Linga Purana

तथैव भगवान् विष्णुः श्रान्तः संत्रस्तलोचनः सर्वदेवभवस्तूर्णम् उत्थितः सः महावपुः

In the same way, the blessed Vishnu, exhausted, his eyes trembling with fatigue, quickly rose up, his great form manifest to all the gods.

समागतो मया सार्धं प्रणिपत्य महामनाः मायया मोहितः शंभोस् तस्थौ संविग्नमानसः

He joined me, bowed with a great mind, and, deluded by Shambhu's maya, stood there, his heart disturbed.

पृष्ठतः पार्श्वतश्चैव चाग्रतः परमेश्वरम् प्रणिपत्य मया सार्धं सस्मार किमिदं त्विति

Behind, beside, and before the Supreme Lord, he bowed with me, and wondered, 'What is this?'

तदा समभवत्तत्र नादो वै शब्दलक्षणः ओमोमिति सुरश्रेष्ठाः सुव्यक्तः प्लुतलक्षणः

Then there arose there a sound, marked by the syllable—'Om, Om,' O best of gods—clearly, with a prolonged tone.

किमिदं त्विति संचिन्त्य मया तिष्ठन्महास्वनम् लिङ्गस्य दक्षिणे भागे तदापश्यत्सनातनम्

Thinking, 'What is this?' I stood, hearing that great sound, and then saw, on the right side of the linga, the eternal one.

आद्यवर्णमकारं तु उकारं चोत्तरे ततः मकारं मध्यतश्चैव नादान्तं तस्य चौमिति

I saw the first letter, 'A,' on the right; then 'U' on the left; and 'M' in the middle, and at the end, the sound 'Om.'

सूर्यमण्डलवद्दृष्ट्वा वर्णमाद्यं तु दक्षिणे उत्तरे पावकप्रख्यम् उकारं पुरुषर्षभः

Seeing the first letter, shining like the solar orb, on the right, and on the left, the letter 'U,' blazing like fire, O best of men.

शीतांशुमण्डलप्रख्यं मकारं मध्यमं तथा तस्योपरि तदापश्यच् छुद्धस्फटिकवत् प्रभुम्

He saw the middle syllable 'ma', shining like the orb of the moon, and above it, the Lord, pure as crystal.

तुरीयातीतम् अमृतं निष्कलं निरुपप्लवम् निर्द्वन्द्वं केवलं शून्यं बाह्याभ्यन्तरवर्जितम्

Beyond the fourth state, immortal, without parts, without disturbance, free from duality, absolute, void, devoid of inner and outer.

सबाह्याभ्यन्तरं चैव सबाह्याभ्यन्तरस्थितम् आदिमध्यान्तरहितम् आनन्दस्यापि कारणम्

Yet possessing both inner and outer, and abiding within them; without beginning, middle, or end, the cause even of bliss.

मात्रास्तिस्रस्त्वर्धमात्रं नादाख्यं ब्रह्मसंज्ञितम् ऋग्यजुःसामवेदा वै मात्रारूपेण माधवः

There are three measures and a half-measure, called 'nāda', known as Brahman; Madhava is present in the form of the measures of Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas.

वेदशब्देभ्य एवेशं विश्वात्मानमचिन्तयत् तदाभवदृषिर्वेद ऋषेः सारतमं शुभम्

From the words of the Vedas, the Lord contemplated the soul of the universe; then the sage became the Veda, and from the sage arose the pure essence.

तेनैव ऋषिणा विष्णुर् ज्ञातवान् परमेश्वरम् चिन्तया रहितो रुद्रो वाचो यन्मनसा सह

By that very sage, Viṣṇu understood the Supreme Lord; Rudra, free from thought, contemplated Him with speech and mind.

अप्राप्य तं निवर्तन्ते वाच्यस्त्वेकाक्षरेण सः एकाक्षरेण तद्वाच्यम् ऋतं परमकारणम्

Those who do not attain Him turn back; He is to be expressed by the single syllable; by the single syllable, the truth, the supreme cause, is spoken.

सत्यमानन्दममृतं परं ब्रह्म परात्परम् एकाक्षरादकाराख्यो भगवान्कनकाण्डजः

Truth, bliss, immortality, the supreme Brahman, higher than the highest; from the single syllable called 'a', the Lord, born of the golden egg.

एकाक्षरादुकाराख्यो हरिः परमकारणम् एकाक्षरान्मकाराख्यो भगवान्नीललोहितः

From the single syllable called 'u', Hari, the supreme cause; from the single syllable called 'ma', the Lord Nīlalohita.

सर्गकर्ता त्वकाराख्यो ह्य् उकाराख्यस्तु मोहकः मकाराख्यस् तयोर् नित्यम् अनुग्रहकरो ऽभवत्

The creator of creation is called 'a'; 'u' is the deluder; 'ma' among them always bestows grace.

मकाराख्यो विभुर्बीजी ह्य् अकारो बीजमुच्यते उकाराख्यो हरिर्योनिः प्रधानपुरुषेश्वरः

'Ma' is the seed-holder, 'a' is called the seed; 'u' is Hari, the womb, the lord of Pradhāna and Puruṣa.

बीजी च बीजं तद्योनिर् नादाख्यश् च महेश्वरः बीजी विभज्य चात्मानं स्वेच्छया तु व्यवस्थितः

The seed-holder and the seed, that womb, and the one called 'nāda' is Maheśvara; the seed-holder, dividing himself by his own will, is established.

अस्य लिङ्गादभूद्बीजम् अकारो बीजिनः प्रभोः उकारयोनौ निक्षिप्तम् अवर्धत समन्ततः

From this liṅga arose the seed, 'a', of the seed-holder Lord; placed in the womb of 'u', it grew in all directions.

सौवर्णमभवच्चाण्डम् आवेष्ट्याद्यं तदक्षरम् अनेकाब्दं तथा चाप्सु दिव्यमण्डं व्यवस्थितम्

A golden egg came into being, enveloping the first syllable; for many years, a divine sphere was established in the waters.

ततो वर्षसहस्रान्ते द्विधा कृतमजोद्भवम् अण्डम् अप्सु स्थितं साक्षाद् आद्याख्येनेश्वरेण तु

After a thousand years, the egg, born without origin, was split in two; the egg, resting in the waters, by the Lord called the First.

तस्याण्डस्य शुभं हैमं कपालं चोर्ध्वसंस्थितम् जज्ञे यद्द्यौस्तदपरं पृथिवी पञ्चलक्षणा

Of that egg, the auspicious golden shell was situated above; what was below became the earth, with its five characteristics.

तस्मादण्डोद्भवो जज्ञे त्व् अकाराख्यश्चतुर्मुखः स स्रष्टा सर्वलोकानां स एव त्रिविधः प्रभुः

From that egg was born 'a', called the four-faced one; he is the creator of all worlds, and the Lord in three forms.

एवमोमोमिति प्रोक्तम् इत्याहुर्यजुषां वराः यजुषां वचनं श्रुत्वा ऋचः सामानि सादरम्

Thus 'om om' is spoken, say the best of the Yajur Veda; hearing the words of the Yajur, the Ṛg and Sāma Vedas with respect.

एवमेव हरे ब्रह्मन्न् इत्याहुः श्रुतयस्तदा ततो विज्ञाय देवेशं यथावच्छ्रुतिसंभवैः

In this way, O Hari, O Brahman, so say the Vedas at that time; then, having understood the Lord of the gods as described in the Vedas,

मन्त्रैर्महेश्वरं देवं तुष्टाव सुमहोदयम् आवयोः स्तुतिसंतुष्टो लिङ्गे तस्मिन्निरञ्जनः

with mantras born from the Vedas, he praised the great Lord, the supreme deity; pleased by our praise, the stainless one abided in that liṅga.

दिव्यं शब्दमयं रूपम् आस्थाय प्रहसन् स्थितः अकारस्तस्य मूर्धा तु ललाटं दीर्घमुच्यते

Assuming a divine, sound-formed shape, he stood there smiling; the letter 'a' is said to be his head, and his forehead is called long.

इकारो दक्षिणं नेत्रम् ईकारो वामलोचनम् उकारो दक्षिणं श्रोत्रम् ऊकारो वाममुच्यते

'i' is his right eye, 'ī' is his left eye; 'u' is his right ear, and 'ū' is said to be his left.