Linga Purana

अपां शिवस्य भगवान् आधिपत्ये व्यवस्थितः अपां त्वधिपतिर्देवो भव इत्येव कीर्तितः

The blessed Lord Śiva is established as the ruler of the waters; indeed, the god Bhava is proclaimed as the lord of the waters.

भवात्मकं जगत्सर्वम् इति किं चेह चाद्भुतम् नारायणत्वं देवस्य हरेश्चाद्भिः कृतं विभोः जगतामालयो विष्णुस् त्व् आपस्तस्यालयानि तु

The entire world is of the nature of Bhava—what wonder is there in this? The divinity of Nārāyaṇa, of Hari, is established by the waters, O Lord. Viṣṇu is the foundation of the worlds, and the waters are his foundation.

दन्दह्यमानेषु चराचरेषु गोधूमभूतास् त्वथनिष्क्रमन्ति या या ऊर्ध्वं मारुतेनेरिता वै तास्तास्त्वभ्राण्यग्निना वायुना च

When all moving and unmoving beings are being burned, those that become wheat grains rise upward, driven by the wind; those that do so become clouds by fire and wind.

अतो धूमाग्निवातानां संयोगस्त्वभ्रमुच्यते वारीणि वर्षतीत्यभ्रम् अभ्रस्येशः सहस्रदृक्

Thus, the union of smoke, fire, and wind is called a cloud. The cloud, whose lord has a thousand eyes, pours down water.

यज्ञधूमोद्भवं चापि द्विजानां हितकृत्सदा दावाग्निधूमसम्भूतम् अभ्रं वनहितं स्मृतम्

Clouds arising from the smoke of sacrifice always bring benefit to the twice-born; clouds produced from the smoke of forest fires are considered beneficial for the forests.

मृतधूमोद्भवं त्वभ्रम् अशुभाय भविष्यति अभिचाराग्निधूमोत्थं भूतनाशाय वै द्विजाः

Clouds arising from the smoke of corpses will bring misfortune; and those produced from the smoke of sorcery fires, O twice-born, are for the destruction of beings.

एवं धूमविशेषेण जगतां वै हिताहितम् तस्मादाच्छादयेद्धूमम् अभिचारकृतं नरः

In this way, by the distinction of smoke, the benefit or harm of the worlds is determined. Therefore, one should cover the smoke produced by sorcery.

अनाछाद्य द्विजः कुर्याद् धूमं यश्चाभिचारिकम् एवमुद्दिश्य लोकस्य क्षयकृच्च भविष्यति

If a twice-born does not cover the smoke produced by sorcery, he will become the cause of destruction for the world.

अपां निधानं जीमूताः षण्मासानिह सुव्रताः वर्षयन्त्येव जगतां हिताय पवनाज्ञया

O virtuous ones, clouds, the repositories of water, rain for six months here for the benefit of the worlds, by the command of the wind.

स्तनितं चेह वायव्यं वैद्युतं पावकोद्भवम् त्रिधा तेषामिहोत्पत्तिर् अभ्राणां मुनिपुङ्गवाः

Thunder is of three kinds here: from wind, from lightning, and from fire. These are the threefold origins of clouds, O best of sages.

न भ्रश्यन्ति यतो ऽभ्राणि मेहनान्मेघ उच्यते काष्ठावाहाश् च वैरिञ्च्याः पक्षाश्चैव पृथग्विधाः

Because clouds do not fall, they are called 'megha' (clouds). The wings of the clouds, which carry wood, are of various kinds and are said to be of Brahmā.

आज्यानां काष्ठसंयोगाद् अग्नेर्धूमः प्रवर्तितः द्वितीयानां च संभूतिर् विरिञ्चोच्छ्वासवायुना

From the union of clarified butter and wood, smoke arises from fire; the second kind arises from the breath of Brahmā.

भूभृतां त्वथ पक्षैस्तु मघवच्छेदितैस्ततः वाह्नेयास्त्वथ जीमूतास् त्व् आवहस्थानगाः शुभाः

Then, with the wings of the mountains, which are cut by Indra, the clouds of fire, which are auspicious, move to their places.

विरिञ्चोच्छ्वासजाः सर्वे प्रवहस्कन्धजास्ततः पक्षजाः पुष्कराद्याश् च वर्षन्ति च यदा जलम्

All those born from the breath of Brahmā, and those from the branches of the wind, and those born from wings, such as Puṣkara and others, rain down water when the time comes.

मूकाः सशब्ददुष्टाशास् त्व् एतैः कृत्यं यथाक्रमम् क्षामवृष्टिप्रदा दीर्घकालं शीतसमीरिणः

Mute, noisy, and impure clouds perform their functions in due order; those with cold winds give scanty rain for a long time.

जीवकाश् च तथा क्षीणा विद्युद्ध्वनिविवर्जिताः तिष्ठन्त्याक्रोशमात्रे तु धरापृष्ठादितस्ततः

Similarly, the 'jīvaka' clouds, which are weak and devoid of thunder, remain at a distance of a krośa from the earth’s surface.

अर्धक्रोशे तु सर्वे वै जीमूता गिरिवासिनः मेघा योजनमात्रं तु साध्यत्वाद् बहुतोयदाः

All the mountain-dwelling clouds are at a half-krośa distance, while the abundant rain-giving clouds are at a yojana distance due to their excellence.

धरापृष्ठाद्द्विजाः क्ष्मायां विद्युद्गुणसमन्विताः तेषां तेषां वृष्टिसर्गं त्रेधा कथितमत्र तु

O twice-born, from the earth’s surface, clouds endowed with the quality of lightning are found. Their rain is described here as threefold.

पक्षजाः कल्पजाः सर्वे पर्वतानां महत्तमाः कल्पान्ते ते च वर्षन्ति रात्रौ नाशाय शारदाः

All the clouds born from wings and from the Kalpa trees are the greatest among the mountains; at the end of the Kalpa, they rain at night for the destruction of the autumnal season.

पक्षजाः पुष्कराद्याश् च वर्षन्ति च यदा जलम् तदार्णवमभूत्सर्वं तत्र शेते निशीश्वरः

When the birds and lotuses and others pour down water, then the entire ocean is filled, and there the Lord without equal rests.

आग्नेयानां श्वासजानां पक्षजानां द्विजर्षभाः जलदानां सदा धूमो ह्य् आप्यायन इति स्मृतः

O best of twice-born, the smoke arising from fire, from breath, from birds, and from clouds is always known as nourishment.

पौण्ड्रास्तु वृष्टयः सर्वा वैद्युताः शीतशस्यदाः पुण्ड्रदेशेषु पतिता नागानां शीकरा हिमाः

All the rains in the Pundra region are lightning-born, bringing cold and abundant crops; the dew and frost that fall there are the droplets of the serpents.

गाङ्गा गङ्गाम्बुसम्भूता पर्जन्येन परावहैः नगानां च नदीनां च दिग्गजानां समाकुलम्

The Ganges, born from the water of the Ganga, is filled by the rain and the mountain streams, crowded with the rivers of the mountains and the elephants of the quarters.

मेघानां च पृथग्भूतं जलं प्रायादगादगम् परावहो यः श्वसनश् चानयत्यम्बिकागुरुम्

The water separated from the clouds is mostly carried away by the wind called Parāvaha, which brings it to the teacher of Ambika.

मेनापतिमतिक्रम्य वृष्टिशेषं द्विजाः परम् अभ्येति भारते वर्षे त्व् अपरान्तविवृद्धये

O twice-born, after surpassing the lord of Mena, the remaining rain comes to the land of Bharata for the increase of the western regions.

वृष्टयः कथिता ह्यद्य द्विधा वस्तु विवृद्धये सस्यद्वयस्य संक्षेपात् प्रब्रवीमि यथामति

Today, the rains have been described as twofold for the increase of things; I will briefly explain, according to my understanding, the two kinds of crops.

स्रष्टा भानुर्महातेजा वृष्टीनां विश्वदृग् विभुः सो ऽपि साक्षाद्द्विजश्रेष्ठाश् चेशानः परमः शिवः

The creator, the sun of great brilliance, the all-seeing, the pervader—he himself, O best of twice-born, is truly the supreme Lord Shiva.

स एव तेजस्त्वोजस्तु बलं विप्रा यशः स्वयम् चक्षुः श्रोत्रं मनो मृत्युर् आत्मा मन्युर् विदिग् दिशः

He himself is the energy, the vigor, the strength, O brahmins, the fame, the eye, the ear, the mind, death, the self, anger, the directions, and the quarters.

सत्यं ऋतं तथा वायुर् अंबरं खचरश् च सः लोकपालो हरिर्ब्रह्मा रुद्रः साक्षान्महेश्वरः

He is truth, order, the wind, the sky, and the one who moves in the sky; he is the guardian of the world, Hari, Brahma, Rudra—indeed, the great Lord himself.