Linga Purana

कालाग्निरुद्रसंकाशान् कालरुद्रोपमांस्तदा प्राह देवो हरिः साक्षात् प्रणिपत्य स्थितान् प्रभुः

Resembling the fire of destruction, like Rudra at the end of time, the Lord Hari, having bowed, addressed those who stood before him.

दग्ध्वा भित्त्वा च भुक्त्वा च गत्वा दैत्यपुरत्रयम् पुनर्यथागतं वीरा गन्तुमर्हथ भूतये

Having burned, pierced, and consumed the three cities of the Daityas, you heroes should return as you came, for the benefit of beings.

ततः प्रणम्य देवेशं भूतसंघाः पुरत्रयम् प्रविश्य नष्टास्ते सर्वे शलभा इव पावकम्

Then, having bowed to the Lord of gods, the hosts of beings entered the three cities and all perished, like moths in a flame.

ततस्तु नष्टास्ते सर्वे भूता देवेश्वराज्ञया ननृतुर् मुमुदुश् चैव जगुर् दैत्याः सहस्रशः

Then, by the command of the Lord of the gods, all those beings perished; the Daityas, by the thousands, danced, rejoiced, and sang.

तुष्टुवुर्देवदेवेशं परमात्मानमीश्वरम् ततः पराजिता देवा ध्वस्तवीर्याः क्षणेन तु

They praised the Lord of gods, the Supreme Self, the Lord; then the gods, having been defeated and their strength destroyed in a moment,

सेन्द्राः संगम्य देवेशम् उपेन्द्रं धिष्ठिता भयात् तान्दृष्ट्वा चिन्तयामास भगवान्पुरुषोत्तमः

Joined by Indra, the gods approached Upendra, the Lord of gods, and, out of fear, the Blessed Supreme Person, seeing them, began to reflect.

किं कृत्यमिति संतप्तः संतप्तान्सेन्द्रकान्क्षणम् कथं तु तेषां दैत्यानां बलं हत्वा प्रयत्नतः

Afflicted, he wondered, 'What should be done?' and, seeing the afflicted gods with Indra, he considered for a moment: 'How, by effort, can the strength of those Daityas be destroyed?'

देवकार्यं करिष्यामि प्रसादात्परमेष्ठिनः पापं विचारतो नास्ति धर्मिष्ठानां न संशयः

'By the grace of the Supreme Lord, I will accomplish the task of the gods; there is no sin in acting righteously—of this there is no doubt for the virtuous.'

तस्माद्दैत्या न वध्यास्ते भूतैश्चोपसदोद्भवैः पापं नुदति धर्मेण धर्मे सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम्

'Therefore, those Daityas are not to be slain by beings born of ritual or by spirits; sin is dispelled by righteousness, and all is established in righteousness.'

धर्मादैश्वर्यमित्येषा श्रुतिरेषा सनातनी दैत्याश्चैते हि धर्मिष्ठाः सर्वे त्रिपुरवासिनः

'This is the eternal teaching: sovereignty comes from righteousness; and all these Daityas, the inhabitants of Tripura, are indeed devoted to righteousness.'

तस्मादवध्यतां प्राप्ता नान्यथा द्विजपुङ्गवाः कृत्वापि सुमहत्पापं रुद्रमभ्यर्चयन्ति ये

'Therefore, O best of twice-born, they have attained inviolability; even if they commit great sin, those who worship Rudra are not otherwise.'

मुच्यन्ते पातकैः सर्वैः पद्मपत्रमिवांभसा पूजया भोगसंपत्तिर् अवश्यं जायते द्विजाः

'By worship, they are freed from all sins, just as a lotus leaf is untouched by water; and, O twice-born, enjoyment and prosperity surely arise.'

तस्मात्ते भोगिनो दैत्या लिङ्गार्चनपरायणाः तस्मात्कृत्वा धर्मविघ्नम् अहं देवाः स्वमायया

'Therefore, those Daityas, devoted to the worship of the Linga, are enjoyers; thus, by creating an obstacle to their righteousness, O gods, I, by my own power—'

दैत्यानां देवकार्यार्थं जेष्ये ऽहं त्रिपुरं क्षणात् विचार्यैवं ततस्तेषां भगवान्पुरुषोत्तमः कर्तुं व्यवसितश्चाभूद् धर्मविघ्नं सुरारिणाम्

'—for the sake of the gods' purpose, will conquer Tripura and the Daityas in a moment; having considered thus, the Blessed Supreme Person resolved to create an obstacle to the righteousness of the enemies of the gods.'

असृजच्च महातेजाः पुरुषं चात्मसंभवम् मायी मायामयं तेषां धर्मविघ्नार्थमच्युतः

And the mighty one, Achyuta, created a person of great brilliance, born from himself, magical and composed of illusion, for the purpose of obstructing their righteousness.

शास्त्रं च शास्ता सर्वेषाम् अकरोत्कामरूपधृक् सर्वसंमोहनं मायी दृष्टप्रत्ययसंयुतम्

And the magician, assuming any form at will, composed a scripture for all, filled with delusion, captivating all, and accompanied by apparent proof.

एतत्स्वाङ्गभवायैव पुरुषायोपदिश्य तु मायी मायामयं शास्त्रं ग्रन्थषोडशलक्षकम्

To that person, born from his own body, he taught this illusory scripture, composed of sixteen thousand verses, magical and full of illusion.

श्रौतस्मार्तविरुद्धं च वर्णाश्रमविवर्जितम् इहैव स्वर्गनरकं प्रत्ययं नान्यथा पुनः

Opposed to Vedic and Smriti tradition, devoid of caste and stage of life, it teaches that heaven and hell are here alone, and not otherwise.

तच्छास्त्रमुपदिश्यैव पुरुषायाच्युतः स्वयम् पुरत्रयविनाशाय प्राहैनं पुरुषं हरिः

Having taught that scripture to the person, Achyuta himself, for the destruction of the three cities, instructed that person, Hari said:

गन्तुमर्हसि नाशाय भो तूर्णं पुरवासिनाम् धर्मास् तथा प्रणश्यन्तु श्रौतस्मार्ता न संशयः

'Go quickly, O you, to destroy the inhabitants of the cities; let the Vedic and Smriti-based righteousness perish—of this there is no doubt.'

ततः प्रणम्य तं मायी मायाशास्त्रविशारदः प्रविश्य तत्पुरं तूर्णं मुनिर्मायां तदाकरोत्

Then, having bowed to him, the magician, expert in the illusory scripture, quickly entered that city, and the sage performed his magic there.

मायया तस्य ते दैत्याः पुरत्रयनिवासिनः श्रौतं स्मार्तं च संत्यज्य तस्य शिष्यास्तदाभवन्

By his illusion, those Daityas dwelling in the triple city abandoned both Vedic and traditional duties, and became his disciples at that time.

तत्यजुश् च महादेवं शङ्करं परमेश्वरम् नारदो ऽपि तदा मायी नियोगान्मायिनः प्रभोः

They also abandoned the great god Mahadeva, Shankara, the Supreme Lord; even Narada, by the command of that lord of illusion, acted under delusion.

प्रविश्य तत्पुरं तेन मायिना सह दीक्षितः मुनिः शिष्यैः प्रशिष्यैश् च संवृतः सर्वतः स्वयम्

Entering that city with the magician, the sage was initiated, surrounded on all sides by his disciples and sub-disciples.

स्त्रीधर्मं चाकरोत्स्त्रीणां दुश्चारफलसिद्धिदम् चक्रुस्ताः सर्वदा लब्ध्वा सद्य एव फलं स्त्रियः

He performed the duties of women, which yield the results of difficult acts; those women, having obtained immediate results, always practiced them.

जनासक्ता बभूवुस्ता विनिन्द्य पतिदेवताः अद्यापि गौरवात्तस्य नारदस्य कलौ मुनेः

They became attached to worldly life, reviling the worship of husbands as deities; even today, out of respect for that sage Narada, this persists in the Kali age.

नार्यश्चरन्ति संत्यज्य भर्तॄन् स्वैरं वृथाधमाः स्त्रीणां माता पिता बन्धुः सखा मित्रं च बान्धवः

Women, abandoning their husbands, behave freely and basely; for women, mother, father, relative, friend, companion, and kin—

भर्ता एव न संदेहस् तथाप्य् आसहमायया कृत्वापि सुमहत्पापं या भर्तुः प्रेमसंयुता

—the husband alone is without doubt all these; yet, by the power of illusion, even after committing great sin, if a woman is united with love for her husband—

प्राप्नुयात् परमं स्वर्गं नरकं च विपर्ययात् पुरैका मुनिशार्दूलाः सर्वधर्मान् सदा पतिम्

—she attains the highest heaven, or, by the opposite, hell; in one city, O best of sages, women always regard their husband as all duties.