Linga Purana

सद्यो रात्र्यहनी चैव संध्या ज्योत्स्ना च जज्ञिरे ज्योत्स्ना संध्या अहश्चैव सत्त्वमात्रात्मकं त्रयम्

At once, night and day, twilight, and Jyotsnā were born; Jyotsnā, twilight, and day are the three composed of sattva alone.

तमोमात्रात्मिका रात्रिः सा वै तस्मान्निशात्मिका तस्माद्देवा दिवातन्वा तुष्ट्या सृष्टा मुखात्तु वै

Night is composed entirely of tamas, and thus is of the nature of darkness; therefore, the gods, created from the form of day, were born from his mouth in satisfaction.

यस्मात्तेषां दिवा जन्म बलिनस्तेन वै दिवा तन्वा ययासुरान् रात्रौ जघनादसृजत्प्रभुः

Because their birth was by day, they are powerful by day; with that form, the Lord created the Asuras at night from his abdomen.

प्राणेभ्यो निशिजन्मानो बलिनो निशि तेन ते एतान्येव भविष्याणां देवानामसुरैः सह

Those born at night from the vital breaths are powerful at night; these will be, among future gods, together with the Asuras.

पितॄणां मानवानां च अतीतानागतेषु वै मन्वन्तरेषु सर्वेषु निमित्तानि भवन्ति हि

For the ancestors and humans, in all past and future Manvantaras, these are indeed the causes.

ज्योत्स्ना रात्र्यहनी संध्या चत्वार्यंभांसि तानि वै भान्ति यस्मात् ततो ऽंभांसि शब्दो ऽयं सुमनीषिभिः

Jyotsnā, night, day, and twilight—these four are called 'ambhāṃsi'; because they shine, this term is used by the wise.

भातिर्दीप्तौ निगदितः पुनश्चाथ प्रजापतिः सो ऽम्भांस्येतानि सृष्ट्वा तु देवमानुषदानवान्

The word 'bhāti' is said to mean shining; then Prajāpati, having created these ambhāṃsi, also created gods, humans, and Dānavas.

पितॄंश्चैव सृजत्तन्वा आत्मना विविधान्पुनः तामुत्सृज्य तनुं ज्योत्स्नां ततो ऽन्यां प्राप्य स प्रभुः

He also created the ancestors with his own form, and again various beings; casting off that Jyotsnā form, the Lord then assumed another.

मूर्तिं तमोरजःप्रायां पुनरेवाभ्यपूजयत् अन्धकारे क्षुधाविष्टांस् ततो ऽन्यान् सो ऽसृजत् प्रभुः

He again honored a form dominated by tamas and rajas, filled with hunger in darkness; then the Lord created others.

तेन सृष्टाः क्षुधात्मानो अंभांस्यादातुम् उद्यताः अम्भांस्येतानि रक्षाम उक्तवन्तस्तु तेषु ये

Those created by him, whose nature was hunger, were intent on seizing the ambhāṃsi; among them, those who said, 'Let us protect the ambhāṃsi,'

राक्षसा नाम ते यस्मात् क्षुधाविष्टा निशाचराः ये ऽब्रुवन् यक्षमो ऽम्भांसि तेषां हृष्टाः परस्परम्

are called Rākṣasas, because, possessed by hunger, they roam at night; those who said, 'Let us enjoy the ambhāṃsi,' were delighted with one another.

तेन ते कर्मणा यक्षा गुह्यका गूढकर्मणा रक्षेति पालने चापि धातुरेष विभाष्यते

By that act, those are Yakṣas, Guhyakas, who perform secret deeds; the root 'rakṣ' is also used in the sense of protection.

एवं च यक्षतिर् धातुर् भक्षणे स निरुच्यते तं दृष्ट्वा ह्यप्रियेणास्य केशाः शीर्णास्तु धीमतः

Thus, the root 'yakṣ' is explained as meaning 'to eat'; seeing him, the wise one's hair fell out in displeasure.

ते शीर्णाश्चोत्थिता ह्यूर्ध्वं ते चैवारुरुधुः प्रभुम् हीनास्तच्छिरसो वाला यस्माच्चैवावसर्पिणः

Those whose heads were severed rose upwards, and those who wept for the Lord were deprived of their heads; from them descended the creatures called 'vālā'.

व्यालात्मानः स्मृता वाला हीनत्वादहयः स्मृताः पतत्वात्पन्नगाश्चैव सर्पाश्चैवावसर्पणात्

The 'vālā' are remembered as having the nature of serpents; due to their deficiency, they are called snakes, and because they fall, they are known as 'pannagas', and as serpents because they crawl.

तस्य क्रोधोद्भवो यो ऽसौ अग्निगर्भः सुदारुणः स तु सर्पान् सहोत्पन्नान् आविवेश विषात्मकः

From his wrath arose a fierce being, born of fire, who entered the serpents that had been created together, possessing the nature of poison.

सर्पान्सृष्ट्वा ततः क्रुद्धः क्रोधात्मानो विनिर्ममे वर्णेन कपिशेनोग्रास् ते भूताः पिशिताशनाः

Having created the serpents, he, enraged, produced beings whose essence was anger, with tawny color and fierce nature; these creatures subsist on flesh.

भूतत्वात्ते स्मृता भूताः पिशाचाः पिशिताशनात् प्रसन्नं गायतस्तस्य गन्धर्वा जज्ञिरे यदा

Because they are beings, they are called 'bhūtas'; because they eat flesh, they are called 'piśācas'. When he sang with a tranquil mind, the Gandharvas were born.

धयतीत्येष वै धातुः पानत्वे परिपठ्यते धयन्तो जज्ञिरे वाचं गन्धर्वास्तेन ते स्मृताः

The root 'dhayati' is interpreted as 'to drink'; the Gandharvas were born drinking speech, and thus they are remembered by that name.

अष्टस्वेतासु सृष्टासु देवयोनिषु स प्रभुः ततः स्वच्छन्दतो ऽन्यानि वयांसि वयसासृजत्

When eight white divine species had been created, the Lord then, at his own will, produced other birds according to their ages.

स्वच्छन्दतः स्वच्छन्दांसि वयसा च वयांसि च पशून्सृष्ट्वा स देवेशो ऽसृजत्पक्षिगणानपि

According to their own will and age, he created birds; after creating animals, the Lord of the gods also produced groups of birds.

मुखतो ऽजाः ससर्जाथ वक्षसश् चावयो ऽसृजत् गाश्चैवाथोदराद्ब्रह्मा पार्श्वाभ्यां च विनिर्ममे

From his mouth he created goats, from his chest sheep, from his abdomen cows, and from his sides Brahmā fashioned them.

पद्भ्यां चाश्वान् समातङ्गान् रासभान् आवयान् मृगान् उष्ट्रानश्वतरांश्चैव तथान्याश्चैव जातयः

From his feet he created horses, elephants, donkeys, camels, deer, and mules, as well as other species.

ओषध्यः फलमूलिन्यो रोमभ्यस्तस्य जज्ञिरे एवं पश्वोषधीः सृष्ट्वा यूयुजत् सो ऽध्वरे प्रभुः

Medicinal plants, those bearing fruits and roots, were born from his hair. Thus, after creating animals and plants, the Lord engaged them in the sacrifice.

गौरजः पूरुषो मेषो ह्य् अश्वो ऽश्वतरगर्दभौ एतान्ग्राम्यान्पशूनाहुर् आरण्यान्वै निबोधत

The bull, man, sheep, horse, mule, and donkey—these are called domestic animals; now listen to the wild ones.

श्वापदो द्विखुरो हस्ती वानराः पक्षिपञ्चमाः औदकाः पशवः षष्ठाः सप्तमास्तु सरीसृपाः

Carnivores, two-hoofed animals, elephants, monkeys, birds as the fifth group, aquatic animals as the sixth, and reptiles as the seventh.

महिषा गवयाक्षाश् च प्लवंगाः शरभा वृकाः सिंहस्तु सप्तमस्तेषाम् आरण्याः पशवः स्मृताः

Buffaloes, wild oxen, antelopes, monkeys, sharabhas, wolves, and lions are the seventh group; these are remembered as wild animals.

गायत्रं च ऋचं चैव त्रिवृत्सामरथंतरम् अग्निष्टोमं च यज्ञानां निर्ममे प्रथमान् मुखात्

He created the Gāyatra, Ṛc, Trivṛt, Sāma, Rathantara, and Agniṣṭoma as the first sacrifices from his mouth.

यजूंषि त्रैष्टुभं छन्दस्तोमं पञ्चदशं तथा बृहत्साम तथोक्थ्यं च दक्षिणादसृजन्मुखात्

He produced the Yajus, Triṣṭubh meter, Chandastoma, Pañcadaśa, Bṛhatsāma, and Ukthya, as well as Dakṣiṇā, from his mouth.