Linga Purana

असृष्ट्वैव प्रजासर्गं प्रतिसर्गं गताः पुनः ततस्तेषु व्यतीतेषु ततो ऽन्यान् साधकान् सुतान्

Without creating the generation of beings, they entered dissolution again; when those had passed, then he created other accomplished sons among them.

मानसानसृजद्ब्रह्मा पुनः स्थानाभिमानिनः आ भूतसम्प्लवावस्था यैरियं विधृता मही

Brahmā then mentally created those who identified with their stations; by whom this earth was upheld until the state of the dissolution of beings.

आपो ऽग्निं पृथिवीं वायुम् अन्तरिक्षं दिवं तथा समुद्रांश् च नदीश्चैव तथा शैलवनस्पतीन्

He created water, fire, earth, wind, the atmosphere, the sky, as well as the oceans, rivers, mountains, and forest-trees.

ओषधीनां तथात्मानो वल्लीनां वृक्षवीरुधाम् लताः काष्ठाः कलाश्चैव मुहूर्ताः संधिरात्र्यहान्

He also created the essences of herbs, vines, trees, shrubs, creepers, woods, measures of time, moments, junctions, nights, and days.

अर्धमासांश् च मासांश् च अयनाब्दयुगानि च स्थानाभिमानिनः सर्वे स्थानाख्याश्चैव ते स्मृताः

He created fortnights, months, solstices, years, and ages; all those who preside over stations, who are called by the names of those stations.

देवानृषींश् च महतो गदतस्तान् निबोधत मरीचिभृग्वङ्गिरसं पुलस्त्यं पुलहं क्रतुम्

Now hear from me as I speak of the great gods and sages: Marīci, Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, and Kratu.

दक्षमत्रिं वसिष्ठं च सो ऽसृजन्मानसान् नव नव ब्रह्माण इत्येते पुराणे निश्चयं गताः

Dakṣa, Atri, and Vasiṣṭha—these nine were mentally created; these are the ancient Brahmās, established in the Purāṇas.

तेषां ब्रह्मात्मकानां वै सर्वेषां ब्रह्मवादिनाम् स्थानानि कल्पयामास पूर्ववत्पद्मसंभवः

To all of them, who were of the nature of Brahman and speakers of Brahman, the lotus-born one assigned stations as before.

ततो ऽसृजच्च संकल्पं धर्मं चैव सुखावहम् सो ऽसृजद् व्यवसायात्तु धर्मं देवो महेश्वरः

Then he created resolve and also dharma, which brings happiness; from determination, the god Maheśvara created dharma.

संकल्पं चैव संकल्पात् सर्वलोकपितामहः मानसश् च रुचिर्नाम विजज्ञे ब्रह्मणः प्रभोः

And from resolve, the Grandfather of all worlds created resolve itself; and from the mind, a being named Ruci was born from the lord Brahmā.

प्राणाद्ब्रह्मासृजद्दक्षं चक्षुर्भ्यां च मरीचिनम् भृगुस्तु हृदयाज्जज्ञे ऋषिः सलिलजन्मनः

From his breath, Brahmā created Dakṣa; from his eyes, Marīci; Bhṛgu was born from the heart of the sage born from water.

शिरसो ऽङ्गिरसश्चैव श्रोत्रादत्रिं तथासृजत् पुलस्त्यं च तथोदानाद् व्यानाच्च पुलहं पुनः

From his head, he created Aṅgiras; from the ears, Atri; from the outgoing breath, Pulastya; and from the diffusive breath, Pulaha again.

समानजो वसिष्ठश् च अपानान्निर्ममे क्रतुम् इत्येते ब्रह्मणः पुत्रा दिव्या एकादशा स्मृताः

Vasiṣṭha was born from the equalizing breath, and from the downward breath, Kratu was produced; these are remembered as the eleven divine sons of Brahmā.

धर्मादयः प्रथमजाः सर्वे ते ब्रह्मणः सुताः भृग्वादयस्तु ते सृष्टा नवैते ब्रह्मवादिनः

Dharma and the others were the firstborn, all sons of Brahmā; Bhṛgu and the others were created—these nine were speakers of Brahman.

गृहमेधिनः पुराणास् ते धर्मस् तैः सम्प्रवर्तितः तेषां द्वादश ते वंशा दिव्या देवगुणान्विताः

Those ancient householders established dharma; among them are twelve lineages, divine and endowed with the qualities of the gods.

क्रियावन्तः प्रजावन्तो महर्षिभिर् अलंकृताः ऋभुः सनत्कुमारश् च द्वावेतावूर्ध्वरेतसौ

They were active in rites, prolific, adorned by great sages; Ṛbhu and Sanatkumāra—these two were of upward-flowing seed.

पूर्वोत्पन्नौ परं तेभ्यः सर्वेषामपि पूर्वजौ व्यतीते त्वष्टमे कल्पे पुराणौ लोकसाक्षिणौ

Born before, they are supreme among them, the eldest of all; in the eighth past kalpa, they were ancient, witnesses of the worlds.

विराजेतामुभौ लोके तेजः संक्षिप्य धिष्ठितौ तावुभौ योगकर्माणाव् आरोप्यात्मानम् आत्मनि

Both of them, having withdrawn their brilliance, stood established in both worlds, engaged in the discipline of yoga, having placed their own selves within themselves.

प्रजां धर्मं च कामं च त्यक्त्वा वैराग्यमास्थितौ यथोत्पन्नः स एवेह कुमारः स इहोच्यते

Having abandoned progeny, righteousness, and desire, and established in detachment, as he arose, so indeed is he here called Kumāra.

तस्मात्सनत्कुमारेति नामास्येह प्रतिष्ठितम् ततो ऽभिध्यायतस्तस्य जज्ञिरे मानसाः प्रजाः

Therefore, the name Sanatkumāra is established for him here; from his contemplation, mind-born offspring were produced.

तच्छरीरसमुत्पन्नैः कार्यैस्तैः कारणैः सह क्षेत्रज्ञाः समवर्तन्त गात्रेभ्यस्तस्य धीमतः

From the actions arising from his body, together with those causes, the knowers of the field (individual souls) came forth from the limbs of that wise one.

ततो देवासुरपितॄन् मानुषांश् च चतुष्टयम् सिसृक्षुर् अम्भांस्येतानि स्वम् आत्मानम् अयूयुजत्

Then, desiring to create the four kinds—gods, asuras, ancestors, and humans—he joined his own self with these waters.

ततस्तु युञ्जतस्तस्य तमोमात्रसमुद्भवम् समभिध्यायतः सर्गं प्रयत्नेन प्रजापतेः

Then, as he engaged in union, intent on creation with effort, from the mere essence of darkness, creation arose from Prajāpati.

ततो ऽस्य जघनात्पूर्वम् असुरा जज्ञिरे सुताः असुः प्राणः स्मृतो विप्रास् तज्जन्मानस् ततो ऽसुराः

Then, from his lower part, first were born sons—the asuras; breath (asu) is called life by the sages, and from that birth, they are called asuras.

यया सृष्टासुराः सर्वे तां तनुं स व्यपोहत सापविद्धा तनुस् तेन सद्यो रात्रिर् अजायत

By that body through which all the asuras were created, he cast it off; that body, being cast away, immediately became night.

सा तमोबहुला यस्मात् ततो रात्रिर्नियामिका आवृतास्तमसा रात्रौ प्रजास्तस्मात्स्वपन्त्युत

Because it was full of darkness, therefore night is the regulator; covered by darkness in the night, indeed, beings sleep.

सृष्ट्वासुरांस्ततः सो वै तनुमन्यामगृह्णत अव्यक्तां सत्त्वबहुलां ततस्तां सो ऽभ्यपूजयत्

Having created the asura body, he then took up another, unmanifest and full of sattva; then he honored that one.

ततस्तां युञ्जतस् तस्य प्रियम् आसीत् प्रजापतेः ततो मुखात्समुत्पन्ना दीव्यतस्तस्य देवताः

Then, as he engaged with that body, Prajāpati found delight; from his mouth, as he shone, the deities were born.

यतो ऽस्य दीव्यतो जातास् तेन देवाः प्रकीर्तिताः धातुर्दिविति यः प्रोक्तः क्रीडायां स विभाव्यते

Because they were born as he shone, they are called gods; the root 'div' means to shine, and in play, it is thus understood.