Linga Purana

तस्मात्स्थानात्पुनः श्रेष्ठो मानुष्यमुपपद्यते तस्माद्ब्रह्म परं सौख्यं ब्रह्म शाश्वतम् उत्तमम्

From that place, the best is again reborn as a human; from there, one attains the supreme bliss of Brahman, the eternal and highest Brahman.

ब्रह्म एव हि सेवेत ब्रह्मैव हि परं सुखम् परिश्रमो हि यज्ञानां महतार्थेन वर्तते

Indeed, one should serve Brahman alone, for Brahman is the highest happiness; the effort of great sacrifices is truly for this purpose.

भूयो मृत्युवशं याति तस्मान्मोक्षः परं सुखम् अथवा ध्यानसंयुक्तो ब्रह्मतत्त्वपरायणः

Again one falls under the power of death; therefore, liberation is the highest happiness; or, being joined with meditation, devoted to the truth of Brahman—

न तु च्यावयितुं शक्यो मन्वन्तरशतैरपि दृष्ट्वा तु पुरुषं दिव्यं विश्वाख्यं विश्वतोमुखम्

He cannot be shaken even by hundreds of aeons; having seen the divine Puruṣa, called Viśva, facing all directions—

विश्वपादशिरोग्रीवं विश्वेशं विश्वरूपिणम् विश्वगन्धं विश्वमाल्यं विश्वांबरधरं प्रभुम्

With the universe as his feet, head, and neck, the Lord of the universe, of universal form, with universal fragrance, universal garland, the Lord clothed in the universe—

गोभिर् महीं संपतते पतत्रिणो नैवं भूयो जनयत्येवमेव कविं पुराणम् अनुशासितारं सूक्ष्माच्च सूक्ष्मं महतो महान्तम्

He moves the earth with cows, and birds do not generate again in this way; thus is the ancient sage, the ruler, subtler than the subtle, greater than the great.

योगेन पश्येन्न च चक्षुषा पुनर् निरिन्द्रियं पुरुषं रुक्मवर्णम् अलिङ्गिनं निर्गुणं चेतनं च नित्यं सदा सर्वगं सर्वसारम्

He is to be seen by yoga, not by the eye; again, the sense-transcending Puruṣa, golden-hued, without mark, qualityless, conscious, eternal, always, all-pervading, the essence of all.

अपाणिपादोदरपार्श्वजिह्वो ह्यतीन्द्रियो वापि सुसूक्ष्म एकः

Without hands, feet, belly, sides, or tongue, indeed, he is beyond the senses, extremely subtle, and one alone.

स वेद सर्वं न च सर्ववेद्यं तमाहुरग्र्यं पुरुषं महान्तम्

He knows all, but is not known by all; they call him the foremost, the great Puruṣa.

अचेतनां सर्वगतां सूक्ष्मां प्रसवधर्मिणीम् प्रकृतिं सर्वभूतानां युक्ताः पश्यन्ति योगिनः

Yogis perceive Prakṛti, insentient, all-pervading, subtle, the source of creation, joined to all beings.

सर्वतः पाणिपादं तत् सर्वतो ऽक्षिशिरोमुखम् सर्वतः श्रुतिमल् लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति

That one has hands and feet everywhere, faces, heads, and mouths everywhere; with ears everywhere in the world, pervading all, he abides.

युक्तो योगेन चेशानं सर्वतश् च सनातनम् पुरुषं सर्वभूतानां तं विद्वान्न विमुह्यति

United with yoga, the wise one knows the Lord, eternal, everywhere, the Puruṣa of all beings, and is not deluded.

भूतात्मानं महात्मानं परमात्मानमव्ययम् सर्वात्मानं परं ब्रह्म तद्वै ध्याता न मुह्यति

He who meditates on the self of all beings, the great self, the imperishable supreme self, the all-self, the supreme Brahman, does not become deluded.

पवनो हि यथा ग्राह्यो विचरन्सर्वमूर्तिषु पुरि शेते सुदुर्ग्राह्यस् तस्मात्पुरुष उच्यते

Just as the wind, though present in all forms, is difficult to grasp and dwells within the body, so too is the person called 'puruṣa'—subtle and hard to comprehend.

अथ चेल्लुप्तधर्मा तु सावशेषैः स्वकर्मभिः ततस्तु ब्रह्मगर्भे वै शुक्रशोणितसंयुते

If, however, one departs with residual karma remaining, then, united with semen and blood, one enters the womb of Brahma.

स्त्रीपुंसोः संप्रयोगे हि जायते हि ततः प्रभुः ततस्तु गर्भकालेन कललं नाम जायते

Indeed, from the union of man and woman, the lord is born; then, in due time, what is called the 'kalala' (embryonic mass) arises.

कालेन कललं चापि बुद्बुदं सम्प्रजायते मृत्पिण्डस्तु यथा चक्रे चक्रावर्तेन पीडितः

In time, the kalala becomes a bubble, just as a lump of clay is shaped by the turning of a wheel.

हस्ताभ्यां क्रियमाणस्तु बिंबत्वमनुगच्छति एवमाध्यात्मिकैर्युक्ता वायुना संप्रपूरितः

When shaped by the hands, it takes the form of a sphere; thus, endowed with inner energies and filled by the vital wind, it develops.

यदि योनिं विमुञ्चामि तत्प्रपद्ये महेश्वरम् यावद्धि वैष्णवो वायुर् जातमात्रं न संस्पृशेत्

If I leave the womb, I will seek refuge in the great Lord; until the Vaiṣṇava wind touches the newborn, one should contemplate worshipping Mahādeva.

तावत्कालं महादेवम् अर्चयामीति चिन्तयेत् जायते मानुषस्तत्र यथारूपं यथावयः

For that duration, one should think, 'I will worship the great god'; then, a human is born there, according to form and age.

वायुः संभवते खात्तु वाताद्भवति वै जलम् जलात् सम्भवति प्राणः प्राणाच्छुक्रं विवर्धते

Wind arises from space, water is produced from wind, life arises from water, and from life, semen increases.

रक्तभागास् त्रयस्त्रिंशद् रेतोभागाश् चतुर्दश भागतो ऽर्धफलं कृत्वा ततो गर्भो निषिच्यते

There are thirty-three parts of blood and fourteen parts of semen; taking half of these together, the embryo is then formed.

ततस्तु गर्भसंयुक्तः पञ्चभिर् वायुभिर् वृतः पितुः शरीरात्प्रत्यङ्गं रूपमस्योपजायते

Then, united with the embryo and enveloped by the five winds, each limb of the body develops from the father's body.

ततो ऽस्य मातुराहारात् पीतलीढप्रवेशनात् नाभिदेशेन वै प्राणास् ते ह्य् आधारा हि देहिनाम्

Then, from the mother's food, through the intake of digested nourishment, the vital airs enter by way of the navel, for they are the supports of embodied beings.

नवमासात् परिक्लिष्टः संवेष्टितशिरोधरः वेष्टितः सर्वगात्रैश् च अपर्याप्तप्रवेशनः

After nine months, afflicted and with head and neck bent, with all limbs compressed, the being is unable to move freely.

नवमासोषितश्चापि योनिच्छिद्रादवाङ्मुखः ततः स्वकर्मभिः पापैर् निरयं सम्प्रपद्यते

Having dwelt for nine months, facing downward at the opening of the womb, by his own evil deeds he then attains hell.

असिपत्रवनं चैव शाल्मलिच्छेदनं तथा ताडनं भक्षणं चैव पूयशोणितभक्षणम्

He experiences the forest of sword-leaves, the cutting of the Śālmalī tree, beatings, and the eating of pus and blood.

यथा ह्यापस्तु संछिन्नाः संश्लेष्मम् उपयान्ति वै तथा छिन्नाश् च भिन्नाश्च यातनास्थानम् आगताः

Just as waters, when separated, again come together, so too those who are cut and broken reach the place of torment.

एवं जीवास्तु तैः पापैस् तप्यमानाः स्वयंकृतैः प्राप्नुयुः कर्मभिः शेषैर् दुःखं वा यदि वेतरत्

Thus, souls tormented by those self-made sins, by their remaining deeds, experience suffering or, if otherwise, something different.