Linga Purana

रक्षार्थमंबुधौ मह्यं विष्णोस्त्वासीत् सुरोत्तमाः वैमानिके गते सर्गे जनलोकं सहर्षिभिः

For the sake of protection in the ocean, O best of gods, Vishnu was for me; when the creation of the celestial beings had gone to the world of Janas with the sages,

स्थितिकाले तदा पूर्णे ततः प्रत्याहृते तथा चतुर्युगसहस्रान्ते सत्यलोकं गते सुराः

At the time when the period of maintenance was complete, then, when it was withdrawn, at the end of a thousand cycles of four ages, the gods went to the world of truth.

विनाधिपत्यं समतां गते ऽन्ते ब्रह्मणो मम शुष्के च स्थावरे सर्वे त्व् अनावृष्ट्या च सर्वशः

When equality prevailed without rulership at the end of Brahma's time, and all immovable things dried up everywhere due to total drought,

पशवो मानुषा वृक्षाः पिशाचाः पिशिताशनाः गन्धर्वाद्याः क्रमेणैव निर्दग्धा भानुभानुभिः

Cattle, humans, trees, flesh-eating spirits, Gandharvas and others, in succession, were burned by the rays of the sun.

एकार्णवे महाघोरे तमोभूते समन्ततः सुष्वापांभसि योगात्मा निर्मलो निरुपप्लवः

In the single, dreadful ocean, enveloped in darkness on all sides, the self of yoga, pure and undisturbed, slept upon the waters.

सहस्रशीर्षा विश्वात्मा सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् सहस्रबाहुः सर्वज्ञः सर्वदेवभवोद्भवः

With a thousand heads, the soul of the universe, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet, a thousand arms, all-knowing, the origin of all gods.

हिरण्यगर्भो रजसा तमसा शङ्करः स्वयम् सत्त्वेन सर्वगो विष्णुः सर्वात्मत्वे महेश्वरः

Hiranyagarbha, by rajas and tamas, is Shankara himself; by sattva, Vishnu is all-pervading; Maheshvara is the soul of all.

कालात्मा कालनाभस्तु शुक्लः कृष्णस्तु निर्गुणः नारायणो महाबाहुः सर्वात्मा सदसन्मयः

The soul of time, whose navel is time, is white; the black one is without qualities; Narayana, mighty-armed, is the soul of all, composed of existence and non-existence.

तथाभूतमहं दृष्ट्वा शयानं पङ्कजेक्षणम् मायया मोहितस्तस्य तमवोचममर्षितः

Seeing him thus, lotus-eyed, lying down, I was deluded by his maya and spoke to him, angered.

कस्त्वं वदेति हस्तेन समुत्थाप्य सनातनम् तदा हस्तप्रहारेण तीव्रेण स दृढेन तु

Who are you?—I said, raising the eternal one by the hand; then, with a strong and intense blow of the hand,

प्रबुद्धो ऽहीयशयनात् समासीनः क्षणं वशी ददर्श निद्राविक्लिन्ननीरजामललोचनः

Awakened, he rose from his bed and sat for a moment, controlled; he saw, with eyes unclouded by sleep, pure and clear.

मामग्रे संस्थितं भासाध्यासितो भगवान् हरिः आह चोत्थाय भगवान् हसन्मां मधुरं सकृत्

Before me stood the blessed Hari, radiant and resplendent; rising up, the Lord spoke to me with a single sweet smile.

स्वागतंस्वागतं वत्स पितामह महाद्युते तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा स्मितपूर्वं सुरर्षभाः

"Welcome, welcome, child, O illustrious Grandfather!" Hearing these words, the foremost of the gods smiled in response.

रजसा बद्धवैरश् च तमवोचं जनार्दनम् भाषसे वत्स वत्सेति सर्गसंहारकारणम्

Bound by passion and enmity, I spoke to Janardana: "Why do you call me 'child, child,' you who are the cause of creation and dissolution?"

माम् इहान्तःस्मितं कृत्वा गुरुः शिष्यमिवानघ कर्तारं जगतां साक्षात् प्रकृतेश् च प्रवर्तकम्

Here, with a slight smile, you address me—faultless one—as a teacher does his disciple, though I am the direct creator of the worlds and the initiator of Nature.

सनातनमजं विष्णुं विरिञ्चिं विश्वसंभवम् विश्वात्मानं विधातारं धातारं पङ्कजेक्षणम्

You call me the eternal, unborn Viṣṇu, the creator, the source of the universe, the soul of all, the maker, the supporter, the lotus-eyed one.

किमर्थं भाषसे मोहाद् वक्तुमर्हसि सत्वरम् सो ऽपि मामाह जगतां कर्ताहमिति लोकय

For what reason, out of delusion, do you speak thus? You should quickly declare the truth. Then he said to me, "I am the creator of the worlds—behold!"

भर्ता हर्ता भवान् अङ्गाद् अवतीर्णो ममाव्ययात् विस्मृतो ऽसि जगन्नाथं नारायणमनामयम्

"You are the sustainer and destroyer, descended from my imperishable body. You have forgotten Nārāyaṇa, the lord of the universe, free from affliction."

पुरुषं परमात्मानं पुरुहूतं पुरुष्टुतम् विष्णुमच्युतमीशानं विश्वस्य प्रभवोद्भवम्

"The supreme person, the supreme soul, the much-invoked, the most praised among men, Viṣṇu, the unchanging lord, the origin and source of the universe."

तवापराधो नास्त्यत्र मम मायाकृतं त्विदम् शृणु सत्यं चतुर्वक्त्र सर्वदेवेश्वरो ह्ययम्

"You have committed no fault here; this is all caused by my māyā. Hear the truth, four-faced one: this is the lord of all the gods."

कर्ता नेता च हर्ता च न मयास्ति समो विभुः अहमेव परं ब्रह्म परं तत्त्वं पितामह

"I alone am the creator, leader, and destroyer; there is no equal to me, O mighty one. I alone am the supreme Brahman, the highest reality, O Grandfather."

अहमेव परं ज्योतिः परमात्मा त्वहं विभुः यद्यद्दृष्टं श्रुतं सर्वं जगत्यस्मिंश्चराचरम्

"I alone am the supreme light, the supreme soul, the all-pervading one. Whatever is seen or heard in this world, moving or unmoving, is all within me."

तत्तद्विद्धि चतुर्वक्त्र सर्वं मन्मयमित्यथ मया सृष्टं पुराव्यक्तं चतुर्विंशतिकं स्वयम्

"Know, O four-faced one, that all this is made of me. Formerly, I created the unmanifest, the group of twenty-four principles, by myself."

नित्यान्ता ह्यणवो बद्धाः सृष्टाः क्रोधोद्भवादयः प्रसादाद्धि भवानण्डान्य् अनेकानीह लीलया

"The eternal atoms, bound together, were created—anger and others arising. By your grace, many eggs are produced here in sport."

सृष्टा बुद्धिर्मया तस्याम् अहङ्कारस्त्रिधा ततः तन्मात्रापञ्चकं तस्मान् मनः षष्ठेन्द्रियाणि च

"Intellect was created by me; from it, the threefold ego arose. From that, the five subtle elements; from them, the mind and the six senses."

आकाशादीनि भूतानि भौतिकानि च लीलया इत्युक्तवति तस्मिंश् च मयि चापि वचस् तथा

"The elements beginning with space, and their gross forms, were created by me in sport." When he had spoken thus, and I too had spoken likewise—

आवयोश्चाभवद्युद्धं सुघोरं रोमहर्षणम् प्रलयार्णवमध्ये तु रजसा बद्धवैरयोः

A fierce and hair-raising battle arose between us, in the midst of the ocean of dissolution, both of us bound by passion and enmity.

एतस्मिन्नन्तरे लिङ्गम् अभवच्चावयोः पुरः विवादशमनार्थं हि प्रबोधार्थं च भास्वरम्

At that moment, before us, a shining liṅga appeared, to end our dispute and to awaken understanding.

ज्वालामालासहस्राढ्यं कालानलशतोपमम् क्षयवृद्धिविनिर्मुक्तम् आदिमध्यान्तवर्जितम्

It was adorned with thousands of garlands of flames, resembling hundreds of fires of destruction, free from growth and decay, without beginning, middle, or end.