Linga Purana

नियोगाद् ब्रह्मणः साध्वीं प्रदास्यसि ममैव ताम् मत्संबन्धी च लोकानां मध्ये पूज्यो भविष्यसि

By the command of Brahmā, you shall give that virtuous one to me; and being thus related to me, you will be honored among all beings.

मां दिव्येन च भावेन तदाप्रभृति शङ्करम् द्रक्ष्यसे च प्रसन्नेन मित्रभूतमिवात्मना

From that moment on, you will see me, Śaṅkara, in a divine form, gracious and friendly to you as to your own self.

इत्युक्त्वान्तर्दधे रुद्रो भगवान्नीललोहितः जनार्दनो ऽपि भगवान् देवानामपि संनिधौ

Having spoken thus, the blessed Rudra, blue and red in hue, disappeared; and the blessed Janārdana, in the presence of the gods,

अयाचत महादेवं ब्रह्माणं मुनिभिः समम् मया प्रोक्तं स्तवं दिव्यं पद्मयोने सुशोभनम्

Together with the sages, he requested the great god Brahmā for the splendid divine hymn to the Lotus-born, which I have recited.

यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि श्रावयेद्वा द्विजोत्तमान् प्रतिनाम्नि हिरण्यस्य तत् तस्य फलम् आप्नुयात्

Whoever recites, hears, or causes the best of twice-born to hear this, obtains for each name the fruit of gold.

अश्वमेधसहस्रेण फलं भवति तस्य वै घृताद्यैः स्नापयेद्रुद्रं स्थाल्या वै कलशैः शुभैः

He attains the fruit of a thousand horse sacrifices; and if he bathes Rudra with ghee and other offerings in a pure vessel or pot,

नाम्नां सहस्रेणानेन श्रद्धया शिवमीश्वरम् सो ऽपि यज्ञसहस्रस्य फलं लब्ध्वासुरेश्वरैः

By worshiping Śiva, the Lord, with this thousand names in faith, he too obtains the fruit of a thousand sacrifices, as did the lords of the Asuras.

पूज्यो भवति रुद्रस्य प्रीतिर्भवति तस्य वै तथास्त्विति तथा प्राह पद्मयोनेर्जनार्दनम्

He becomes worthy of worship by Rudra, and gains his favor; thus, the Lotus-born spoke to Janārdana.

जग्मतुः प्रणिपत्यैनं देवदेवं जगद्गुरुम् तस्मान्नाम्नां सहस्रेण पूजयेद् अनघो द्विजाः

Having bowed to him, the Lord of gods, the teacher of the world, they departed; therefore, O sinless twice-born, one should worship with the thousand names.

जपेन्नाम्नां सहस्रं च स याति परमां गतिम्

He who recites the thousand names attains the highest state.

संभवः सूचितो देव्यास् त्वया सूत महामते सविस्तरं वदस्वाद्य सतीत्वे च यथातथम्

O wise Sūta, you have indicated the origin of the goddess; now tell in detail, as it truly happened, about her as Satī.

मेनाजत्वं महादेव्या दक्षयज्ञविमर्दनम् विष्णुना च कथं दत्ता देवदेवाय शंभवे

How did Menā become the great goddess, how was Dakṣa's sacrifice destroyed, and how was she given by Viṣṇu to Śaṃbhu, the god of gods?

कल्याणं वा कथं तस्य वक्तुमर्हसि सांप्रतम् तेषां तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा सूतः पौराणिकोत्तमः

How did her auspiciousness come about? You should now tell this. Hearing their words, Sūta, the foremost of narrators,

संभवं च महादेव्याः प्राह तेषां महात्मनाम् ब्रह्मणा कथितं पूर्वं दण्डिने तत् सुविस्तरम्

Described to those great souls the origin of the great goddess, as it was formerly told by Brahmā to Daṇḍin, in full detail.

युष्माभिर् वै कुमाराय तेन व्यासाय धीमते तस्मादहमुपश्रुत्य प्रवदामि सुविस्तरम्

That was then told by you to Kumāra and by him to the wise Vyāsa; therefore, having heard it, I will now relate it in full detail.

वचनाद्वो महाभागाः प्रणम्योमां तथा भवम् सा भगाख्या जगद्धात्री लिङ्गमूर्तेस्त्रिवेदिका

By your command, O highly fortunate ones, I bow to Umā and Bhava; she, called Bhaga, the sustainer of the world, is the threefold altar of the liṅga form.

लिङ्गस्तु भगवान्द्वाभ्यां जगत्सृष्टिर्द्विजोत्तमाः लिङ्गमूर्तिः शिवो ज्योतिस् तमसश्चोपरि स्थितः

O best of twice-born, the liṅga, the blessed one, together with the two, is the source of creation; Śiva, the liṅga form, is the light standing above darkness.

लिङ्गवेदिसमायोगाद् अर्धनारीश्वरोभवत् ब्रह्माणं विदधे देवम् अग्रे पुत्रं चतुर्मुखम्

By the union of the liṅga and the altar, Ardhanārīśvara came into being; he created the god Brahmā first, his four-faced son.

प्राहिणोति स्म तस्यैव ज्ञानं ज्ञानमयो हरः विश्वाधिको ऽसौ भगवान् अर्धनारीश्वरो विभुः

He, Hara, who is composed of knowledge, imparted knowledge to him; that blessed Ardhanārīśvara, the all-pervading Lord, surpasses the universe.

हिरण्यगर्भं तं देवो जायमानमपश्यत सो ऽपि रुद्रं महादेवं ब्रह्मापश्यत शङ्करम्

The god saw Hiraṇyagarbha being born; and he, Brahmā, beheld Rudra, the great god, Śaṅkara.

तं दृष्ट्वा संस्थितं देवम् अर्धनारीश्वरं प्रभुम् तुष्टाव वाग्भिर् इष्टाभिर् वरदं वारिजोद्भवः

Seeing that god, Ardhanārīśvara, the Lord, standing there, the lotus-born praised him with chosen words, as the bestower of boons.

विभजस्वेति विश्वेशं विश्वात्मानमजो विभुः ससर्ज देवीं वामाङ्गात् पत्नीं चैवात्मनः समाम्

The unborn, all-pervading Lord of the universe said, 'Divide yourself,' and from his left side he created the goddess, his wife, equal to himself.

श्रद्धा ह्यस्य शुभा पत्नी ततः पुंसः पुरातनी सैवाज्ञया विभोर्देवी दक्षपुत्री बभूव ह

Faith, indeed, was his auspicious wife, the ancient consort of the man; by the command of the mighty one, that goddess became Dakṣa's daughter.

सतीसंज्ञा तदा सा वै रुद्रमेवाश्रिता पतिम् दक्षं विनिन्द्य कालेन देवी मैना ह्यभूत्पुनः

Then, called Satī, she took Rudra alone as her husband; after censuring Dakṣa, in time, the goddess was born again as Menā's daughter.

नारदस्यैव दक्षो ऽपि शापादेवं विनिन्द्य च अवज्ञादुर्मदो दक्षो देवदेवमुमापतिम्

Dakṣa, too, because of Nārada's curse, reviled and disrespected the god of gods, Umā's husband, out of arrogance and contempt.

अनादृत्य कृतिं ज्ञात्वा सती दक्षेण तत्क्षणात् भस्मीकृत्वात्मनो देहं योगमार्गेण सा पुनः

Knowing Dakṣa's insult, Satī immediately reduced her own body to ashes by the path of yoga.

बभूव पार्वती देवी तपसा च गिरेः प्रभोः ज्ञात्वैतद्भगवान् भर्गो ददाह रुषितः प्रभुः

The goddess became Pārvatī, by the austerity of the lord of the mountain; knowing this, the blessed Bharga, angered, burned (the sacrifice).

दक्षस्य विपुलं यज्ञं च्यावनेर् वचनादपि च्यवनस्य सुतो धीमान् दधीच इति विश्रुतः

By the word of Cyavana, the great sacrifice of Dakṣa was destroyed; Cyavana's wise son, known as Dadhīca, (was involved).

विजित्य विष्णुं समरे प्रसादात् त्र्यंबकस्य च विष्णुना लोकपालांश् च शशाप च मुनीश्वरः

Having conquered Viṣṇu in battle by the favor of Tryambaka, the sage-lord cursed Viṣṇu and the guardians of the worlds.