Linga Purana

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.

संत्यज्यापूजयन्साध्व्यो देवानन्याञ्जगद्गुरून् ताः स्वर्गलोकमासाद्य मोदन्ते विगतज्वराः

Abandoning and not worshipping other gods, world-teachers, those chaste women, having attained the heavenly world, rejoice free from suffering.

नरकं च जगामान्या तस्माद्भर्ता परा गतिः तथापि भर्तॄन् स्वांस् त्यक्त्वा बभूवुः स्वैरवृत्तयः

Another went to hell; therefore, the husband is the highest goal; yet, abandoning their own husbands, they became women of independent conduct.

मायया देवदेवस्य विष्णोस्तस्याज्ञया प्रभोः अलक्ष्मीश् च स्वयं तस्य नियोगात्त्रिपुरं गता

By the illusion of the god of gods, Vishnu, and by the command of that lord, Alakshmi herself, by his order, went to Tripura.

या लक्ष्मीस्तपसा तेषां लब्धा देवेश्वरादजात् बहिर्गता परित्यज्य नियोगाद्ब्रह्मणः प्रभोः

That Lakshmi, who was obtained by their austerity from the lord of gods, departed, abandoning them, by the command of Brahma, the lord.

बुद्धिमोहं तथाभूतं विष्णुमायाविनिर्मितम् तेषां दत्त्वा क्षणं देवस् तासां मायी च नारदः

Giving them such delusion of intellect, created by Vishnu's illusion, the god and the illusory Narada bestowed it upon them for a moment.

सुखासीनौ ह्यसंभ्रान्तौ धर्मविघ्नार्थमव्ययौ एवं नष्टे तदा धर्मे श्रौतस्मार्ते सुशोभने

Seated comfortably and unperturbed, unchanging for the obstruction of dharma, thus at that time, the beautiful Vedic and traditional dharma was lost.

पाषण्डे ख्यापिते तेन विष्णुना विश्वयोनिना त्यक्ते महेश्वरे दैत्यैस् त्यक्ते लिङ्गार्चने तथा

When heresy was thus proclaimed by Vishnu, the source of the universe, and the Daityas abandoned Maheshvara and the worship of the Linga—

स्त्रीधर्मे निखिले नष्टे दुराचारे व्यवस्थिते कृतार्थ इव देवेशो देवैः सार्धमुमापतिम्

When all women's dharma was lost and evil conduct prevailed, the lord of gods, as if satisfied, together with the gods, approached the consort of Uma.

तपसा प्राप्य सर्वज्ञं तुष्टाव पुरुषोत्तमः महेश्वराय देवाय नमस्ते परमात्मने

Having attained the all-knowing one through austerity, Purushottama praised him: 'Obeisance to Maheshvara, the god, the supreme self.'

नारायणाय शर्वाय ब्रह्मणे ब्रह्मरूपिणे शाश्वताय ह्यनन्ताय अव्यक्ताय च ते नमः

'Obeisance to Narayana, to Sharva, to Brahma, to the one who is of the form of Brahma, to the eternal, the infinite, the unmanifest—salutations to you.'