Linga Purana

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.

ऋकारो दक्षिणं तस्य कपोलं परमेष्ठिनः वामं कपोलम् ॠकारो ऌ ॡ नासापुटे उभे

'ṛ' is his right cheek, O Supreme Lord; 'ṝ' is his left cheek; 'ḷ' and 'ḹ' are both his nostrils.

एकारम् ओष्ठमूर्द्ध्वश् च ऐकारस्त्वधरो विभोः ओकारश् च तथौकारो दन्तपङ्क्तिद्वयं क्रमात्

'e' is his upper lip, and 'ai' is the lower lip of the Lord; 'o' and 'au' are, in order, the two rows of teeth.

अमस्तु तालुनी तस्य देवदेवस्य धीमतः कादिपञ्चाक्षराण्यस्य पञ्च हस्तानि दक्षिणे

'am' is the palate of that wise Lord of gods; the five letters beginning with 'ka' are his five right hands.

चादिपञ्चाक्षराण्येवं पञ्च हस्तानि वामतः टादिपञ्चाक्षरं पादस् तादिपञ्चाक्षरं तथा

Likewise, the five letters beginning with 'ca' are his five left hands; the five letters beginning with 'ṭa' are his feet, and those beginning with 'ta' as well.

पकारमुदरं तस्य फकारः पार्श्वमुच्यते बकारो वामपार्श्वं वै भकारं स्कन्धमस्य तत्

'pa' is his abdomen, 'pha' is said to be his side; 'ba' is his left side, and 'bha' is his shoulder.

मकारं हृदयं शंभोर् महादेवस्य योगिनः यकारादिसकारान्तं विभोर्वै सप्त धातवः

'ma' is the heart of Śambhu, the great god, the yogi; from 'ya' to 'sa' are the seven vital substances of the Lord.

हकार आत्मरूपं वै क्षकारः क्रोध उच्यते तं दृष्ट्वा उमया सार्धं भगवन्तं महेश्वरम्

'ha' is truly his self-form, 'kṣa' is said to be wrath; seeing that great Lord Maheśvara together with Umā,

प्रणम्य भगवान् विष्णुः पुनश्चापश्यदूर्द्ध्वतः ओङ्कारप्रभवं मन्त्रं कलापञ्चकसंयुतम्

having bowed, the blessed Viṣṇu again saw above the mantra arising from Oṃ, endowed with five kalās.

शुद्धस्फटिकसंकाशं सुभाष्टत्रिंशदक्षरम् मेधाकरम् अभूद्भूयः सर्वधर्मार्थसाधकम्

It shone like pure crystal, composed of thirty-two beautiful syllables, the source of intelligence, ever bringing forth all righteous purposes.

गायत्रीप्रभवं मन्त्रं हरितं वश्यकारकम् चतुर्विंशतिवर्णाढ्यं चतुष्कलमनुत्तमम्

He saw the mantra arising from Gāyatrī, green in color, bringing all under control, endowed with twenty-four syllables and four kalās, unsurpassed.