Linga Purana

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.

एकार्णवे तदा तस्मिन् नष्टे स्थावरजङ्गमे तदा भवति वै ब्रह्मा सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात्

Then, in that single ocean, when all that is fixed and moving was lost, Brahmā arises—he of a thousand eyes and a thousand feet.

सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषो रुक्मवर्णस् त्वतीन्द्रियः ब्रह्मा नारायणाख्यस्तु सुष्वाप सलिले तदा

The Person with a thousand heads, golden in color and beyond the senses, called Brahmā and also Nārāyaṇa, then slept upon the waters.

सत्त्वोद्रेकात्प्रबुद्धस्तु शून्यं लोकमुदैक्षत इमं चोदाहरन्त्यत्र श्लोकं नारायणं प्रति

Awakening through the predominance of sattva, he beheld the empty world. Here, they recite this verse about Nārāyaṇa.

आपो नाराश् च सूनव इत्यपां नाम शुश्रुमः आपूर्य ताभिर् अयनं कृतवानात्मनो यतः

We have heard that the waters are called 'nārās,' and he is their son; having filled them, he made them his resting place.

अप्सु शेते यतस्तस्मात् ततो नारायणः स्मृतः चतुर्युगसहस्रस्य नैशं कालम् उपास्यतः

Because he lies upon the waters, he is therefore called Nārāyaṇa. He remains in night for a thousand fourfold yugas.

शर्वर्यन्ते प्रकुरुते ब्रह्मत्वं सर्गकारणात् ब्रह्मा तु सलिले तस्मिन् वायुर्भूत्वा समाचरत्

At the end of the night, he assumes the role of Brahmā for the purpose of creation; and as Brahmā, he acts in the waters, becoming the wind.

निशायामिव खद्योतः प्रावृट्काले ततस्तु सः ततस् तु सलिले तस्मिन् विज्ञायान्तर्गतां महीम्

Then, just as a firefly in the night during the rainy season, he perceived the earth submerged within the waters.

अनुमानाद् असंमूढो भूमेरुद्धरणं पुनः अकरोत्स तनूमन्यां कल्पादिषु यथापुरा

By inference, undeluded, he again raised up the earth, just as he had done in previous cycles, assuming a subtle form.

ततो महात्मा भगवान् दिव्यरूपम् अचिन्तयत् सलिलेनाप्लुतां भूमिं दृष्ट्वा स तु समन्ततः

Then the great-souled Lord, seeing the earth immersed in water all around, conceived of a divine form.

किंनु रूपमहं कृत्वा उद्धरेयं महीमिमाम् जलक्रीडानुसदृशं वाराहं रूपमाविशत्

He thought, 'By assuming what form might I lift this earth? Entering the form of a boar, suitable for playing in water, I shall do so.'

अधृष्यं सर्वभूतानां वाङ्मयं ब्रह्मसंज्ञितम् पृथिव्युद्धरणार्थाय प्रविवेश रसातलम्

Unassailable by all beings, composed of speech and known as Brahman, he entered the netherworld for the purpose of raising the earth.

अद्भिः संछादितां भूमिं स तामाशु प्रजापतिः उपगम्योज्जहारैनाम् आपश्चापि समाविशत्

The Lord of creatures swiftly approached the earth, covered by the waters, seized her, and entered the waters as well.

सामुद्रा वै समुद्रेषु नादेयाश् च नदीषु च रसातलतले मग्नां रसातलपुटे गताम्

The rivers were in the oceans, and the gifts in the rivers; the earth had sunk to the bottom of the netherworld, entering its deepest recess.

प्रभुर्लोकहितार्थाय दंष्ट्रयाभ्युज्जहार गाम् ततः स्वस्थानमानीय पृथिवीं पृथिवीधरः

For the welfare of the worlds, the Lord raised the earth with his tusk, then, bringing her to her proper place, the supporter of the earth restored her.

मुमोच पूर्ववद् असौ धारयित्वा धराधरः तस्योपरि जलौघस्य महती नौरिव स्थिता

Having supported the earth, the bearer of the earth released her as before; upon her, a great mass of water stood, like a vast ship.

तत्समा ह्युरुदेहत्वान् न मही याति संप्लवम् तत उत्क्षिप्य तां देवो जगतः स्थापनेच्छया

Because she was supported by his own body, the earth did not sink; then, lifting her up, the god, desiring to establish the world, did so.

पृथिव्याः प्रविभागाय मनश्चक्रे ऽम्बुजेक्षणः पृथिवीं च समां कृत्वा पृथिव्यां सो ऽचिनोद् गिरीन्

For the division of the earth, the lotus-eyed one conceived in his mind, and making the earth level, he placed the mountains upon her.

प्राक्सर्गे दह्यमाने तु तदा संवर्तकाग्निना तेनाग्निना विशीर्णास्ते पर्वता भूरिविस्तराः

At the beginning of creation, when everything was being burned by the fire of dissolution, those vast mountains were shattered by that fire.

शैत्यादेकार्णवे तस्मिन् वायुना तेन संहताः निषिक्ता यत्र यत्रासंस् तत्र तत्राचलाभवन्

By cold, in that single ocean, they were compressed by the wind; wherever they were deposited, there they became immovable mountains.

तदाचलत्वाद् अचलाः पर्वभिः पर्वताः स्मृताः गिरयो हि निगीर्णत्वाच् छयानत्वाच्छिलोच्चयाः

Because they do not move, they are called 'mountains' (acala); and because they are heaped up, they are known as 'heaps of rocks' (śiloccaya).