Linga Purana

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.

सामानि जगतीछन्दस्तोमं सप्तदशं तथा वैरूपमतिरात्रं च पश्चिमादसृजन्मुखात्

He created the Sāma hymns, Jagatī meter, Chandastoma, Saptadaśa, Vairūpa, and Atirātra from his western mouth.

एकविंशमथर्वाणम् आप्तोर्यामाणम् एव च अनुष्टुभं सवैराजम् उत्तरादसृजन्मुखात्

He produced the Atharvāṇa, Āptoryāma, Anuṣṭubh, and Savairāja from his northern mouth.

विद्युतो ऽशनिमेघांश् च रोहितेन्द्रधनूंषि च तेजांसि च ससर्जादौ कल्पस्य भगवान्प्रभुः

At the beginning of the cycle, the Blessed Lord created lightning, thunderclouds, the rainbow, and other luminous phenomena.

उच्चावचानि भूतानि गात्रेभ्यस्तस्य जज्ञिरे ब्रह्मणस्तु प्रजासर्गं सृजतो हि प्रजापतेः

From his own limbs arose beings of various kinds, high and low, as Brahmā was creating the progeny of living creatures.

सृष्ट्वा चतुष्टयं पूर्वं देवासुरनरान्पितॄन् ततो ऽसृजत् स भूतानि स्थावराणि चराणि च

First, he created the four groups—gods, asuras, humans, and ancestors; then he brought forth all other beings, both stationary and moving.

यक्षान्पिशाचान् गन्धर्वांस् त्व् अथैवाप्सरसां गणान् नरकिन्नररक्षांसि वयःपशुमृगोरगान्

He then created yakṣas, piśācas, gandharvas, and also hosts of apsarases, as well as nāgas, kinnaras, rākṣasas, birds, cattle, wild animals, and serpents.

अव्ययं च व्ययं चापि यदिदं स्थाणुजङ्गमम् तेषां वै यानि कर्माणि प्राक्सृष्ट्यां प्रतिपेदिरे

Both the imperishable and the perishable—whatever is stationary or moving—he created; and the actions they performed in the previous creation, they took up again.

तान्येव प्रतिपद्यन्ते सृज्यमानाः पुनः पुनः हिंस्राहिंस्रे मृदुक्रूरे धर्माधर्मे नृतानृते

Those very actions are taken up again and again by beings as they are created, whether violent or non-violent, gentle or cruel, righteous or unrighteous, true or false.

तद्भाविताः प्रपद्यन्ते तस्मात्तत्तस्य रोचते महाभूतेषु सृष्टेषु इन्द्रियार्थेषु मूर्तिषु

Shaped by those actions, they attain corresponding states; therefore, each is drawn to what suits its own nature among the great elements, the senses, and forms.

विनियोगं च भूतानां धातैव व्यदधात् स्वयम् केचित्पुरुषकारं तु प्राहुः कर्म सुमानवाः

The Lord himself assigned the functions of beings; yet some wise men say that effort is the cause of action.