Linga Purana

उवाच वाक्यमीशानः पिता पुत्रमिवौरसम् जगत्सुखाय भगवन्न् अवतीर्णो ऽसि माधव

Īśāna spoke these words, as a father to his own son: For the happiness of the world, O blessed one, you have descended, O Mādhava.

स्थित्यर्थेन च युक्तो ऽसि परेण परमेष्ठिना जन्तुचक्रं भगवता रक्षितं मत्स्यरूपिणा

You are engaged in sustaining, by the Supreme Lord; the circle of beings has been protected by the Blessed One in the form of a fish.

पुच्छेनैव समाबध्य भ्रमन्नेकार्णवे पुरा बिभर्षि कूर्मरूपेण वाराहेणोद्धृता मही

Binding with the tail, you once moved in the single ocean; you bore the earth as a tortoise, and lifted it as a boar.

अनेन हरिरूपेण हिरण्यकशिपुर्हतः वामनेन बलिर्बद्धस् त्वया विक्रमता पुनः

With this form of Hari, Hiraṇyakaśipu was slain; with the dwarf, Bali was bound by your stride again.

त्वम् एव सर्वभूतानां प्रभावः प्रभुर् अव्ययः यदा यदा हि लोकस्य दुःखं किंचित् प्रजायते

You alone are the power and the imperishable lord of all beings; whenever any suffering arises in the world,

तदा तदावतीर्णस्त्वं करिष्यसि निरामयम् नाधिकस्त्वत्समो ऽप्यस्ति हरे शिवपरायण

Then, at those times, you descend and make it free from affliction; none is greater or equal to you, O Hari, devoted to Śiva.

त्वया धर्माश् च वेदाश् च शुभे मार्गे प्रतिष्ठिताः यदर्थम् अवतारो ऽयं निहतः सो ऽपि केशव

By you, dharma and the Vedas are established on the auspicious path; for this purpose is your descent, and that one was slain, O Keśava.

अत्यन्तघोरं भगवन् नरसिंह वपुस्तव उपसंहर विश्वात्मंस् त्वमेव मम संनिधौ

Your form as Narasiṃha is exceedingly fierce, O Lord; withdraw it, for you are the soul of the universe, and remain with me.

इत्युक्तो वीरभद्रेण नृसिंहः शान्तया गिरा ततो ऽधिकं महाघोरं कोपं प्रज्वालयद्धरिः

Thus addressed by Virabhadra, Narasiṃha, with gentle words, Hari ignited an even greater, terrible wrath.

आगतो ऽसि यतस्तत्र गच्छ त्वं मा हितं वद इदानीं संहरिष्यामि जगदेतच्चराचरम्

Go to the place from which you came; do not speak of what is beneficial. Now I will withdraw this entire world, moving and unmoving.

संहर्तुर् न हि संहारः स्वतो वा परतो ऽपि वा शासितं मम सर्वत्र शास्ता को ऽपि न विद्यते

For the destroyer, there is no destruction, neither by himself nor by another; everywhere my command prevails, and no one is found as my ruler.

मत्प्रसादेन सकलं समर्यादं प्रवर्तते अहं हि सर्वशक्तीनां प्रवर्तकनिवर्तकः

By my grace, everything proceeds within its boundaries; I am indeed the originator and terminator of all powers.

यद् यद् विभूतिमत् सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा तत्तद्विद्धि गणाध्यक्ष मम तेजोविजृम्भितम्

Whatever being possesses glory, fortune, or might, know that, O chief of hosts, as the expansion of my radiance.

देवतापरमार्थज्ञा ममैव परमं विदुः मदंशाः शक्तिसम्पन्ना ब्रह्मशक्रादयः सुराः

Those who know the highest truth of the deities know only mine as supreme; Brahmā, Indra, and other gods, endowed with power, are my portions.

मन्नाभिपङ्कजाज्जातः पुरा ब्रह्मा चतुर्मुखः तल्ललाटसमुत्पन्नो भगवान्वृषभध्वजः

Long ago, Brahmā with four faces was born from my navel-lotus; the blessed Bull-bannered One arose from my forehead.

रजसाधिष्ठितः स्रष्टा रुद्रस्तामस उच्यते अहं नियन्ता सर्वस्य मत्परं नास्ति दैवतम्

The creator is established in rajas, Rudra is said to be of tamas; I am the controller of all—there is no deity higher than me.

विश्वाधिकः स्वतन्त्रश् च कर्ता हर्ताखिलेश्वरः इदं तु मत्परं तेजः कः पुनः श्रोतुमिच्छति

Transcending the universe, independent, I am the doer, the destroyer, the lord of all; this, my supreme radiance—who indeed wishes to hear of it?

अतो मां शरणं प्राप्य गच्छ त्वं विगतज्वरः अवेहि परमं भावम् इदं भूतमहेश्वरः

Therefore, taking refuge in me, go forth free from distress; know this highest state—this is the Lord of beings, the great Lord.

कालो ऽस्म्यहं कालविनाशहेतुर् लोकान् समाहर्तुम् अहं प्रवृत्तः मृत्योर्मृत्युं विद्धि मां वीरभद्र जीवन्त्येते मत्प्रसादेन देवाः

I am Time, the cause of the destruction of time; I have arisen to gather up the worlds. Know me, O Vīrabhadra, as Death of death; these gods live by my grace.

साहङ्कारमिदं श्रुत्वा हरेर् अमितविक्रमः विहस्योवाच सावज्ञं ततो विस्फुरिताधरः

Hearing this proud speech, Hari of immeasurable valor laughed, and then, with lips curled in scorn, spoke disdainfully.

किं न जानासि विश्वेशं संहर्तारं पिनाकिनम् असद्वादो विवादश् च विनाशस्त्वयि केवलः

Do you not know the Lord of the universe, the destroyer, the wielder of the pināka bow? Your false argument and dispute lead only to your own ruin.

तवान्योन्यावताराणि कानि शेषाणि सांप्रतम् कृतानि येन केनापि कथाशेषो भविष्यति

What other incarnations of yours and his remain now? By whom have they been performed? The end of these stories will come by someone or other.

दोषं त्वं पश्य एतत्त्वम् अवस्थामीदृशीं गतः तेन संहारदक्षेण क्षणात्संक्षयमेष्यसि

See your own fault, you have come to such a state; by that one skilled in destruction, you will be annihilated in a moment.

प्रकृतिस्त्वं पुमान् रुद्रस् त्वयि वीर्यं समाहितम् त्वन्नाभिपङ्कजाज्जातः पञ्चवक्त्रः पितामहः

You are Prakṛti, Rudra is Puruṣa, his power is established in you; from the lotus of your navel was born the five-faced Pitāmaha.

सृष्ट्यर्थेन जगत्पूर्वं शङ्करं नीललोहितम् ललाटे चिन्तयामास तपस्युग्रे व्यवस्थितः

For the purpose of creation, the world was first conceived by Śaṅkara, blue and red, who, engaged in severe austerity, contemplated it on his forehead.

तल्ललाटादभूच्छंभोः सृष्ट्यर्थं तन्न दूषणम् अंशो ऽहं देवदेवस्य महाभैरवरूपिणः

From that forehead of Śambhu arose, for the sake of creation, that (being); this is not a fault. I am a portion of the god of gods, the one of the form of Mahābhairava.

त्वत्संहारे नियुक्तो ऽस्मि विनयेन बलेन च एवं रक्षो विदार्यैव त्वं शक्तिकलया युतः

I am appointed in your destruction, both by humility and by strength; thus, tearing apart the demon, you are endowed with a portion of power.

अहङ्कारावलेपेन गर्जसि त्वमतन्द्रितः उपकारो ह्यसाधूनाम् अपकाराय केवलम्

You roar, unwearied, out of pride and arrogance; your help to the wicked is only for their harm.

यदि सिंह महेशानं स्वपुनर्भूत मन्यसे न त्वं स्रष्टा न संहर्ता न स्वतन्त्रो हि कुत्रचित्

If, O lion, you consider yourself to be the great Lord, reborn, you are not the creator, nor the destroyer, nor are you ever independent.