Linga Purana

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.

अथर्वमसितं मन्त्रं कलाष्टकसमायुतम् अभिचारिकमत्यर्थं त्रयस्त्रिंशच्छुभाक्षरम्

He saw the Atharvan mantra, black in color, endowed with eight kalās, extremely potent for magical acts, composed of thirty-three auspicious syllables.

यजुर्वेदसमायुक्तं पञ्चत्रिंशच्छुभाक्षरम् कलाष्टकसमायुक्तं सुश्वेतं शान्तिकं तथा

He saw the mantra associated with the Yajurveda, composed of thirty-five auspicious syllables, endowed with eight kalās, pure white and bringing peace.

त्रयोदशकलायुक्तं बालाद्यैः सह लोहितम् सामोद्भवं जगत्याद्यं वृद्धिसंहारकारणम्

He saw the one endowed with thirteen kalās, red in color, together with Bālā and others, arising from Sāma, the first in the world, the cause of growth and destruction.

वर्णाः षडधिकाः षष्टिर् अस्य मन्त्रवरस्य तु पञ्च मन्त्रांस् तथा लब्ध्वा जजाप भगवान् हरिः

The letters of this mantra are sixty-six in number; having thus obtained the five mantras, the blessed Hari recited them.

अथ दृष्ट्वा कलावर्णम् ऋग्यजुःसामरूपिणम् ईशानमीशमुकुटं पुरुषास्यं पुरातनम्

Then, seeing the form of the divisions of time, embodying the Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas, the Lord, crowned as Ishana, with a primeval human face—

अघोरहृदयं हृद्यं वामगुह्यं सदाशिवम् सद्यः पादं महादेवं महाभोगीन्द्रभूषणम्

With the heart of Aghora, delightful, with the left side concealed, ever-auspicious Sadashiva, the immediate foot of the Great God, adorned with the mighty serpent king—

विश्वतः पादवदनं विश्वतो ऽक्षिकरं शिवम् ब्रह्मणो ऽधिपतिं सर्गस्थितिसंहारकारणम्

Shiva, whose faces and feet are everywhere, whose eyes and hands are everywhere, the Lord of Brahma, the cause of creation, preservation, and dissolution—

तुष्टाव पुनरिष्टाभिर् वाग्भिर् वरदमीश्वरम्

Again praised the boon-giving Lord with desired words.

एकाक्षराय रुद्राय अकारायात्मरूपिणे उकारायादिदेवाय विद्यादेहाय वै नमः

Salutation to Rudra, the One Syllable, the letter A, the embodiment of the Self, the letter U, the primal god, the one whose body is knowledge.

तृतीयाय मकाराय शिवाय परमात्मने सूर्याग्निसोमवर्णाय यजमानाय वै नमः

Salutation to the third, the letter M, to Shiva, the supreme Self, of the colors of sun, fire, and moon, the one to be worshipped.