, and this is the course everywhere; thus, when the sun moves through the center of Puṣkara, listen to its path.

त्रिंशांशकं तु मेदिन्यां मुहूर्तेनैव गच्छति योजनानां मुहूर्तस्य इमां संख्यां निबोधत

The sun traverses thirty degrees of the earth in a single muhūrta; now, listen to the number of yojanas covered in a muhūrta.

पूर्णा शतसहस्राणाम् एकत्रिंशत्तु सा स्मृता पञ्चाशच्च तथान्यानि सहस्राण्यधिकानि तु

It is remembered as thirty-one full hundred-thousands, and fifty thousand more are added to that.

मौहूर्तिकी गतिर्ह्येषा भास्करस्य महात्मनः एतेन गतियोगेन यदा काष्ठां तु दक्षिणाम्

This is the muhūrta-based movement of the great-souled Bhāskara; by this measure, when it reaches the southern region,

पर्यपृच्छेत् पतङ्गो ऽपि सौम्याशां चोत्तरे ऽहनि मध्ये तु पुष्करस्याथ भ्रमते दक्षिणायने

Even the sun, having reached the southern region, questions the Saumya direction on the northern day; in the middle of Puṣkara, it wanders during the southern solstice.

मानसोत्तरशैले तु महातेजा विभावसुः मण्डलानां शतं पूर्णं तदशीत्यधिकं विभुः

On the northern mountain of the mind, the radiant sun, the lord, traverses a full hundred circles, and eighty more, O mighty one.

बाह्यं चाभ्यन्तरं प्रोक्तम् उत्तरायणदक्षिणे प्रत्यहं चरते तानि सूर्यो वै मण्डलानि तु

The outer and inner paths are described for the northern and southern solstices; every day, the sun moves through those circles.

कुलालचक्रपर्यन्तो यथा शीघ्रं प्रवर्तते दक्षिणप्रक्रमे देवस् तथा शीघ्रं प्रवर्तते

Just as a potter's wheel spins swiftly, so too does the sun move rapidly in its southern course.

तस्मात्प्रकृष्टां भूमिं तु कालेनाल्पेन गच्छति सूर्यो द्वादशभिः शीघ्रं मुहूर्तैर्दक्षिणायने

Therefore, the sun traverses the vast earth in a short time, moving swiftly through twelve muhūrtas during the southern solstice.

त्रयोदशार्धमृक्षाणाम् अह्ना तु चरते रविः मुहूर्तैस्तावदृक्षाणि नक्तमष्टादशैश्चरन्

The sun traverses thirteen and a half constellations during the day, moving through those constellations in as many muhūrtas, and at night, he travels through eighteen in the same way.

कुलालचक्रमध्यं तु यथा मन्दं प्रसर्पति तथोदगयने सूर्यः सर्पते मन्दविक्रमः

Just as the center of a potter’s wheel moves slowly, so too does the sun move with slow progress during the northern course.

तस्माद्दीर्घेण कालेन भूमिमल्पां तु गच्छति स रथो धिष्ठितो भानोर् आदित्यैर्मुनिभिस् तथा

Therefore, in that lengthy period, the chariot of the sun, established by the Adityas and sages, covers only a small portion of the earth.

गन्धर्वैरप्सरोभिश् च ग्रामणीसर्पराक्षसैः प्रदीपयन् सहस्रांशुर् अग्रतः पृष्ठतो ऽप्यधः

Illuminating all, the thousand-rayed sun is accompanied in front, behind, and below by Gandharvas, Apsaras, chiefs of serpents, and Rākṣasas.

ऊर्ध्वतश् च करं त्यक्त्वा सभां ब्राह्मीमनुत्तमाम् अंभोभिर् मुनिभिस्त्यक्तैः संध्यायां तु निशाचरान्

Having withdrawn his ray above, he enters the supreme Brāhmī assembly, and at twilight, with waters abandoned by the sages, he confronts the night-dwellers.

हत्वा हत्वा तु सम्प्राप्तान् ब्राह्मणैश्चरते रविः अष्टादश मुहूर्तं तु उत्तरायणपश्चिमम्

Having slain those who approach, the sun moves on with the Brāhmaṇas, traversing eighteen muhūrtas in the latter part of the northern course.