Linga Purana

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.

रुद्रस्य क्रोधजेनैव वह्निना हविषा सुराः विनाशो वै क्षणादेव मायया शङ्करस्य वै

By the fire born of Rudra's wrath, with the oblation, the gods were destroyed in an instant by the illusion of Śaṅkara.

विजित्य विष्णुना सार्धं भगवान्परमेश्वरः सर्वान्दधीचवचनात् कथं भेजे महेश्वरः

Having conquered together with Viṣṇu, the blessed Supreme Lord, by the word of Dadhīca, how did Maheśvara act?

दक्षयज्ञे सुविपुले देवान् विष्णुपुरोगमान् ददाह भगवान् रुद्रः सर्वान् मुनिगणान् अपि

At Dakṣa's great sacrifice, the blessed Rudra burned all the gods, with Viṣṇu at their head, and all the groups of sages as well.

भद्रो नाम गणस्तेन प्रेषितः परमेष्ठिना विप्रयोगेन देव्या वै दुःसहेनैव सुव्रताः

A group named Bhadra was sent by the Supreme Lord, due to the unbearable separation from the goddess, O steadfast ones.

सो ऽसृजद् वीरभद्रश् च गणेशान्रोमजाञ्छुभान् गणेश्वरैः समारुह्य रथं भद्रः प्रतापवान्

He created Vīrabhadra and the lords of the gaṇas, auspicious ones born from his hair; Bhadra, powerful, mounted a chariot with the lords of the gaṇas.

गन्तुं चक्रे मतिं यस्य सारथिर्भगवानजः गणेश्वराश् च ते सर्वे विविधायुधपाणयः

He resolved to go, whose charioteer was the blessed unborn one; and all those lords of the gaṇas, bearing various weapons, (went with him).

विमानैर्विश्वतो भद्रैस् तमन्वयुरथो सुराः हिमवच्छिखरे रम्ये हेमशृङ्गे सुशोभने

The gods followed him in all directions with auspicious aerial chariots, to the delightful and splendid golden peak on the beautiful summit of the Himalaya.

यज्ञवाटस् तथा तस्य गङ्गाद्वारसमीपतः तद्देशे चैव विख्यातं शुभं कनखलं द्विजाः

There, near the gateway of the Ganges, was the sacrificial enclosure; and in that region, O twice-born ones, the renowned and auspicious Kanakhala.

दग्धुं वै प्रेषितश्चासौ भगवान् परमेष्ठिना तदोत्पातो बभूवाथ लोकानां भयशंसनः

Then, sent by the Supreme Lord, that blessed one was dispatched to burn (the sacrifice); and a fearful omen arose, terrifying the worlds.

पर्वताश् च व्यशीर्यन्त प्रचकम्पे वसुंधरा मरुतश् चाप्य् अघूर्णन्त चुक्षुभे मकरालयः

The mountains were shattered, the earth trembled, the winds whirled violently, and the abode of the ocean was agitated.