Linga Purana

ज्येष्ठाय चैव श्रेष्ठाय रुद्राय वरदाय च कालहन्त्रे नमस्तुभ्यं नमस्तुभ्यं महात्मने

Salutations to the eldest and the best, to Rudra, the bestower of boons, to the destroyer of Time; salutations to you, O great soul.

इति स्तवेन देवेशं ननाम वृषभध्वजम् यः पठेत् सकृदेवेह ब्रह्मलोकं गमिष्यति

Thus, with this hymn, he worshipped the Lord of gods, the Bull-bannered one; whoever recites it even once here will go to the world of Brahmā.

श्रावयेद्वा द्विजान् श्राद्धे स याति परमां गतिम् एवं ध्यानगतं तत्र प्रणमन्तं पितामहम्

Or, if he causes it to be heard by twice-born men at a śrāddha, he attains the highest state; thus, Pitāmaha was there, absorbed in meditation and offering salutations.

उवाच भगवानीशः प्रीतो ऽहं ते किमिच्छसि ततस्तु प्रणतो भूत्वा वाग्विशुद्धं महेश्वरम्

The Blessed Lord spoke: 'I am pleased with you; what do you desire?' Then, having bowed, Pitāmaha addressed Maheśvara with purified speech.

उवाच भगवान् रुद्रं प्रीतं प्रीतेन चेतसा यदिदं विश्वरूपं ते विश्वगौः श्रेयसीश्वरी

The Blessed Lord spoke to Rudra, pleased in mind: 'This universal form of yours, the universal cow, is the most auspicious ruler.'

एतद्वेदितुमिच्छामि यथेयं परमेश्वर कैषा भगवती देवी चतुष्पादा चतुर्मुखी

I wish to know this, O Supreme Lord: who is this blessed Goddess, four-footed and four-faced?

चतुःशृङ्गी चतुर्वक्त्रा चतुर्दंष्ट्रा चतुःस्तनी चतुर्हस्ता चतुर्नेत्रा विश्वरूपा कथं स्मृता

How is she described as four-horned, four-mouthed, four-tusked, four-breasted, four-armed, four-eyed, and of universal form?

किंनामगोत्रा कस्येयं किंवीर्या चापि कर्मतः तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा देवदेवो वृषध्वजः

What is her name and lineage? Whose is she? What is her power and her actions? Hearing these words, the Lord of gods, the Bull-bannered One,

प्राह देववृषं ब्रह्मा ब्रह्माणं चात्मसंभवम् रहस्यं सर्वमन्त्राणां पावनं पुष्टिवर्धनम्

spoke to the divine bull and to Brahmā, self-born: the secret of all mantras, pure and bestowing nourishment.

शृणुष्वैतत्परं गुह्यम् आदिसर्गे यथा तथा एवं यो वर्तते कल्पो विश्वरूपस्त्वसौ मतः

Listen to this supreme secret, just as it was in the beginning of creation; so it is, and thus, whoever abides accordingly is considered of universal form.

ब्रह्मस्थानमिदं चापि यत्र प्राप्तं त्वया प्रभो त्वत्तः परतरं देव विष्णुना तत्पदं शुभम्

This is the seat of Brahmā, O Lord, which you have attained; above you, O god, is that auspicious state of Viṣṇu.

वैकुण्ठेन विशुद्धेन मम वामाङ्गजेन वा तदाप्रभृति कल्पश् च त्रयस्त्रिंशत्तमो ह्ययम्

By Viṣṇu, pure and from my left side, or by Vaikuṇṭha, from then on, this is the thirty-third kalpa.

शतं शतसहस्राणाम् अतीता ये स्वयंभुवः पुरस्तात्तव देवेश तच्छृणुष्व महामते

A hundred times a hundred thousand have passed, those of the self-born; previously, O Lord of gods, listen to that, O great-minded one.

आनन्दस्तु स विज्ञेय आनन्दत्वे व्यवस्थितः माण्डव्यगोत्रस्तपसा मम पुत्रत्वमागतः

He is to be known as Ānanda, established in bliss; of the lineage of Māṇḍavya, by austerity, he attained sonship to me.

त्वयि योगं च सांख्यं च तपोविद्याविधिक्रियाः ऋतं सत्यं दया ब्रह्म अहिंसा सन्मतिः क्षमा

In you are Yoga and Sāṃkhya, austerity, knowledge, ritual acts, truth, reality, compassion, Brahman, non-violence, good intellect, and forgiveness.

ध्यानं ध्येयं दमः शान्तिर् विद्याविद्या मतिर्धृतिः कान्तिर्नीतिः प्रथा मेधा लज्जा दृष्टिः सरस्वती

Meditation, the object of meditation, self-control, peace, knowledge and ignorance, understanding, fortitude, beauty, ethics, fame, intelligence, modesty, vision, and Sarasvatī,

तुष्टिः पुष्टिः क्रिया चैव प्रसादश् च प्रतिष्ठिताः द्वात्रिंशत्सुगुणा ह्येषा द्वात्रिंशाक्षरसंज्ञया

Contentment, nourishment, action, and grace are established; these thirty-two virtues are known by the name of thirty-two syllables.

प्रकृतिर्विहिता ब्रह्मंस् त्वत्प्रसूतिर्महेश्वरी विष्णोर्भगवतश्चापि तथान्येषामपि प्रभो

O Brahman, nature is ordained; the great goddess is your offspring, and also of the blessed Viṣṇu and of others, O Lord.

सैषा भगवती देवी मत्प्रसूतिः प्रतिष्ठिता चतुर्मुखी जगद्योनिः प्रकृतिर् गौः प्रतिष्ठिता

This blessed Goddess is my offspring, established, four-faced, the womb of the world, nature, the cow, established.

गौरी माया च विद्या च कृष्णा हैमवतीति च प्रधानं प्रकृतिश्चैव यामाहुस्तत्त्वचिन्तकाः

She is called Gaurī, Māyā, Vidyā, Kṛṣṇā, Haimavatī, the chief, and Prakṛti, as the thinkers on reality declare.

अजामेकां लोहितां शुक्लकृष्णां विश्वप्रजां सृजमानां सरूपाम् अजो ऽहं मां विद्धि तां विश्वरूपं गायत्रीं गां विश्वरूपां हि बुद्ध्या

Know her as the unborn, the one, red, white, and black, creating all beings, of similar form; I am the unborn, know me as her, the universal form, Gāyatrī, the universal cow, indeed, by understanding.

एवमुक्त्वा महादेवः ससर्ज परमेश्वरः ततश् च पार्श्वगा देव्याः सर्वरूपकुमारकाः

Having thus spoken, the great god, the Supreme Lord, created; then, from the side of the Goddess, all-formed boys appeared.

जटी मुण्डी शिखण्डी च अर्धमुण्डश् च जज्ञिरे ततस्तेन यथोक्तेन योगेन सुमहौजसः

Matted-haired, shaven-headed, crested, and half-shaven were born; then, by the yoga as described, of great energy.

दिव्यवर्षसहस्रान्ते उपासित्वा महेश्वरम् धर्मोपदेशमखिलं कृत्वा योगमयं दृढम्

At the end of a thousand divine years, having worshipped Maheshvara, he firmly established himself in the yoga composed of the complete teaching of dharma.

शिष्टाश् च नियतात्मानः प्रविष्टा रुद्रमीश्वरम्

And the disciples, with controlled selves, entered into Rudra, the Lord.

एवं संक्षेपतः प्रोक्तः सह्यादीनां समुद्भवः यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि श्रावयेद्वा द्विजोत्तमान्

Thus, in brief, the origin of the Sahya and other mountains has been spoken; whoever recites, hears, or causes the best of twice-born to listen,

स याति ब्रह्मसायुज्यं प्रसादात्परमेष्ठिनः कथं लिङ्गमभूल्लिङ्गे समभ्यर्च्यः स शङ्करः

He attains union with Brahma by the grace of the Supreme Lord; how did the linga arise in the linga, having worshipped Shankara?

किं लिङ्गं कस् तथा लिङ्गी सूत वक्तुमिहार्हसि एवं देवाश् च ऋषयः प्रणिपत्य पितामहम्

What is the linga, and who is the lingin? Suta, you ought to speak here; thus, the gods and sages, having bowed to the Grandfather,

अपृच्छन् भगवंल्लिङ्गं कथमासीदिति स्वयम् लिङ्गे महेश्वरो रुद्रः समभ्यर्च्यः कथं त्विति

Asked, 'O Lord, how did the linga come to be?' How is Maheshvara Rudra to be worshipped in the linga?