Linga Purana

तस्मात्सदाभ्यसेज्ज्ञानं तन्निष्ठस्तत्परायणः ज्ञानेनैकेन तृप्तस्य त्यक्तसंगस्य योगिनः

Therefore, one should always practice knowledge, being steadfast in it and devoted to it; for the yogi who is satisfied with knowledge alone and has abandoned attachment has nothing to be done.

कर्तव्यं नास्ति विप्रेन्द्रा अस्ति चेत्तत्त्वविन्न च इह लोके परे चापि कर्तव्यं नास्ति तस्य वै

O foremost of Brahmins, there is nothing to be done for him; and if anything remains, it is not for the knower of truth; in this world and the next, truly, there is nothing to be done for him.

जीवन्मुक्तो यतस् तस्माद् ब्रह्मवित् परमार्थतः ज्ञानाभ्यासरतो नित्यं ज्ञानतत्त्वार्थवित् स्वयम्

Because he is liberated while living, therefore he is truly a knower of Brahman in the highest sense; always engaged in the practice of knowledge, he knows the true meaning of knowledge himself.

कर्तव्याभ्यासमुत्सृज्य ज्ञानमेवाधिगच्छति वर्णाश्रमाभिमानी यस् त्यक्तक्रोधो द्विजोत्तमाः

Abandoning the practice of duties, he attains knowledge alone; O best of twice-born, he who is attached to caste and stage of life, having given up anger.

अन्यत्र रमते मूढः सो ऽज्ञानी नात्र संशयः संसारहेतुरज्ञानं संसारस्तनुसंग्रहः

The deluded one delights elsewhere—he is ignorant, of this there is no doubt; ignorance is the cause of worldly existence, and worldly existence is the gathering of bodies.

मोक्षहेतुस् तथा ज्ञानं मुक्तः स्वात्मन्यवस्थितः अज्ञाने सति विप्रेन्द्राः क्रोधाद्या नात्र संशयः

Likewise, knowledge is the cause of liberation; the liberated one abides in his own self; when ignorance remains, O foremost of Brahmins, anger and the like—of this there is no doubt.

क्रोधो हर्षस् तथा लोभो मोहो दम्भो द्विजोत्तमाः धर्माधर्मौ हि तेषां च तद्वशात्तनुसंग्रहः

Anger, delight, greed, delusion, hypocrisy, O best of twice-born, and righteousness and unrighteousness—all these, due to them, are the gathering of bodies.

शरीरे सति वै क्लेशः सो ऽविद्यां संत्यजेद्बुधः अविद्यां विद्यया हित्वा स्थितस्यैव च योगिनः

As long as the body exists, there is suffering; the wise one should abandon ignorance; having abandoned ignorance by knowledge, the yogi remains established.

क्रोधाद्या नाशमायान्ति धर्माधर्मौ च वै द्विजाः तत्क्षयाच्च शरीरेण न पुनः सम्प्रयुज्यते

Anger and the like are destroyed, and righteousness and unrighteousness too, O twice-born; and with their destruction, he is not joined again with a body.

स एव मुक्तः संसाराद् दुःखत्रयविवर्जितः एवं ज्ञानं विना नास्ति ध्यानं ध्यातुर् द्विजर्षभाः

He alone is liberated from worldly existence, free from the threefold suffering; thus, without knowledge, there is no meditation for the meditator, O best of twice-born.

ज्ञानं गुरोर्हि संपर्कान् न वाचा परमार्थतः चतुर्व्यूहमिति ज्ञात्वा ध्याता ध्यानं समभ्यसेत्

For knowledge truly comes from association with the teacher, not from speech; knowing the fourfold manifestation, the meditator should practice meditation.

सहजागन्तुकं पापम् अस्थिवागुद्भवं तथा ज्ञानाग्निर्दहते क्षिप्रं शुष्केन्धनम् इवानलः

The fire of knowledge quickly burns up both innate and incidental sin, as well as that arising from bones and speech, just as a dry log is burned by fire.

ज्ञानात्परतरं नास्ति सर्वपापविनाशनम् अभ्यसेच्च सदा ज्ञानं सर्वसंगविवर्जितः

There is nothing higher than knowledge for the destruction of all sins; one should always practice knowledge, free from all attachments.

ज्ञानिनः सर्वपापानि जीर्यन्ते नात्र संशयः क्रीडन्नपि न लिप्येत पापैर्नानाविधैरपि

All sins of the knower are destroyed—of this there is no doubt; even while playing, he is not tainted by various kinds of sins.

ज्ञानं यथा तथा ध्यानं तस्माद्ध्यानं समभ्यसेत् ध्यानं निर्विषयं प्रोक्तम् आदौ सविषयं तथा

As knowledge is, so is meditation; therefore, one should practice meditation; meditation is said to be without objects, but at first, it is with objects.

षट्प्रकारं समभ्यस्य चतुःषड्दशभिस् तथा तथा द्वादशधा चैव पुनः षोडशधा क्रमात्

One should practice in six ways, then in four, six, and ten likewise, then again in twelve and in sequence, in sixteen ways.

द्विधाभ्यस्य च योगीन्द्रो मुच्यते नात्र संशयः शुद्धजांबूनदाकारं विधूमाङ्गारसन्निभम्

By practicing in two ways, the master of yoga is liberated—of this there is no doubt. The form is pure, like molten gold, resembling smokeless charcoal.

पीतं रक्तं सितं विद्युत् कोटिकोटिसमप्रभम् अथवा ब्रह्मरन्ध्रस्थं चित्तं कृत्वा प्रयत्नतः

Yellow, red, white, shining like millions upon millions of lightning flashes, or else, with effort, fixing the mind at the Brahmarandhra.

न सितं वासितं पीतं न स्मरेद् ब्रह्मविद् भवेत् अहिंसकः सत्यवादी अस्तेयी सर्वयत्नतः

One who knows Brahman should not recall white, fragrant, or yellow; he becomes nonviolent, truthful, and completely abstains from stealing.

परिग्रहविनिर्मुक्तो ब्रह्मचारी दृढव्रतः संतुष्टः शौचसम्पन्नः स्वाध्यायनिरतः सदा

Free from possessions, steadfast in celibacy, firm in vows, content, endowed with purity, always devoted to self-study.

मद्रक्तश्चाभ्यसेद्ध्यानं गुरुसंपर्कजं ध्रुवम् न बुध्यति तथा ध्याता स्थाप्य चित्तं द्विजोत्तमाः

He should practice meditation tinged with red, certainly arising from contact with the teacher; otherwise, the meditator does not awaken, O best of twice-born, when the mind is thus established.

न चाभिमन्यते योगी न पश्यति समन्ततः न घ्राति न शृणोत्येव लीनः स्वात्मनि यः स्वयम्

The yogi does not become proud, does not look around, does not smell, does not hear at all—he is absorbed in his own self.

न च स्पर्शं विजानाति स वै समरसः स्मृतः पार्थिवे पटले ब्रह्मा वारितत्त्वे हरिः स्वयम्

He does not perceive touch; he is said to be in perfect sameness. On the earth plane, he is Brahma; in the water principle, he is Hari himself.

वाह्नेये कालरुद्राख्यो वायुतत्त्वे महेश्वरः सुषिरे स शिवः साक्षात् क्रमादेवं विचिन्तयेत्

In the fire principle, he is called Kalarudra; in the air principle, he is Maheshvara; in the ether, he is directly Shiva—thus one should contemplate in order.

क्षितौ शर्वः स्मृतो देवो ह्य् अपां भव इति स्मृतः रुद्र एव तथा वह्नौ उग्रो वायौ व्यवस्थितः

On earth, the god is remembered as Sharva; in water, as Bhava; in fire, as Rudra; in wind, as Ugra, established accordingly.

भीमः सुषिरनाके ऽसौ भास्करे मण्डले स्थितः ईशानः सोमबिम्बे च महादेव इति स्मृतः

He is Bhima in the etheric space, present in the solar orb; in the lunar disc, he is Ishana, remembered as Mahadeva.

पुंसां पशुपतिर्देवश् चाष्टधाहं व्यवस्थितः काठिन्यं यत्तनौ सर्वं पार्थिवं परिगीयते

Among men, the god Paśupati is established in eight forms. All that is hard in the body is celebrated as the earth element.

आप्यं द्रवमिति प्रोक्तं वर्णाख्यो वह्निरुच्यते यत्संचरति तद्वायुः सुषिरं यद्द्विजोत्तमाः

That which is fluid is called the water element; what is colored is called fire; that which moves is air; what is hollow, O best of twice-born, is ether.

तदाकाशं च विज्ञानं शब्दजं व्योमसंभवम् तथैव विप्रा विज्ञानं स्पर्शाख्यं वायुसंभवम्

That is called space and knowledge, arising from sound and born of the sky. Likewise, O Brahmins, knowledge called touch arises from air.