Linga Purana

न ह्येषा प्रकृतिर्जैवी विकृतिश् च विचारतः विकारो नैव मायैषा सदसद्व्यक्तिवर्जिता

This is not nature, nor is it a modification, upon reflection; this māyā is not a transformation, nor is it manifest or unmanifest.

पुरा ममाज्ञा मद्वक्त्रात् समुत्पन्ना सनातनी पञ्चवक्त्रा महाभागा जगतामभयप्रदा

Long ago, my eternal command arose from my mouth, five-faced and most glorious, granting fearlessness to the worlds.

तामाज्ञां सम्प्रविश्याहं चिन्तयन् जगतां हितम् सप्तविंशत्प्रकारेण सर्वं व्याप्यानया शिवः

Entering that command, contemplating the welfare of the worlds, I, Śiva, pervaded everything in twenty-seven ways through it.

तदाप्रभृति वै मोक्षप्रवृत्तिर्द्विजसत्तमाः एवमुक्त्वा तदापश्यद् भवानीं परमेश्वरः

From that time onward, O best of twice-born, the pursuit of liberation began; having spoken thus, the Supreme Lord beheld Bhavānī.

भवानी च तमालोक्य मायामहरदव्यया ते मायामलनिर्मुक्ता मुनयः प्रेक्ष्य पार्वतीम्

And Bhavānī, seeing him, removed the imperishable māyā; those sages, freed from the impurity of māyā, beheld Pārvatī.

प्रीता बभूवुर्मुक्ताश् च तस्मादेषा परा गतिः उमाशङ्करयोर्भेदो नास्त्येव परमार्थतः

They became pleased and liberated; therefore, this is the supreme state—there is truly no difference between Umā and Śaṅkara in the highest sense.

द्विधासौ रूपमास्थाय स्थित एव न संशयः यदा विद्वानसंगः स्याद् आज्ञया परमेष्ठिनः

Assuming this dual form, they remain—of this there is no doubt; when a wise one is unattached, it is by the command of the Supreme Lord.

तदा मुक्तिः क्षणादेव नान्यथा कर्मकोटिभिः क्रमो ऽविवक्षितो भूतविवृद्धः परमेष्ठिनः

Then, liberation comes instantly—not otherwise, even by millions of actions; the sequence is not intended by the Supreme Lord, who is the cause of all increase.

प्रसादेन क्षणान्मुक्तिः प्रतिज्ञैषा न संशयः गर्भस्थो जायमानो वा बालो वा तरुणो ऽपि वा

By grace, liberation comes in a moment—this is the promise, without doubt; whether in the womb, being born, a child, or even a youth.

वृद्धो वा मुच्यते जन्तुः प्रसादात्परमेष्ठिनः अण्डजश् चोद्भिज्जो वापि स्वेदजो वापि मुच्यते

Whether aged or not, a being is liberated by the grace of the Supreme Lord; whether born from an egg, from sprouting, or from moisture, all are freed.

प्रसादाद्देवदेवस्य नात्र कार्या विचारणा एष एव जगन्नाथो बन्धमोक्षकरः शिवः

By the grace of the God of gods, there is no need for further deliberation; this very Lord of the universe, Śiva, is the cause of both bondage and liberation.

भूर्भूवःस्वर्महश् चैव जनः साक्षात्तपः स्वयम् सत्यलोकस् तथाण्डानां कोटिकोटिशतानि च

The earth, the atmosphere, the heavens, the great realm, the world of progenitors, the realm of ascetics, the world of truth, and hundreds of millions of cosmic eggs—

विग्रहं देवदेवस्य तथाण्डावरणाष्टकम् सप्तद्वीपेषु सर्वेषु पर्वतेषु वनेषु च

—all these, together with the form of the God of gods, the eightfold cosmic coverings, all the seven continents, mountains, and forests—

समुद्रेषु च सर्वेषु वायुस्कन्धेषु सर्वतः तथान्येषु च लोकेषु वसन्ति च चराचराः

—and all the oceans, all the currents of air everywhere, and in all other worlds, both moving and unmoving beings dwell.

सर्वे भवांशजा नूनं गतिस्त्वेषां स एव वै सर्वो रुद्रो नमस्तस्मै पुरुषाय महात्मने

All are certainly born from Bhava; he alone is their refuge. All is Rudra—salutations to that great-souled Person.

विश्वं भूतं तथा जातं बहुधा रुद्र एव सः रुद्राज्ञैषा स्थिता देवी ह्य् अनया मुक्तिरंबिका

The entire universe, all beings, and all that has arisen in many forms—he is Rudra alone. By Rudra’s command, this goddess is established; through her, liberation is attained—she is Ambikā.

इत्येवं खेचराः सिद्धा जजल्पुः प्रीतमानसाः यदावलोक्य तान् सर्वान् प्रसादादनयांबिका

Thus, the Siddhas who move in the sky, their minds delighted, spoke together, having seen all those beings by the grace of this Ambikā.

तदा तिष्ठन्ति सायुज्यं प्राप्तास्ते खेचराः प्रभोः

Then, those sky-dwelling Siddhas, having attained union with the Lord, remain established.

केन योगेन वै सूत गुणप्राप्तिः सतामिह अणिमादिगुणोपेता भवन्त्येवेह योगिनः तत्सर्वं विस्तरात्सूत वक्तुमर्हसि सांप्रतम्

By what yoga, O Sūta, do the virtuous here attain the powers, endowed with the qualities such as aṇimā and others? You should now explain all this in detail.

अत ऊर्ध्वं प्रवक्ष्यामि योगं परमदुर्लभम् पञ्चधा संस्मरेदादौ स्थाप्य चित्ते सनातनम्

Now I shall declare the yoga that is supremely difficult to obtain; in the beginning, one should contemplate it in fivefold manner, establishing the eternal in the mind.

कल्पयेच्चासनं पद्मं सोमसूर्याग्निसंयुतम् षड्विंशच्छक्तिसंयुक्तम् अष्टधा च द्विजोत्तमाः

One should arrange the lotus posture, united with the energies of the moon, sun, and fire, endowed with twenty-six powers, and in eight ways, O best of twice-born.

ततः षोडशधा चैव पुनर्द्वादशधा द्विजाः स्मरेच् च तत् तथा मध्ये देव्या देवम् उमापतिम्

Then, in sixteen ways, and again in twelve ways, O twice-born, one should meditate thus, with the goddess in the center and the god, the spouse of Umā.

अष्टशक्तिसमायुक्तम् अष्टमूर्तिमजं प्रभुम् ताभिश्चाष्टविधा रुद्राश् चतुःषष्टिविधाः पुनः

The unborn Lord, with eight powers and eight forms, and with those eight, the Rudras, who are again sixty-fourfold.

शक्तयश् च तथा सर्वा गुणाष्टकसमन्विताः एवं स्मरेत्क्रमेणैव लब्ध्वा ज्ञानमनुत्तमम्

And likewise, all the energies, endowed with the eightfold qualities; thus, meditating in succession, one attains unsurpassed knowledge.

एवं पाशुपतं योगं मोक्षसिद्धिप्रदायकम् तस्याणिमादयो विप्रा नान्यथा कर्मकोटिभिः

Thus, the Pāśupata yoga, which bestows liberation and accomplishment; the powers beginning with aṇimā, O sages, are not attained otherwise, even by millions of actions.

तत्राष्टगुणमैश्वर्यं योगिनां समुदाहृतम् तत्सर्वं क्रमयोगेन ह्य् उच्यमानं निबोधत

There, the eightfold lordly powers of yogins are described; all this, as it is being explained in sequence, you should understand.

अणिमा लघिमा चैव महिमा प्राप्तिरेव च प्राकाम्यं चैव सर्वत्र ईशित्वं चैव सर्वतः

Aṇimā, laghimā, mahimā, prāpti, prākāmya everywhere, and īśitva everywhere—

वशित्वमथ सर्वत्र यत्र कामावसायिता तच्चापि त्रिविधं ज्ञेयम् ऐश्वर्यं सार्वकामिकम्

Mastery everywhere, where desire is fulfilled at will—this, too, is to be known as threefold; lordship is that which grants all desires.

सावद्यं निरवद्यं च सूक्ष्मं चैव प्रवर्तते सावद्यं नाम यत्तत्र पञ्चभूतात्मकं स्मृतम्

It is found as faulty, faultless, and subtle; the faulty is said to be that which is composed of the five elements.