Linga Purana

संसिद्धः कार्यकारणे तथा वै समवर्तत एक एव महादेवस् त्रिधैवं स व्यवस्थितः

Perfected in both cause and effect, thus he manifested. The great god alone, established in threefold form, abides thus.

अप्रतीपेन ज्ञानेन ऐश्वर्येण समन्वितः धर्मेण चाप्रतीपेन वैराग्येण च ते ऽन्विताः

Endowed with incomparable knowledge, sovereignty, righteousness, and detachment, they are possessed of these qualities without equal.

अव्यक्ताज्जायते तेषां मनसा यद्यदीहितम् वशीकृतत्वात्त्रैगुण्यं सापेक्षत्वात्स्वभावतः

From the unmanifest arises, through their mind, whatever is desired; because of mastery over the three qualities and their inherent dependence.

चतुर्मुखस्तु ब्रह्मत्वे कालत्वे चान्तकः स्मृतः सहस्रमूर्धा पुरुषस् तिस्रो ऽवस्थाः स्वयंभुवः

Brahmā with four faces is known as the creator; as Time, he is called the ender. The thousand-headed Person, the self-born, exists in three states.

ब्रह्मत्वे सृजते लोकान् कालत्वे संक्षिपत्यपि पुरुषत्वे ह्युदासीनस् तिस्रो ऽवस्थाः प्रजापतेः

As Brahmā, he creates worlds; as Time, he withdraws them; as the Person, he remains indifferent—these are the three states of the Lord of creatures.

ब्रह्मा कमलगर्भाभो रुद्रः कालाग्निसन्निभः पुरुषः पुण्डरीकाक्षो रूपं तत्परमात्मनः

Brahmā resembles the one born from the lotus; Rudra is like the fire of time; the Person, with lotus-like eyes, is the form of the supreme self.

एकधा स द्विधा चैव त्रिधा च बहुधा पुनः महेश्वरः शरीराणि करोति विकरोति च

Being one, then twofold, then threefold, and again manifold, Maheśvara creates and transforms bodies.

नानाकृतिक्रियारूपनामवन्ति स्वलीलया महेश्वरः शरीराणि करोति विकरोति च

With various forms, actions, appearances, and names, by his own play, Maheśvara creates and transforms bodies.

त्रिधा यद्वर्तते लोके तस्मात्त्रिगुण उच्यते चतुर्धा प्रविभक्तत्वाच् चतुर्व्यूहः प्रकीर्तितः

Because he exists in threefold manner in the world, he is called threefold in quality; being divided into four, he is known as the fourfold emanation.

यदाप्नोति यदादत्ते यच्चात्ति विषयानयम् यच्चास्य सततं भावस् तस्मादात्मा निरुच्यते

Whatever he attains, whatever he takes, whatever objects he enjoys, and whatever his constant state is—therefore, he is called the self.

ऋषिः सर्वगतत्वाच्च शरीरी सो ऽस्य यत्प्रभुः स्वामित्वमस्य यत्सर्वं विष्णुः सर्वप्रवेशनात्

He is called seer because he is all-pervading; embodied, he is the lord of that; because he is the master of all, he is Viṣṇu, as he enters all.

भगवान् भगवद्भावान् निर्मलत्वाच्छिवः स्मृतः परमः सम्प्रकृष्टत्वाद् अवनाद् ओमिति स्मृतः

He is called Bhagavān because he possesses divine qualities; pure, he is remembered as Śiva; supreme, because he is most exalted; protector, he is remembered as Om.

सर्वज्ञः सर्वविज्ञानात् सर्वः सर्वमयो यतः त्रिधा विभज्य चात्मानं त्रैलोक्यं सम्प्रवर्तते

He is all-knowing because of all knowledge; he is all because he pervades all; dividing himself threefold, he sets the three worlds in motion.

सृजते ग्रसते चैव रक्षते च त्रिभिः स्वयम् आदित्वाद् आदिदेवो ऽसाव् अजातत्वाद् अजः स्मृतः

He himself creates, devours, and protects with the three; being the first, he is called the original god; being unborn, he is remembered as the unborn.

पाति यस्मात्प्रजाः सर्वाः प्रजापतिर् इति स्मृतः देवेषु च महान्देवो महादेवस्ततः स्मृतः

Because he protects all beings, he is called the Lord of creatures; among the gods, the great god is therefore remembered as Mahādeva.

सर्वगत्वाच्च देवानाम् अवश्यत्वाच्च ईश्वरः बृहत्त्वाच्च स्मृतो ब्रह्मा भूतत्वाद्भूत उच्यते

Because he pervades all and is the lord of the gods, he is called Īśvara; because he is vast, he is remembered as Brahmā; because he is being, he is called Bhūta.

क्षेत्रज्ञः क्षेत्रविज्ञानाद् एकत्वात्केवलः स्मृतः यस्मात्पुर्यां स शेते च तस्मात्पूरुष उच्यते

He is the knower of the field because of knowledge of the field; being one, he is remembered as the sole one; because he lies in the city (body), he is called Puruṣa.

अनादित्वाच्च पूर्वत्वात् स्वयंभूरिति संस्मृतः याज्यत्वादुच्यते यज्ञः कविर् विक्रान्तदर्शनात्

Because he is without beginning and existed before all, he is remembered as the Self-born; because he is to be worshipped, he is called the Sacrifice; he is the Seer, and is known for his mighty vision.

क्रमणः क्रमणीयत्वात् पालकश्चापि पालनात् आदित्यसंज्ञः कपिलो ह्य् अग्रजो ऽग्निरिति स्मृतः

He is called the Stepper because of his movement, and the Protector because he preserves; he is known as Āditya, Kapila, the Eldest, and is remembered as Agni.

हिरण्यमस्य गर्भो ऽभूद् धिरण्यस्यापि गर्भजः तस्माद्धिरण्यगर्भत्वं पुराणे ऽस्मिन्निरुच्यते

He became the embryo of gold, and from gold was born as an embryo; therefore, in this Purāṇa, he is described as Hiraṇyagarbha, the Golden Womb.

स्वयंभुवो ऽपि वृत्तस्य कालो विश्वात्मनस्तु यः न शक्यः परिसंख्यातुम् अपि वर्षशतैरपि

Even the time of the Self-born, who is the soul of the universe, cannot be measured, not even in hundreds of years.

कालसंख्याविवृत्तस्य परार्धो ब्रह्मणः स्मृतः तावच्छेषो ऽस्य कालो ऽन्यस् तस्यान्ते प्रतिसृज्यते

The supreme period of Brahmā is called a parārdha, when the reckoning of time ceases; the remainder of his time is another, which is dissolved at its end.

कोटिकोटिसहस्राणि अहर्भूतानि यानि वै समतीतानि कल्पानां तावच्छेषाः परे तु ये यस्त्वयं वर्तते कल्पो वाराहस्तं निबोधत

Countless billions of days have passed in previous kalpas; the same number remain for the future. Now, listen to the account of the present kalpa, called Vārāha.

प्रथमः सांप्रतस्तेषां कल्पो ऽयं वर्तते द्विजाः यस्मिन्स्वायंभुवाद्यास्तु मनवस्ते चतुर्दश

O twice-born, of those kalpas, this present one is the first, in which the fourteen Manus, beginning with Svāyambhuva, have appeared.

अतीता वर्तमानाश् च भविष्या ये च वै पुनः तैरियं पृथिवी सर्वा सप्तद्वीपा सपर्वता

In the past, present, and future, by those Manus, this entire earth, with its seven continents and mountains, is governed.

पूर्णं युगसहस्रं वै परिपाल्या महेश्वरैः प्रजाभिस्तपसा चैव तेषां शृणुत विस्तरम्

For a full thousand yugas, the great lords protect it, along with the people, through their austerities. Hear now the details of these.

मन्वन्तरेण चैकेन सर्वाण्येवान्तराणि च कथितानि भविष्यन्ति कल्पः कल्पेन चैव हि

With each Manvantara, all the intermediate periods are also described; and so it is with each kalpa.

अतीतानि च कल्पानि सोदर्काणि सहान्वयैः अनागतेषु तद्वच्च तर्कः कार्यो विजानता

The past kalpas, with their secondary creations and lineages, and likewise those yet to come—one who knows should reason about them in this way.

आपो ह्यग्रे समभवन् नष्टे च पृथिवीतले शान्ततारैकनीरे ऽस्मिन् न प्राज्ञायत किंचन

At first, only water existed, for the earth had disappeared; in that calm, single expanse of water, nothing at all could be perceived.