Linga Purana

रथेन किं चेषुवरेण तस्य गणैश् च किं देवगणैश् च शंभोः पुरत्रयं दग्धुमलुप्तशक्तेः किमेतद् इत्याहुर् अजेन्द्रमुख्याः

What need is there for a chariot, or for the best of arrows, or for his hosts, or for the hosts of gods, for Śambhu to burn the three cities? The chief among the gods, beginning with Indra, said: ‘What is this, if his power is not lost?’

मन्वाम नूनं भगवान्पिनाकी लीलार्थमेतत्सकलं प्रवर्त्तुम् व्यवस्थितश्चेति तथान्यथा चेद् आडम्बरेणास्य फलं किमन्यत्

Indeed, I think the blessed Lord Pinākin has undertaken all this merely as a sport; otherwise, what other purpose would there be in such ostentation?

पुरत्रयस्यास्य समीपवर्ती सुरेश्वरैर् नन्दिमुखैश् च नन्दी गणैर्गणेशस्तु रराज देव्या जगद्रथो मेरुरिवाष्टशृङ्गैः

Near these three cities, the Lord of the gods shone forth, surrounded by Nandi and the hosts of Nandi, and Gaṇeśa with his gaṇas, with the goddess, like Meru with its eight peaks, as the chariot of the world.

अथ निरीक्ष्य सुरेश्वरमीश्वरं सगणमद्रिसुतासहितं तदा त्रिपुररङ्गतलोपरि संस्थितः सुरगणो ऽनुजगाम स्वयं तथा

Then, seeing the Lord of the gods, the Lord, together with his hosts and Pārvatī, the hosts of gods themselves approached and stood upon the field of Tripura.

जगत्त्रयं सर्वमिवापरं तत् पुरत्रयं तत्र विभाति सम्यक् नरेश्वरैश्चैव गणैश् च देवैः सुरेतरैश् च त्रिविधैर्मुनीन्द्राः

There, that triple city shone forth like another universe, filled with kings, hosts, gods, and other divine beings, as well as the threefold great sages.

अथ सज्यं धनुः कृत्वा शर्वः संधाय तं शरम् युक्त्वा पाशुपतास्त्रेण त्रिपुरं समचिन्तयत्

Then Śarva, having strung his bow and set the arrow, empowered it with the Pāśupata missile and contemplated Tripura.

तस्मिन् स्थिते महादेवे रुद्रे विततकार्मुके पुराणि तेन कालेन जग्मुरेकत्वमाशु वै

As the great god Rudra stood there with his mighty bow drawn, at that very moment, the cities swiftly became one.

एकीभावं गते चैव त्रिपुरे समुपागते बभूव तुमुलो हर्षो देवतानां महात्मनाम्

When Tripura had become one, a tumultuous joy arose among the great-souled gods.

ततो देवगणाः सर्वे सिद्धाश् च परमर्षयः जयेति वाचो मुमुचुः संस्तुवन्तो ऽष्टमूर्तिकम्

Then all the hosts of gods, the Siddhas, and the supreme seers, praising the eight-formed Lord, uttered cries of 'Victory!'

अथाह भगवान्ब्रह्मा भगनेत्रनिपातनम् पुष्ययोगे ऽपि सम्प्राप्ते लीलावशमुमापतिम्

Then the blessed Lord Brahmā spoke of the destruction of Bhaga's eye, saying that even when the auspicious conjunction of Puṣya arrives, the Lord of Umā acts according to his own sport.

स्थाने तव महादेव चेष्टेयं परमेश्वर पूर्वदेवाश् च देवाश् च समास्तव यतः प्रभो

This act of yours, O great god, O supreme Lord, is fitting; for the gods of old and the present gods all exist because of you, O Lord.

तथापि देवा धर्मिष्ठाः पूर्वदेवाश् च पापिनः यतस्तस्माज्जगन्नाथ लीलां त्यक्तुमिहार्हसि

Yet, O Lord of the universe, the present gods are righteous, while the former gods were sinful; therefore, you ought to abandon this sport here.

किं रथेन ध्वजेनेश तव दग्धुं पुरत्रयम् इषुणा भूतसंघैश् च विष्णुना च मया प्रभो

O Lord, what need is there for a chariot and banner, or for destroying Tripura with an arrow, with the hosts of beings, with Viṣṇu, or with me?

पुष्ययोगे त्वनुप्राप्ते पुरं दग्धुमिहार्हसि यावन्न यान्ति देवेश वियोगं तावदेव तु

When the auspicious conjunction of Puṣya arrives, you should burn the city, O Lord of gods, but only when the gods have not yet departed.

दग्धुमर्हसि शीघ्रं त्वं त्रीण्येतानि पुराणि वै अथ देवो महादेवः सर्वज्ञस्तदवैक्षत

You should quickly burn these three cities; then the all-knowing great god looked upon them.

पुरत्रयं विरूपाक्षस् तत्क्षणाद्भस्म वै कृतम् सोमश् च भगवान्विष्णुः कालाग्निर्वायुरेव च

Virūpākṣa, in that very instant, reduced the triple city to ashes; Soma, the blessed Viṣṇu, Kāla, Agni, and Vāyu were all present.

शरे व्यवस्थिताः सर्वे देवमूचुः प्रणम्य तम् दग्धमप्यथ देवेश वीक्षणेन पुरत्रयम्

All those deities, having taken their places on the arrow, bowed to the god and said, 'O Lord of gods, even with just a glance you have burned Tripura.'

अस्मद्धितार्थं देवेश शरं मोक्तुमिहार्हसि अथ संमृज्य धनुषो ज्यां हसन् त्रिपुरार्दनः

For our benefit, O Lord of gods, you should release the arrow; then Tripurārdana, smiling, wiped the bowstring.

मुमोच बाणं विप्रेन्द्रा व्याकृष्याकर्णम् ईश्वरः तत्क्षणात्त्रिपुरं दग्ध्वा त्रिपुरान्तकरः शरः

O best of Brāhmaṇas, the Lord drew the arrow to his ear and released it; in that very instant, the arrow burned Tripura, bringing its end.

देवदेवं समासाद्य नमस्कृत्वा व्यवस्थितः रेजे पुरत्रयं दग्धं दैत्यकोटिशतैर्वृतम्

Having approached the Lord of gods and offered obeisance, he stood there, shining, surrounded by hundreds of millions of demons, after burning the triple city.

इषुणा तेन कल्पान्ते रुद्रेणेव जगत्त्रयम् ये पूजयन्ति तत्रापि दैत्या रुद्रं सबान्धवाः

With that arrow at the end of the age, just as Rudra, the three worlds—wherever people worship—even there, the demons along with their kin worship Rudra.

गाणपत्यं तदा शंभोर् ययुः पूजाविधेर्बलात् न किंचिद् अब्रुवन् देवाः सेन्द्रोपेन्द्रा गणेश्वराः

Then, by the power of the ritual, they adopted the worship of Gaṇapati, and the gods, including Indra, Upendra, and the lords of the hosts, said nothing.

भयाद्देवं निरीक्ष्यैव देवीं हिमवतः सुताम् दृष्ट्वा भीतं तदानीकं देवानां देवपुङ्गवः

Out of fear, seeing the god and the goddess, daughter of Himavat, and beholding the terrified assembly of gods, the foremost of the gods—

किं चेत्याह तदा देवान् प्रणेमुस्तं समन्ततः

Then he said to the gods, 'What is this?' and they all bowed to him from every side.

ववन्दिरे नन्दिनमिन्दुभूषणं ववन्दिरे पर्वतराजसंभवाम् ववन्दिरे चाद्रिसुतासुतं प्रभुं ववन्दिरे देवगणा महेश्वरम्

They bowed to Nandin, adorned with the moon; they bowed to the one born of the king of mountains; they bowed to the lord, son of the mountain's daughter; the hosts of gods bowed to Maheśvara.

तुष्टाव हृदये ब्रह्मा देवैः सह समाहितः विष्णुना च भवं देवं त्रिपुरारातिमीश्वरम्

Brahmā, together with the gods and with concentrated mind, praised Bhava, the god, the lord, the enemy of Tripura, along with Viṣṇu.

प्रसीद देवदेवेश प्रसीद परमेश्वर प्रसीद जगतां नाथ प्रसीदानन्ददाव्यय

Be gracious, Lord of gods; be gracious, Supreme Lord; be gracious, Lord of the worlds; be gracious, undying giver of bliss.

पञ्चास्यरुद्ररुद्राय पञ्चाशत्कोटिमूर्तये आत्मत्रयोपविष्टाय विद्यातत्त्वाय ते नमः

Obeisance to you, Rudra of five faces, with fifty million forms, seated in the three selves, the essence of knowledge.

शिवाय शिवतत्त्वाय अघोराय नमोनमः अघोराष्टकतत्त्वाय द्वादशात्मस्वरूपिणे

Salutations again and again to Śiva, the principle of Śiva, to the Aghora form, to the essence of the eightfold Aghora, to the one whose nature is twelvefold.