Linga Purana

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.

दैवमित्यपरे विप्राः स्वभावं भूतचिन्तकाः पौरुषं कर्म दैवं च फलवृत्तिस्वभावतः

Others, O learned ones, call it fate; those who contemplate the elements say it is inherent nature; and some say that effort, action, and fate all determine the result according to their own nature.

न चैकं न पृथग्भावम् अधिकं न ततो विदुः एतदेवं च नैकं च नामभेदेन नाप्युभे

But they do not know it as one, nor as entirely separate, nor as something beyond; thus, it is not simply one, nor merely named differently, nor both together.

कर्मस्था विषमं ब्रूयुः सत्त्वस्थाः समदर्शनाः नाम रूपं च भूतानां कृतानां च प्रपञ्चनम्

Those attached to action speak of difference; those established in sattva see with equal vision; and the names and forms of beings are the unfolding of what has been made.

वेदशब्देभ्य एवादौ निर्ममे स महेश्वरः ऋषीणां नामधेयानि याश् च वेदेषु वृत्तयः

In the beginning, the Great Lord fashioned from the words of the Veda the names of the seers and the rituals prescribed in the Vedas.

शर्वर्यन्ते प्रसूतानां तान्येवैभ्यो ददात्यजः एवंविधाः सृष्टयस्तु ब्रह्मणो ऽव्यक्तजन्मनः

At the end of the night, he gives to those who are born then those very same things; such are the creations of Brahmā, whose birth is unmanifest.

शर्वर्यन्ते प्रदृश्यन्ते सिद्धिमाश्रित्य मानसीम् एवंभूतानि सृष्टानि स्थावराणि चराणि च

At the end of the night, those beings are seen, having attained perfection through the mind; such stationary and moving beings are created.

यदास्य ताः प्रजाः सृष्टा न व्यवर्धन्त सत्तमाः तमोमात्रावृतो ब्रह्मा तदा शोकेन दुःखितः

When those excellent beings, having been created, did not increase, Brahmā, covered by darkness alone, became distressed with sorrow.

ततः स विदधे बुद्धिम् अर्थनिश्चयगामिनीम् अथात्मनि समद्राक्षीत् तमोमात्रां नियामिकाम्

Then he directed his mind toward decisive understanding, and within himself he saw that the sole covering of darkness was the cause.

रजःसत्त्वं परित्यज्य वर्तमानां स्वधर्मतः ततः स तेन दुःखेन दुःखं चक्रे जगत्पतिः

Abandoning rajas and sattva, he remained in his own nature; then, because of that sorrow, the Lord of the world created suffering.

तमश् च व्यनुदत्पश्चाद् रजः सत्त्वं तमावृणोत् तत्तमः प्रतिनुन्नं वै मिथुनं समजायत

Afterwards, he dispelled the darkness, and rajas and sattva covered it; when that darkness was suppressed, a pair was born.