Linga Purana

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.

वैराजात्पुरुषाद् वीराच् छतरूपा व्यजायत प्रियव्रतोत्तानपादौ पुत्रौ द्वौ लोकसंमतौ

From Virāj, the man, was born Śatarūpā. She bore two sons, Priyavrata and Uttānapāda, both renowned in the worlds.

कन्ये द्वे च महाभागे याभ्यां जाता इमाः प्रजाः देवी नाम तथाकूतिः प्रसूतिश्चैव ते उभे

And two illustrious daughters, from whom these creatures were born: one named Devahūti, the other Ākūti—these are the two.

स्वायंभुवः प्रसूतिं तु दक्षाय प्रददौ प्रभुः प्राणो दक्ष इति ज्ञेयः संकल्पो मनुरुच्यते

Svāyambhuva Manu gave Prasūti to Dakṣa. Dakṣa is to be known as Prāṇa, and Manu is called Saṃkalpa.

रुचेः प्रजापतेः सो ऽथ आकूतिं प्रत्यपादयत् आकूत्यां मिथुनं जज्ञे मानसस्य रुचेः शुभम्

Then, the lord of creatures, Ruci, accepted Ākūti. From Ākūti, a virtuous pair was born to Ruci by mind.

यज्ञश् च दक्षिणा चैव यमलौ संबभूवतुः यज्ञस्य दक्षिणायां तु पुत्रा द्वादश जज्ञिरे

Yajña and Dakṣiṇā, the twin offspring, were born. From Yajña and Dakṣiṇā, twelve sons were born.

यामा इति समाख्याता देवाः स्वायंभुवे ऽन्तरे एतस्य पुत्रा यज्ञस्य तस्माद्यामाश् च ते स्मृताः

They are called the Yāmas, gods of the Svāyambhuva period. These are the sons of Yajña, and thus they are remembered as Yāmas.

अजितश्चैव शुक्रश् च गणौ द्वौ ब्रह्मणा कृतौ यामाः पूर्वं प्रजाता ये ते ऽभवंस्तु दिवौकसः

Ajita and Śukra, two groups, were created by Brahmā. The Yāmas, born first, became dwellers in heaven.

स्वायंभुवसुतायां तु प्रसूत्यां लोकमातरः तस्यां कन्याश्चतुर्विंशद् दक्षस् त्वजनयत् प्रभुः

From Prasūti, daughter of Svāyambhuva, the mothers of the worlds were born. In her, the lord Dakṣa begot twenty-four daughters.

सर्वास्ताश् च महाभागाः सर्वाः कमललोचनाः भोगवत्यश् च ताः सर्वाः सर्वास्ता योगमातरः

All of them were greatly fortunate, all with lotus-like eyes, all endowed with enjoyment, and all these were mothers of yoga.

सर्वाश् च ब्रह्मवादिन्यः सर्वा विश्वस्य मातरः श्रद्धा लक्ष्मीर्धृतिस्तुष्टिः पुष्टिर्मेधा क्रिया तथा

All were speakers of Brahman, all mothers of the universe: Faith, Lakshmi, Steadfastness, Contentment, Nourishment, Intelligence, and Action.