Linga Purana

मम त्वं पुण्डरीकाक्ष विशिष्टं गुणवत्तरम् सुरेशसंमितं पुत्रं प्रसन्नो दातुमर्हसि

'O lotus-eyed one, you should graciously give me a son who is distinguished, most virtuous, and esteemed by the lord of gods.'

जाम्बवत्या वचः श्रुत्वा जगन्नाथस्ततो हरिः तपस्तप्तुं समारेभे तपोनिधिरनिन्दितः

Hearing the words of Jāmbavatī, the Lord of the universe, Hari, the faultless repository of austerity, then undertook penance.

सो ऽथ नारायणः कृष्णः शङ्खचक्रगदाधरः व्याघ्रपादस्य च मुनेर् गत्वा चैवाश्रमोत्तमम्

Then Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, bearer of the conch, discus, and mace, went to the excellent hermitage of the sage Vyāghrapāda.

ऋषिं दृष्ट्वा त्वङ्गिरसं प्रणिपत्य जनार्दनः दिव्यं पाशुपतं योगं लब्धवांस्तस्य चाज्ञया

Seeing the sage Aṅgiras, Janārdana bowed down and, by his command, obtained the divine Pāśupata yoga.

प्रलुप्तश्मश्रुकेशश् च घृताक्तो मुञ्जमेखली दीक्षितो भगवान्कृष्णस् तताप च परंतपः

Having his hair and beard removed, anointed with ghee, girded with a muñja grass belt, the blessed Kṛṣṇa, the subduer of foes, undertook severe austerity.

ऊर्ध्वबाहुर् निरालंबः पादाङ्गुष्ठाग्रधिष्ठितः फलाम्बनिलभोजी च ऋतुत्रयम् अधोक्षजः

With arms raised, unsupported, standing on the tips of his toes, subsisting on fruits, water, and air, Adhokṣaja practiced for three seasons.

तपसा तस्य संतुष्टो ददौ रुद्रो बहून् वरान् साम्बं जांबवतीपुत्रं कृष्णाय च महात्मने

Pleased by his austerity, Rudra granted many boons to Kṛṣṇa, the great-souled one, including Sāmba, the son of Jāmbavatī.

तथा जांबवती चैव सांबं भार्या हरेः सुतम् प्रहर्षमतुलं लेभे लब्ध्वादित्यं यथादितिः

Thus Jāmbavatī, wife of Hari, having obtained Sāmba as her son, experienced incomparable joy, as Aditi did upon obtaining Āditya.

बाणस्य च तदा तेन छेदितं मुनिपुङ्गवाः भुजानां चैव साहस्रं शापाद्रुद्रस्य धीमतः

Then, O eminent sages, by the curse of the wise Rudra, the thousand arms of Bāṇa were cut off by him.

अथ दैत्यवधं चक्रे हलायुधसहायवान् तथा दुष्टक्षितीशानां लीलयैव रणाजिरे

Then, aided by Halāyudha, he slew the Daityas, and likewise, with ease, destroyed the wicked kings on the battlefield.

स हत्वा देवसम्भूतं नरकं दैत्यपुङ्गवम् ब्राह्मणस्योर्ध्वचक्रस्य वरदानान्महात्मनः

Having slain Naraka, the foremost of Daityas, born of the gods, by the boon of the great-souled brāhmaṇa Urdhvacakra, he acted.

स्वोपभोग्यानि कन्यानां षोडशातुलविक्रमः शताधिकानि जग्राह सहस्राणि महाबलः

The mighty one, of unrivaled prowess, took for his enjoyment over sixteen thousand maidens.

शापव्याजेन विप्राणाम् उपसंहृतवान् कुलम् संहृत्य तत्कुलं चैव प्रभासे ऽतिष्ठदच्युतः

On the pretext of a curse, he destroyed the lineage of the brāhmaṇas, and having annihilated that family, Acyuta remained at Prabhāsa.

तदा तस्यैव तु गतं वर्षाणामधिकं शतम् कृष्णस्य द्वारकायां वै जराक्लेशापहारिणः

Then, for over a hundred years, Kṛṣṇa, the remover of the affliction of old age, dwelled in Dvārakā.

विश्वामित्रस्य कण्वस्य नारदस्य च धीमतः शापं पिण्डारके ऽरक्षद् वचो दुर्वाससस्तदा

At that time, he protected the words of the sage Durvāsas regarding the curse of Viśvāmitra, Kaṇva, and the wise Nārada at Piṇḍāraka.

त्यक्त्वा च मानुषं रूपं जरकास्त्रच्छलेन तु अनुगृह्य च कृष्णो ऽपि लुब्धकं प्रययौ दिवम्

Then, abandoning his human form under the pretext of the arrow of Jara, Kṛṣṇa, having favored the hunter, ascended to heaven.

अष्टावक्रस्य शापेन भार्याः कृष्णस्य धीमतः चौरैश्चापहृताः सर्वास् तस्य मायाबलेन च

By the curse of Aṣṭāvakra, all the wives of wise Kṛṣṇa were carried off by thieves through the power of illusion.

बलभद्रो ऽपि संत्यज्य नागो भूत्वा जगाम च महिष्यस्तस्य कृष्णस्य रुक्मिणीप्रमुखाः शुभाः

Balabhadra too, having renounced, became a serpent and departed; and Kṛṣṇa's auspicious wives, headed by Rukmiṇī, likewise.

सहाग्निं विविशुः सर्वाः कृष्णेनाक्लिष्टकर्मणा रेवती च तथा देवी बलभद्रेण धीमता

All of them, along with Agni, entered the fire; and so too did the goddess Revatī, with the wise Balabhadra, whose deeds were pure.

प्रविष्टा पावकं विप्राः सा च भर्तृपथं गता प्रेतकार्यं हरेः कृत्वा पार्थः परमवीर्यवान्

The Brahmins entered the fire, and she went to her husband's path; after performing the funeral rites for Hari, Partha, of supreme valor,

रामस्य च तथान्येषां वृष्णीनामपि सुव्रतः कन्दमूलफलैस्तस्य बलिकार्यं चकार सः

And for Rama and likewise for the others, and for the Vrishnis too, the virtuous one performed the offering for them with roots, tubers, and fruits.

द्रव्याभावात् स्वयं पार्थो भ्रातृभिश् च दिवं गतः एवं संक्षेपतः प्रोक्तः कृष्णस्याक्लिष्टकर्मणः

Due to lack of materials, Partha himself, along with his brothers, went to heaven; thus, in brief, has been told the account of Krishna, whose actions were untainted.

प्रभावो विलयश्चैव स्वेच्छयैव महात्मनः इत्येतत्सोमवंशानां नृपाणां चरितं द्विजाः

The manifestation and dissolution, too, of the great soul occur solely by his own will; this is the history of the kings of the Soma lineage, O twice-born.

यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि ब्राह्मणान् श्रावयेदपि स याति वैष्णवं लोकं नात्र कार्या विचारणा

Whoever recites, hears, or causes Brahmins to listen to this, surely attains the Vaishnava world; there is no need for deliberation here.

आदिसर्गस्त्वया सूत सूचितो न प्रकाशितः सांप्रतं विस्तरेणैव वक्तुमर्हसि सुव्रत

O Suta, you have indicated the primordial creation, but not revealed it; now, you should narrate it in detail, O virtuous one.

महेश्वरो महादेवः प्रकृतेः पुरुषस्य च परत्वे संस्थितो देवः परमात्मा मुनीश्वराः

Maheshvara, the great god, is established in the transcendence of both Prakriti and Purusha; the god, the supreme soul, and the lords of sages.

अव्यक्तं चेश्वरात्तस्माद् अभवत्कारणं परम् प्रधानं प्रकृतिश्चेति यदाहुस्तत्त्वचिन्तकाः

From the Lord arose the unmanifest, which is the supreme cause; what is called Pradhana and Prakriti, as declared by those who contemplate reality.

गन्धवर्णरसैर् हीनं शब्दस्पर्शविवर्जितम् अजरं ध्रुवमक्षय्यं नित्यं स्वात्मन्यवस्थितम्

Devoid of scent, color, and taste, free from sound and touch, ageless, constant, imperishable, eternal, abiding in its own nature.

जगद्योनिं महाभूतं परं ब्रह्म सनातनम् विग्रहः सर्वभूतानाम् ईश्वराज्ञाप्रचोदितम्

The womb of the world, the great element, the supreme, eternal Brahman; the form of all beings, impelled by the command of the Lord.