Linga Purana

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.

इन्द्रियाणि मनश्चैव अहङ्कारश् च यः स्मृतः तत्र सूक्ष्मप्रवृत्तिस्तु पञ्चभूतात्मिका पुनः

The senses, the mind, and also what is called ego—there, the subtle activity is again composed of the five elements.

इन्द्रियाणि मनश्चित्तबुद्ध्यहङ्कारसंज्ञितम् तथा सर्वमयं चैव आत्मस्था ख्यातिरेव च

The senses, mind, thought, intellect, and what is called ego, as well as that which is all-pervading, established in the self, and known as perception.

संयोग एव त्रिविधः सूक्ष्मेष्वेव प्रवर्तते पुनरष्टगुणश्चापि सूक्ष्मेष्वेव विधीयते

The union is threefold and occurs only in the subtle; and the eightfold division is also established only in the subtle.

तस्य रूपं प्रवक्ष्यामि यथाह भगवान्प्रभुः त्रैलोक्ये सर्वभूतेषु यथास्य नियमः स्मृतः

I will describe its form, as the Blessed Lord has spoken—how its regulation is regarded among all beings in the three worlds.

अणिमाद्यं तथाव्यक्तं सर्वत्रैव प्रतिष्ठितम् त्रैलोक्ये सर्वभूतानां दुष्प्राप्यं समुदाहृतम्

Beginning with aṇimā and so on, the unmanifest is established everywhere; among all beings in the three worlds, it is said to be difficult to attain.

तत् तस्य भवति प्राप्यं प्रथमं योगिनां बलम् लङ्घनं प्लवनं लोके रूपमस्य सदा भवेत्

That becomes attainable for them; the first power of yogis is the ability to leap and move in the world—this is always its form.

शीघ्रत्वं सर्वभूतेषु द्वितीयं तु पदं स्मृतम् त्रैलोक्ये सर्वभूतानां महिम्ना चैव वन्दितम्

Swiftness among all beings is considered the second stage; in the three worlds, it is honored by all beings for its greatness.

महित्वं चापि लोके ऽस्मिंस् तृतीयो योग उच्यते त्रैलोक्ये सर्वभूतेषु यथेष्टगमनं स्मृतम्

Greatness in this world is called the third yoga; in the three worlds, it is known as going wherever one wishes among all beings.

प्राकामान् विषयान् भुङ्क्ते तथाप्रतिहतः क्वचित् त्रैलोक्ये सर्वभूतानां सुखदुःखं प्रवर्तते

He enjoys objects at will, unobstructed anywhere; in the three worlds, pleasure and pain arise for all beings.

ईशो भवति सर्वत्र प्रविभागेन योगवित् वश्यानि चास्य भूतानि त्रैलोक्ये सचराचरे

He becomes the lord everywhere, the knower of yoga by distinction; all beings in the three worlds, moving and unmoving, are subject to him.