Linga Purana

तस्मात्पञ्चगुणा भूमिः स्थूला भूतेषु शस्यते शान्ता घोराश् च मूढाश् च विशेषास्तेन ते स्मृताः

Therefore, earth is fivefold, gross among the elements. Peaceful, fierce, and deluded distinctions are thus remembered.

परस्परानुप्रवेशाद् धारयन्ति परस्परम् भूमेरन्तस्त्विदं सर्वं लोकालोकाचलावृतम्

By mutual interpenetration, they support each other. Within earth lies everything, enveloped by worlds, realms, and mountains.

विशेषाश्चेन्द्रियग्राह्या नियतत्वाच्च ते स्मृताः गुणं पूर्वस्य सर्गस्य प्राप्नुवन्त्युत्तरोत्तराः

The distinctions are grasped by the senses, and because they are fixed, they are remembered. Each subsequent creation acquires the attribute of the preceding one.

तेषां यावच्च तद् यच्च यच्च तावद्गुणं स्मृतम् उपलभ्याप्सु वै गन्धं केचिद् ब्रूयुर् अपां गुणम्

As long as those qualities exist, whatever is considered their attribute, some may perceive fragrance in water and call it a property of water.

पृथिव्यामेव तं विद्याद् अपां वायोश् च संश्रयात् एते सप्त महात्मानो ह्य् अन्योन्यस्य समाश्रयात्

But know that this property truly belongs to earth, though it appears in water and air due to their association; these seven great elements, by mutual association, share each other's qualities.

पुरुषाधिष्ठितत्वाच्च अव्यक्तानुग्रहेण च महादयो विशेषान्ता ह्य् अण्डमुत्पादयन्ति ते

Because of being presided over by the Purusha and through the favor of the unmanifest, these great elements, ending in the specific forms, produce the cosmic egg.

एककालसमुत्पन्नं जलबुद्बुदवच्च तत् विशेषेभ्यो ऽण्डम् अभवन् महत् तद् उदकेशयम्

That egg, arising all at once like a bubble in water, came into being from the specific elements; it is vast and rests upon the waters.

अद्भिर् दशगुणाभिस्तु बाह्यतो ऽण्डं समावृतम् आपो दशगुणेनैतास् तेजसा बाह्यतो वृताः

The egg is surrounded on the outside by water, which is ten times its own measure; and that water is itself encircled on the outside by fire, ten times greater.

तेजो दशगुणेनैव वायुना बाह्यतो वृतम् वायुर्दशगुणेनैव बाह्यतो नभसा वृतः

Fire, in turn, is surrounded on the outside by air, ten times greater; and air is encircled on the outside by ether, ten times greater.

आकाशेनावृतो वायुः खं तु भूतादिनावृतम् भूतादिर्महता चापि अव्यक्तेनावृतो महान्

Air is enclosed by ether, and ether by the principle of the elements; the principle of the elements is surrounded by the great principle, and the great principle by the unmanifest.

शर्वश्चाण्डकपालस्थो भवश्चांभसि सुव्रताः रुद्रो ऽग्निमध्ये भगवान् उग्रो वायौ पुनः स्मृतः

Śarva abides in the skull of the egg, Bhava in the waters, Rudra, the blessed one, in the midst of fire, and Ugra is again remembered as being in the air.

भीमश्चावनिमध्यस्थो ह्य् अहङ्कारे महेश्वरः बुद्धौ च भगवानीशः सर्वतः परमेश्वरः

Bhīma is situated in the midst of the earth, Maheśvara in the ego, and the blessed Lord Īśa in the intellect—everywhere, the Supreme Lord.

एतैरावरणैरण्डं सप्तभिः प्राकृतैर् वृतम् एता आवृत्य चान्योन्यम् अष्टौ प्रकृतयः स्थिताः

With these seven natural coverings, the egg is enveloped; and, having covered one another, these eight principles remain established.

प्रसर्गकाले स्थित्वा तु ग्रसन्त्येताः परस्परम् एवं परस्परोत्पन्ना धारयन्ति परस्परम्

At the time of creation, having remained thus, they consume each other; thus, being mutually produced, they support one another.

आधाराधेयभावेन विकारास्ते विकारिषु महेश्वरः परो ऽव्यक्ताद् अण्डम् अव्यक्तसंभवम्

In the relationship of support and supported, these modifications reside in the modified; the Supreme Maheśvara, beyond the unmanifest, is the source of the egg, which arises from the unmanifest.

अण्डाज्जज्ञे स एवेशः पुरुषो ऽर्कसमप्रभः तस्मिन्कार्यस्य करणं संसिद्धं स्वेच्छयैव तु

From the egg, that very Lord was born, the Purusha, radiant like the sun; in him, the means for the work was perfectly established by his own will.

स वै शरीरी प्रथमः स वै पुरुष उच्यते तस्य वामाङ्गजो विष्णुः सर्वदेवनमस्कृतः

He is indeed the first embodied being, called the Purusha; from his left side arose Viṣṇu, honored by all the gods.

लक्ष्म्या देव्या ह्यभूद्देव इच्छया परमेष्ठिनः दक्षिणाङ्गभवो ब्रह्मा सरस्वत्या जगद्गुरुः

From the will of the supreme Lord, the goddess Lakṣmī was born; from his right side came Brahmā, the teacher of the world, with Sarasvatī.

तस्मिन्नण्डे इमे लोका अन्तर्विश्वमिदं जगत् चन्द्रादित्यौ सनक्षत्रौ सग्रहौ सह वायुना

Within that egg are these worlds, and this entire universe; the moon and sun, with their constellations and planets, along with the wind.

लोकालोकद्वयं किंचिद् अण्डे ह्यस्मिन्समर्पितम् यत्तु सृष्टौ प्रसंख्यातं मया कालान्तरं द्विजाः

Both the world and the non-world are, to some extent, contained within this egg; and whatever has been enumerated by me at the time of creation, O twice-born, is so.

एतत्कालान्तरं ज्ञेयम् अहर्वै पारमेश्वरम् रात्रिश्चैतावती ज्ञेया परमेशस्य कृत्स्नशः

This period should be understood as the day of the Supreme Lord; and the night of the Supreme is to be known as of the same extent, in its entirety.

अहस्तस्य तु या सृष्टिः रात्रिश् च प्रलयः स्मृतः नाहस्तु विद्यते तस्य न रात्रिरिति धारयेत्

The creation of the one without hands, and the night, are called dissolution; for the one without hands, neither night nor dissolution exists, this should be understood.

उपचारस्तु क्रियते लोकानां हितकाम्यया इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थाश् च महाभूतानि पञ्च च

A figurative explanation is given for the benefit of the worlds, concerning the senses, their objects, and the five great elements.

तस्मात् सर्वाणि भूतानि बुद्धिश् च सह दैवतैः अहस्तिष्ठन्ति सर्वाणि परमेशस्य धीमतः

Therefore, all beings, along with intellect and the deities, exist without hands, all established in the supreme, wise Lord.

अहरन्ते प्रलीयन्ते रात्र्यन्ते विश्वसंभवः स्वात्मन्यवस्थिते व्यक्ते विकारे प्रतिसंहृते

They are absorbed and dissolve at the end of the night, when the universe comes into being, remaining in their own nature, when the manifest and its modifications are withdrawn.

साधर्म्येणावतिष्ठेते प्रधानपुरुषावुभौ तमःसत्त्वरजोपेतौ समत्वेन व्यवस्थितौ

Both Pradhāna and Puruṣa remain together by their inherent nature, endowed with darkness, goodness, and passion, established in equality.

अनुपृक्तावभूतां ताव् ओतप्रोतौ परस्परम् गुणसाम्ये लयो ज्ञेयो वैषम्ये सृष्टिरुच्यते

Those two, pervaded and interwoven with each other, should be understood as merging when their qualities are equal, and creation is said to occur when there is inequality.

तिले यथा भवेत्तैलं घृतं पयसि वा स्थितम् तथा तमसि सत्त्वे च रजस्यनुसृतं जगत्

Just as oil exists in sesame and ghee in milk, so too the world follows goodness in darkness and passion.

उपास्य रजनीं कृत्स्नां परां माहेश्वरीं तथा अर्हमुखे प्रवृत्तश् च परः प्रकृतिसंभवः

Having worshipped the entire night, the supreme Māheśvarī, the supreme one, arising from the mouth of the worthy, is born from Prakṛti.