Linga Purana

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.

कुलालचक्रवच्छक्त्या प्रेरितो ऽसि पिनाकिना अद्यापि तव निक्षिप्तं कपालं कूर्मरूपिणः

Like a potter’s wheel, you are set in motion by the wielder of the pināka bow; even now, the skull of the tortoise-formed one is fixed upon you.

हरहारलतामध्ये मुग्ध कस्मान्न बुध्यसे विस्मृतं किं तदंशेन दंष्ट्रोत्पातनपीडितः

Why, O deluded one, do you not realize, in the midst of Hara’s garland, have you forgotten, being afflicted by the rising of the tusk, that portion?

वाराहविग्रहस्ते ऽद्य साक्रोशं तारकारिणा दग्धो ऽसि यस्य शूलाग्रे विष्वक्सेनच्छलाद्भवान्

Today, in your boar form, you were burned by the enemy of Tāraka, with a loud cry, at whose trident’s tip you, Viṣvaksena, were destroyed by a ruse.

दक्षयज्ञे शिरश्छिन्नं मया ते यज्ञरूपिणः अद्यापि तव पुत्रस्य ब्रह्मणः पञ्चमं शिरः

At Dakṣa’s sacrifice, I cut off your head, O you who are the form of sacrifice; even now, the fifth head of your son Brahmā remains.

छिन्नं तमेनाभिसंधं तदंशं तस्य तद्बलम् निर्जितस्त्वं दधीचेन संग्रामे समरुद्गणः

That portion, that power, was severed by him with intent; you, along with the hosts of Maruts, were defeated in battle by Dadhichi.

कण्डूयमाने शिरसि कथं तद्विस्मृतं त्वया चक्रं विक्रमतो यस्य चक्रपाणे तव प्रियम्

How could you forget, when your head was itching, the discus—beloved to you, O wielder of the discus—which belonged to him who acted valiantly?

कुतः प्राप्तं कृतं केन त्वया तदपि विस्मृतम् ते मया सकला लोका गृहीतास्त्वं पयोनिधौ

From where did you obtain it, and by whom was it made? Have you also forgotten that? I have seized all the worlds, while you were in the ocean of milk.

निद्रापरवशः शेषे स कथं सात्त्विको भवान् त्वदादिस्तम्बपर्यन्तं रुद्रशक्तिविजृम्भितम्

How can you be called sattvic, when you lie asleep overcome by slumber, while the power of Rudra expands from the base of your pillar up to its summit?

शक्तिमानभितस्त्वं च ह्य् अनलस्त्वं च मोहितः तत्तेजसो ऽपि माहात्म्यं युवां द्रष्टुं न हि क्षमौ

Though you are powerful and fiery, you are deluded; even you two are not capable of beholding the greatness of that energy.

स्थूला ये हि प्रपश्यन्ति तद्विष्णोः परमं पदम् द्यावापृथिव्या इन्द्राग्नियमस्य वरुणस्य च

Those who perceive as gross that supreme abode of Vishnu—of heaven and earth, Indra, Agni, Yama, and Varuna—

ध्वान्तोदरे शशाङ्कस्य जनित्वा परमेश्वरः कालो ऽसि त्वं महाकालः कालकालो महेश्वरः

In the womb of darkness, the moon is born; you are time, the supreme lord, you are Mahakala, the time of time, O great lord.

अतस्त्वमुग्रकलया मृत्योर्मृत्युर्भविष्यसि स्थिरधन्वा क्षयो वीरो वीरो विश्वाधिकः प्रभुः

Therefore, with your fierce aspect, you shall become death for Death himself—steadfast in your bow, the destroyer, the hero, the lord surpassing all.

उपहस्ता ज्वरं भीमो मृगपक्षिहिरण्मयः शास्ताशेषस्य जगतो न त्वं नैवचतुर्मुखः

With upraised hand, you are the terrible fever, the golden beast and bird; you are the chastiser of the entire world—neither you nor the four-faced one.

इत्थं सर्वं समालोक्य संहरात्मानम् आत्मना नो चेदिदानीं क्रोधस्य महाभैरवरूपिणः

Thus, seeing all this, withdraw your essence into yourself; otherwise, now, the wrath of the great Bhairava will fall.

वज्राशनिरिव स्थाणोस् त्व् एवं मृत्युः पतिष्यति इत्युक्तो वीरभद्रेण नृसिंहः क्रोधविह्वलः

Just as the thunderbolt of Sthanu, so will death fall upon you—thus addressed by Virabhadra, Narasimha, overcome by anger,

ननाद तनुवेगेन तं गृहीतुं प्रचक्रमे अत्रान्तरे महाघोरं विपक्षभयकारणम्

Roared with all his might and rushed to seize him; at that moment, a most terrible form, causing fear among the adversaries,

गगनव्यापि दुर्धर्षशैवतेजःसमुद्भवम् वीरभद्रस्य तद्रूपं तत्क्षणादेव दृश्यते

Filling the sky, indomitable, arising from Shiva's energy, that form of Virabhadra was seen instantly.

न तद्धिरण्मयं सौम्यं न सौरं नाग्निसंभवम् न तडिच्चन्द्रसदृशम् अनौपम्यं महेश्वरम्

It was neither golden nor gentle, nor solar nor born of fire, nor like lightning or the moon—an incomparable form of the great lord.

तदा तेजांसि सर्वाणि तस्मिन् लीनानि शाङ्करे ततो व्यक्तो महातेजा व्यक्ते संभवतस्ततः

Then all the energies merged into that Shankara form; from that manifest, the great radiance became visible as it emerged.

रुद्रसाधारणं चैव चिह्नितं विकृताकृति ततः संहाररूपेण सुव्यक्तः परमेश्वरः

It bore the marks common to Rudra, with a distorted appearance; then, in the form of destruction, the supreme lord was clearly manifest.