Linga Purana

पुरा मात्रा तु कथितं तथ्यमेव न संशयः पूर्वजन्मनि चास्माभिर् अपूजित इति प्रभुः

Long ago, my mother truly told me, without doubt, that in a previous birth we failed to worship the Lord.

एवमुक्त्वा तु तं देवम् उपमन्युरभीतवत् शक्रं चक्रे मतिं हन्तुम् अथर्वास्त्रेण मन्त्रवित्

Having spoken thus to the god, Upamanyu, fearless, resolved to kill Indra with the Atharvan missile, being skilled in mantras.

भस्माधारान्महातेजा भस्ममुष्टिं प्रगृह्य च अथर्वास्त्रं ततस्तस्मै ससर्ज च ननाद च

The mighty one, adorned with ashes, took up a handful of ashes, and then, with the Atharvan missile, directed it at him and roared.

दग्धुं स्वदेहम् आग्नेयीं ध्यात्वा वै धारणां तदा अतिष्ठच्च महातेजाः शुष्केन्धनमिवाव्ययः

Then, intent on burning his own body, he meditated upon the fiery concentration, and the mighty one stood firm, like dry fuel, inexhaustible.

एवं व्यवसिते विप्रे भगवान्भगनेत्रहा वारयामास सौम्येन धारणां तस्य योगिनः

As the brahmin thus resolved, the Lord, destroyer of Bhaga’s eye, gently restrained the yogi’s concentration.

अथर्वास्त्रं तदा तस्य संहृतं चन्द्रकेण तु कालाग्निसदृशं चेदं नियोगान्नन्दिनस् तथा

Then, by the order of Nandī and by Candraka, the Atharvan missile, blazing like the fire of time, was withdrawn.

स्वरूपमेव भगवान् आस्थाय परमेश्वरः दर्शयामास विप्राय बालेन्दुकृतशेखरम्

The blessed supreme Lord, assuming his own true form, revealed himself to the brahmin, crowned with the crescent moon.

क्षीरधारासहस्रं च क्षीरोदार्णवमेव च दध्यादेरर्णवं चैव घृतोदार्णवमेव च

He stood there surrounded on all sides by a thousand streams of milk, the ocean of milk, the ocean of curds, the ocean of clarified butter,

फलार्णवं च बालस्य भक्ष्यभोज्यार्णवं तथा अपूपगिरयश्चैव तथातिष्ठन् समन्ततः

The ocean of fruits for the boy, the ocean of foods to eat and enjoy, and mountains of cakes, all standing all around.

उपमन्युमुवाच सस्मितो भगवान्बन्धुजनैः समावृतम् गिरिजाम् अवलोक्य सस्मितां सघृणं प्रेक्ष्यतु तं तदा घृणी

The blessed Lord, smiling, spoke to Upamanyu, who was surrounded by his relatives; seeing Girijā smiling with compassion, he looked at him with kindness.

भुङ्क्ष्व भोगान्यथाकामं बान्धवैः पश्य वत्स मे

Enjoy pleasures as you wish, along with your relatives; look, my child.

मया पुत्रीकृतो ऽस्यद्य दत्तः क्षीरोदधिस् तथा मधुनश्चार्णवश्चैव दध्नश्चार्णव एव च

Today I have made you my son; I have given you the ocean of milk, the ocean of honey, and the ocean of curds as well.

आज्योदनार्णवश्चैव फललेह्यार्णवस् तथा अपूपगिरयश्चैव भक्ष्यभोज्यार्णवः पुनः

And the ocean of clarified butter, the ocean of fruits and sweets, mountains of cakes, and again the ocean of foods to eat and enjoy.

पिता तव महादेवः पिता वै जगतां मुने माता तव महाभागा जगन्माता न संशयः

O sage, your father is the great god Mahadeva, the father of the worlds; your mother, O highly fortunate one, is the mother of the universe—of this there is no doubt.

अमरत्वं मया दत्तं गाणपत्यं च शाश्वतम् वरान्वरय दास्यामि नात्र कार्या विचारणा

I have granted you immortality and eternal lordship over the Ganas; choose further boons, I shall grant them—there is no need for hesitation here.

एवमुक्त्वा महादेवः कराभ्यामुपगृह्य तम् आघ्राय मूर्धनि विभुर् ददौ देव्यास्तदा भवः

Having spoken thus, Mahadeva embraced him with his hands, smelled his head, and then, together with Devi, Bhava bestowed blessings upon him.

देवी तनयमालोक्य ददौ तस्मै गिरीन्द्रजा योगैश्वर्यं तदा तुष्टा ब्रह्मविद्यां द्विजोत्तमाः

Devi, beholding her son, then, being pleased, granted him yogic mastery and the supreme knowledge of Brahman, O best of twice-born.

सो ऽपि लब्ध्वा वरं तस्याः कुमारत्वं च सर्वदा तुष्टाव च महादेवं हर्षगद्गदया गिरा

He too, having received her boon and perpetual youth, praised Mahadeva with words choked with joy.

वरयामास च तदा वरेण्यं विरजेक्षणम् कृताञ्जलिपुटो भूत्वा प्रणिपत्य पुनः पुनः

Then, with hands joined in reverence, bowing again and again, he requested from the worthy, stainless-eyed Lord a further boon.

प्रसीद देवदेवेश त्वयि चाव्यभिचारिणी श्रद्धा चैव महादेव सान्निध्यं चैव सर्वदा

"Be gracious, Lord of gods; may unwavering faith and your presence, O Mahadeva, always abide in me."

एवमुक्तस्तदा तेन प्रहसन्निव शङ्करः दत्त्वेप्सितं हि विप्राय तत्रैवान्तरधीयत

Thus addressed by him, Shankara, smiling, granted the desired boon to the Brahmin and then vanished on the spot.

दृष्टो ऽसौ वासुदेवेन कृष्णेनाक्लिष्टकर्मणा धौम्याग्रजस्ततो लब्धं दिव्यं पाशुपतं व्रतम्

He was seen by Vasudeva Krishna, whose actions are untainted; from Dhaumya's elder brother he obtained the divine vow of Pashupata.

कथं लब्धं तदा ज्ञानं तस्मात्कृष्णेन धीमता वक्तुमर्हसि तां सूत कथां पातकनाशिनीम्

How did Krishna, the wise one, obtain that knowledge then? O Suta, you ought to tell that story, which destroys sin.

स्वेच्छया ह्यवतीर्णो ऽपि वासुदेवः सनातनः निन्दयन्नेव मानुष्यं देहशुद्धिं चकार सः

Though Vasudeva, the eternal one, descended by his own will, he performed bodily purification, as if reproaching human existence.

पुत्रार्थं भगवांस्तत्र तपस्तप्तुं जगाम च आश्रमं चोपमन्योर्वै दृष्टवांस्तत्र तं मुनिम्

Desiring a son, the Blessed Lord went there to perform austerity, and in the ashram of Upamanyu, he beheld that sage.

नमश्चकार तं दृष्ट्वा धौम्याग्रजमहो द्विजाः बहुमानेन वै कृष्णस् त्रिः कृत्वा वै प्रदक्षिणम्

Seeing him, Krishna, with great respect, bowed to Dhaumya's elder brother and circumambulated him three times, O twice-born.

तस्यावलोकनादेव मुनेः कृष्णस्य धीमतः नष्टमेव मलं सर्वं कायजं कर्म्मजं तथा

Merely by the sight of that sage, all impurities of Krishna—the wise one—arising from body and action, were destroyed.

भस्मनोद्धूलनं कृत्वा उपमन्युर्महाद्युतिः तमग्निरिति विप्रेन्द्रा वायुरित्यादिभिः क्रमात्

Upamanyu, of great splendor, after sprinkling ashes, addressed him in turn as Agni, as Vayu, and so on, O best of Brahmins.

दिव्यं पाशुपतं ज्ञानं प्रददौ प्रीतमानसः मुनेः प्रसादान्मान्यो ऽसौ कृष्णः पाशुपते द्विजाः

With a delighted mind, he imparted to Krishna the divine knowledge of Pashupata; by the sage's grace, Krishna became worthy of Pashupata, O Brahmins.