Linga Purana

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.

अधर्मस्तमसो जज्ञे हिंसा शोकादजायत ततस्तस्मिन्समुद्भूते मिथुने दारुणात्मिके

From darkness was born unrighteousness; from sorrow arose violence. Then, from the union of these two, both fierce in nature, another was produced.

गतासुर् भगवान् आसीत् प्रीतिश् चैनम् अशिश्रियत् स्वां तनुं स ततो ब्रह्मा तामपोहत भास्वराम्

When the Lord's life departed, affection enveloped him. Then Brahmā cast off his own radiant form.

द्विधा कृत्वा स्वकं देहम् अर्धेन पुरुषो ऽभवत् अर्धेन नारी सा तस्य शतरूपा व्यजायत

Dividing his own body in two, with one half he became a man, and with the other half, a woman—she was born as Śatarūpā.

प्रकृतिं भूतधात्रीं तां कामाद्वै सृष्टवान्प्रभुः सा दिवं पृथिवीं चैव महिम्ना व्याप्यधिष्ठिता

The Lord, out of desire, created her as Prakṛti, the bearer of beings. By her greatness, she pervaded and established herself in both heaven and earth.

ब्रह्मणः सा तनुः पूर्वा दिवमावृत्य तिष्ठति या त्वर्धात्सृजतो नारी शतरूपा व्यजायत

That former body of Brahmā remains enveloping the heavens; and from the half he created as a woman, Śatarūpā was born.

सा देवी नियुतं तप्त्वा तपः परमदुश्चरम् भर्तारं दीप्तयशसं पुरुषं प्रत्यपद्यत

That goddess, performing severe and most difficult austerity for a myriad years, obtained as her husband the illustrious man.

स वै स्वायंभुवः पूर्वं पुरुषो मनुरुच्यते तस्यैव सप्ततियुगं मन्वन्तरमिहोच्यते

That man, formerly, is called Svāyambhuva Manu. His period of seventy yugas is here called a Manvantara.

लेभे स पुरुषः पत्नीं शतरूपाम् अयोनिजाम् तया सार्धं स रमते तस्मात्सा रतिरुच्यते

That man obtained Śatarūpā, a wife not born from a womb. With her he enjoyed union, and thus she is called Rati (Pleasure).

प्रथमः संप्रयोगात्मा कल्पादौ समपद्यत विराजम् असृजद् ब्रह्मा सो ऽभवत् पुरुषो विराट्

Their first union took place at the beginning of the kalpa. Brahmā created Virāj, who became the cosmic man, Virāṭ.

सम्राट् च शतरूपा वै वैराजः स मनुः स्मृतः स वैराजः प्रजासर्गं ससर्ज पुरुषो मनुः

Śatarūpā became the empress, and the man born of Virāj is known as Manu. That Manu, born of Virāj, created the progeny of beings.