Linga Purana

देवदुन्दुभयो नेदुर् ननृतुश्चाप्सरोगणाः वेदाश् च मूर्तिमन्तस्ते प्रणेमुस्तं महेश्वरम्

The divine drums resounded, the groups of Apsarases danced, and the embodied Vedas bowed to that great Lord.

ब्रह्मणा मुनिभिः सार्धं देवदेवमुमापतिम् देवो ऽपि देवीमालोक्य सलज्जां हिमशैलजाम्

Together with Brahmā and the sages, the Lord of gods, the husband of Umā, gazed upon the daughter of the snowy mountain, bashful before the god.

न तृप्यत्यनवद्याङ्गी सा च देवं वृषध्वजम् वरदो ऽस्मीति तं प्राह हरिं सो ऽप्याह शङ्करम्

He was insatiable in beholding her flawless form, and she, too, gazed at the god bearing the bull-banner. She said to Hari, 'I grant you a boon,' and he in turn addressed Śaṅkara.

त्वयि भक्तिः प्रसीदेति ब्रह्माख्यां च ददौ तु सः ततस्तु पुनरेवाह ब्रह्मा विज्ञापयन्प्रभुम्

'May devotion to you flourish,' he said, and granted him the name Brahmā. Then again Brahmā spoke, making his request to the Lord.

हविर्जुहोमि वह्नौ तु उपाध्यायपदे स्थितः ददासि मम यद्याज्ञां कर्तव्यो ह्यकृतो विधिः

'I offer oblations into the fire, being established in the role of preceptor. If you grant me permission, let the unperformed rite now be done.'

तमाह शङ्करो देवं देवदेवो जगत्पतिः यद्यदिष्टं सुरश्रेष्ठ तत्कुरुष्व यथेप्सितम्

Śaṅkara, Lord of gods and Lord of the universe, said to him, 'O best of gods, whatever you desire, do as you wish.'

कर्तास्मि वचनं सर्वं देवदेव पितामह ततः प्रणम्य हृष्टात्मा ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः

'I will perform all that you command, O Lord of gods, Grandfather,' he said. Then, having bowed, Brahmā, the Grandfather of the worlds, with joyful heart,

हस्तं देवस्य देव्याश् च युयोज परमं प्रभुः ज्वलनश् च स्वयं तत्र कृताञ्जलिरुपस्थितः

joined the hands of the goddess and the god, the supreme Lord; and Fire himself appeared there, with hands joined in reverence.

श्रौतैरेतैर्महामन्त्रैर् मूर्तिमद्भिर् उपस्थितैः यथोक्तविधिना हुत्वा लाजानपि यथाक्रमम्

With these Vedic mantras, embodied and present, and according to the prescribed rite, he offered the parched grains in the fire, step by step.

आनीतान्विष्णुना विप्रान् सम्पूज्य विविधैर्वरैः त्रिश् च तं ज्वलनं देवं कारयित्वा प्रदक्षिणम्

Having brought the Brāhmaṇas by Viṣṇu and honored them with various gifts, he had the god Fire circumambulated three times.

मुक्त्वा हस्तसमायोगं सहितैः सर्वदैवतैः सुरैश् च मानवैः सर्वैः प्रहृष्टेनान्तरात्मना

Then, releasing the joined hands, all the gods, along with all the celestial and human beings, rejoiced inwardly.

ननाम भगवान्ब्रह्मा देवदेवमुमापतिम् ततः पाद्यं तयोर् दत्त्वा शंभोराचमनं तथा

Then the venerable Brahmā bowed to the god of gods, the consort of Umā, and offered water for washing the feet and for sipping to Śambhu.

मधुपर्कं तथा गां च प्रणम्य च पुनः शिवम् अतिष्ठद्भगवान्ब्रह्मा देवैरिन्द्रपुरोगमैः

He also presented the madhuparka and a cow, and after bowing again to Śiva, Brahmā stood there with the gods, Indra at their head.

भृग्वाद्यमुनयः सर्वे चाक्षतैस्तिलतण्डुलैः सूर्यादयः समभ्यर्च्य तुष्टुवुर्वृषभध्वजम्

All the sages beginning with Bhṛgu, and the Sun and others, worshipped the Bull-bannered One with unbroken rice, sesame, and parched grain, and praised him.

शिवः समाप्य देवोक्तं वह्निमारोप्य चात्मनि तया समागतो रुद्रः सर्वलोकहिताय वै

Śiva, having completed the rites spoken by the gods and having placed the fire within himself, was united with her—Rudra, for the welfare of all worlds.

यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि भवोद्वाहं शुचिस्मितः श्रावयेद्वा द्विजाञ्छुद्धान् वेदवेदाङ्गपारगान्

Whoever recites or hears the marriage of Bhava, or has it recited to pure twice-borns learned in the Veda and its branches, with a pure smile—

स लब्ध्वा गाणपत्यं च भवेन सह मोदते यत्रायं कीर्त्यते विप्रैस् तावदास्ते तदा भवः

He attains the favor of Gaṇeśa and rejoices together with Bhava; wherever this is proclaimed by the learned, there Bhava himself abides.

तस्मात् सम्पूज्य विधिवत् कीर्तयेन्नान्यथा द्विजाः उद्वाहे च द्विजेन्द्राणां क्षत्रियाणां द्विजोत्तमाः

Therefore, O twice-borns, having worshipped properly, one should recite this and not otherwise, at the weddings of the best of Brāhmaṇas and Kṣatriyas.

कीर्तनीयमिदं सर्वं भवोद्वाहमनुत्तमम् कृतोद्वाहस्तदा देव्या हैमवत्या वृषध्वजः

This entire, unsurpassed account of the marriage of Bhava should be proclaimed; then the Bull-bannered One was wedded to the goddess, the daughter of Himavat.

सगणो नन्दिना सार्धं सर्वदेवगणैर्वृतः पुरीं वाराणसीं दिव्याम् आजगाम महाद्युतिः

Surrounded by his attendants, with Nandin and all the hosts of gods, the greatly radiant one went to the divine city of Vārāṇasī.

अविमुक्ते सुखासीनं प्रणम्य वृषभध्वजम् अपृच्छत्क्षेत्रमाहात्म्यं भवानी हर्षितानना

Bhavānī, her face beaming with joy, bowed to the Bull-bannered One seated happily in Avimukta, and asked about the greatness of the field.

अथाहार्धेन्दुतिलकः क्षेत्रमाहात्म्यमुत्तमम् अविमुक्तस्य माहात्म्यं विस्तराच्छक्यते नहि

Then the moon-crested one spoke of the supreme greatness of the field, saying, 'The greatness of Avimukta cannot be described in detail.'

वक्तुं मया सुरेशानि ऋषिसंघाभिपूजितम् किं मया वर्ण्यते देवी ह्य् अविमुक्तफलोदयः

'O queen of the gods, honored by hosts of sages, how can I describe Avimukta, the source of the fruits of liberation?'

पापिनां यत्र मुक्तिः स्यान् मृतानाम् एकजन्मना अन्यत्र तु कृतं पापं वाराणस्यां व्यपोहति

'There, even the sinful attain liberation at death in a single birth; elsewhere, sin committed is destroyed only in Vārāṇasī.'

वाराणस्यां कृतं पापं पैशाच्यनरकावहम् कृत्वा पापसहस्राणि पिशाचत्वं वरं नृणाम्

'Sin committed in Vārāṇasī leads to the hells of Piśācas and Narakas; but for men, even after committing thousands of sins, becoming a piśāca is preferable.'

न तु शक्रसहस्रत्वं स्वर्गे काशीपुरीं विना यत्र त्रिविष्टपो देवो यत्र विश्वेश्वरो विभुः

'But not even attaining the status of a thousand Indras in heaven is equal to Kāśī city, where the god of the three worlds and the all-pervading Lord reside.'

ओंकारेशः कृत्तिवासा मृतानां न पुनर्भवः उक्त्वा क्षेत्रस्य माहात्म्यं संक्षेपाच्छशिशेखरः

'Where Oṃkāreśa, the wearer of hides, abides, there is no rebirth for the dead.' Having thus briefly spoken of the greatness of the field, the moon-crested one—

दर्शयामास चोद्यानं परित्यज्य गणेश्वरान् तत्रैव भगवान् जातो गजवक्त्रो विनायकः

—showed the garden, and, leaving the lords of the gaṇas, there the Lord was born as Vināyaka, the elephant-faced one.

दैत्यानां विघ्नरूपार्थम् अविघ्नाय दिवौकसाम् एतद्वः कथितं सर्वं कथासर्वस्वमुत्तमम्

For the purpose of being an obstacle to the demons and removing obstacles for the gods, all this, the supreme essence of the story, has been told to you.