Linga Purana

यदेतदुक्तं भवता सूतेह वदतां वर एतद्विस्तरतो ब्रूहि ज्योतिषां च विनिर्णयम्

O best of speakers, you have said this; now tell us in detail, and also the determination regarding the luminaries.

श्रुत्वा तु वचनं तेषां तदा सूतः समाहितः उवाच परमं वाक्यं तेषां संशयनिर्णये

Hearing their words, the Sūta, composed, spoke the supreme teaching to resolve their doubts.

अस्मिन्नर्थे महाप्राज्ञैर् यदुक्तं शान्तबुद्धिभिः एतद्वो ऽहं प्रवक्ष्यामि सूर्यचन्द्रमसोर्गतिम्

What has been said on this matter by the great wise ones of tranquil mind, that I shall declare to you—the course of the sun and moon.

यथा देवगृहाणीह सूर्यचन्द्रादयो ग्रहाः अतः परं तु त्रिविधम् अग्नेर्वक्ष्ये समुद्भवम्

How the sun, moon, and other planets dwell in the abodes of the gods here—after this, I shall explain the threefold origin of fire.

दिव्यस्य भौतिकस्याग्नेर् अथो ऽग्नेः पार्थिवस्य च व्युष्टायां तु रजन्यां च ब्रह्मणो ऽव्यक्तजन्मनः

Of the divine, material, and earthly fire, and of fire belonging to earth—at the end of night, from Brahman of unmanifest birth—

अव्याकृतमिदं त्वासीन् नैशेन तमसा वृतम् चतुर्भागावशिष्टे ऽस्मिन् लोके नष्टे विशेषतः

This was unmanifest, covered by night’s darkness; when only a fourth remained, the world was especially lost.

स्वयंभूर्भगवांस्तत्र लोकसर्वार्थसाधकः खद्योतवत्स व्यचरद् आविर्भावचिकीर्षया

There, the self-born Lord, accomplishing all purposes of the worlds, moved about like a firefly, wishing to manifest.

सो ऽग्निं सृष्ट्वाथ लोकादौ पृथिवीजलसंश्रितः संहृत्य तत्प्रकाशार्थं त्रिधा व्यभजदीश्वरः

Then, having created fire at the beginning of the world, and abiding in earth and water, the Lord divided it threefold for the sake of illumination.

पवनो यस्तु लोके ऽस्मिन् पार्थिवो वह्निरुच्यते यश्चासौ लोकादौ सूर्ये शुचिरग्निस्तु स स्मृतः

The wind here in this world is called earthly fire, and that pure fire which was at the beginning of the world in the sun is remembered as Agni.

वैद्युतो ऽब्जस्तु विज्ञेयस् तेषां वक्ष्ये तु लक्षणम् वैद्युतो जाठरः सौरो वारिगर्भास्त्रयो ऽग्नयः

Of these, the electric, the aquatic, and the lotus-born are to be understood; I shall now describe their characteristics. The electric, the digestive, the solar, and the aquatic—these three are fires.

तस्मादपः पिबन्सूर्यो गोभिर् दीप्यत्यसौ विभुः जले चाब्जः समाविष्टो नाद्भिर् अग्निः प्रशाम्यति

Therefore, the sun, drinking up the waters, shines forth with rays; the lotus-born fire is established in water, but fire is not extinguished by water.

मानवानां च कुक्षिस्थो नाग्निः शाम्यति पावकः अर्चिष्मान्पवनः सो ऽग्निर् निष्प्रभो जाठरः स्मृतः

In the bellies of humans, fire is not extinguished; the blazing fire, accompanied by wind, is called the digestive fire, though it is without visible light.

यश्चायं मण्डली शुक्ली निरूष्मा सम्प्रजायते प्रभा सौरी तु पादेन ह्य् अस्तं याते दिवाकरे

And that which appears as a white, circular, and cool form, when the sun has set with its foot, is the solar radiance.

अग्निमाविशते रात्रौ तस्माद्दूरात्प्रकाशते उद्यन्तं च पुनः सूर्यम् औष्ण्यम् अग्नेः समाविशेत्

At night, the fire enters the sun's orb, and thus it shines from afar; when the sun rises again, the heat of fire enters the sun once more.

पादेन पार्थिवस्याग्नेस् तस्मादग्निस्तपत्यसौ प्रकाशोष्णस्वरूपे च सौराग्नेये तु तेजसी

By the foot of the terrestrial fire, therefore, that fire burns; in both their forms of light and heat, the solar and terrestrial fires are radiant.

परस्परानुप्रवेशाद् आप्यायेते परस्परम् उत्तरे चैव भूम्यर्धे तथा ह्यग्निश् च दक्षिणे

By mutual interpenetration, they nourish each other; in the northern half of the earth is water, and in the southern, fire.

उत्तिष्ठति पुनः सूर्यः पुनर्वै प्रविशत्य् अपः तस्मात्ताम्रा भवन्त्यापो दिवारात्रिप्रवेशनात्

The sun rises again and again, and again enters the waters; therefore, the waters become coppery due to the sun's entering by day and night.

अस्तं याति पुनः सूर्यो ऽहर्वै प्रविशत्य् अपः तस्मान्नक्तं पुनः शुक्ला आपो दृश्यन्ति भास्वराः

The sun sets again, and the waters enter the day; therefore, at night, the waters appear white and shining.

एतेन क्रमयोगेन भूम्यर्धे दक्षिणोत्तरे उदयास्तमने नित्यम् अहोरात्रं विशत्य् अपः

By this sequential process, in the southern and northern halves of the earth, at sunrise and sunset, day and night, the waters always enter.

यश्चासौ तपते सूर्यः पिबन्नंभो गभस्तिभिः पार्थिवाग्निविमिश्रो ऽसौ दिव्यः शुचिरिति स्मृतः

And that sun who shines, drinking water with his rays, is said to be the divine and pure one, mingled with terrestrial fire.

सहस्रपादसौ वह्निर् वृत्तकुम्भनिभः स्मृतः आदत्ते स तु नाडीनां सहस्रेण समन्ततः

That fire is said to have a thousand feet, resembling a round pot; it draws in, on all sides, with a thousand channels.

नादेयीश्चैव सामुद्रीः कूपाश्चैव तथा घनाः स्थावरा जङ्गमाश्चैव वापीकुल्यादिका अपः

The channels are those of the ocean, wells, clouds, stationary and moving waters, as well as tanks, streams, and the like.

तस्य रश्मिसहस्रं तच् छीतवर्षोष्णनिःस्रवम् तासां चतुःशता नाड्यो वर्षन्ते चित्रमूर्तयः

Its thousand rays emit cold, rain, and heat; of these, four hundred channels rain forth, each with a wondrous form.

भजनाश्चैव माल्याश् च केतनाः पतनास् तथा अमृता नामतः सर्वा रश्मयो वृष्टिसर्जनाः

They are called vessels, garlands, banners, and falling streams; all the rays that cause rain are named 'nectar.'

हिमोद्वहाश् च ता नाड्यो रश्मयस् त्रिशताः पुनः रेशा मेघाश् च वात्स्याश् च ह्लादिन्यो हिमसर्जनाः

Three hundred of those channels are rays that carry snow; among them are threads, clouds, and showers, which are cooling and produce snow.

चन्द्रभा नामतः सर्वा पीताभाश् च गभस्तयः शुक्लाश् च ककुभाश्चैव गावो विश्वभृतस् तथा

All are called by the name 'moon-rays,' and the yellowish rays, the white ones, the directions, and the cows that sustain the universe as well.

शुक्लास्ता नामतः सर्वास् त्रिशतीर्घर्मसर्जनाः सोमो बिभर्ति ताभिस्तु मनुष्यपितृदेवताः

All those white ones are named as three hundred rays that produce heat; by these, the moon nourishes humans, ancestors, and gods.

मनुष्यानौषधेनेह स्वधया च पितॄनपि अमृतेन सुरान् सर्वांस् तिसृभिस् तर्पयत्यसौ

Here, he satisfies humans with herbs, ancestors with oblations, and all the gods with nectar, by means of three things.

वसन्ते चैव ग्रीष्मे च शतैः स तपते त्रिभिः वर्षास्वथो शरदि च चतुर्भिः संप्रवर्षति

In spring and summer, he burns with three hundred rays; in the rainy season and autumn, he pours forth with four hundred.