Linga Purana

प्रधानं प्रकृतिश्चेति यदाहुर्लिङ्गमुत्तमम् गन्धवर्णरसैर्हीनं शब्दस्पर्शादिवर्जितम्

When they declare the highest Linga as pradhāna and prakṛti, it is devoid of scent, color, and taste, and free from sound, touch, and the like.

अगुणं ध्रुवमक्षय्यम् अलिङ्गं शिवलक्षणम् गन्धवर्णरसैर्युक्तं शब्दस्पर्शादिलक्षणम्

Without qualities, eternal, imperishable, the unmanifest is the mark of Shiva; endowed with scent, color, and taste, it is characterized by sound, touch, and the like.

जगद्योनिं महाभूतं स्थूलं सूक्ष्मं द्विजोत्तमाः विग्रहो जगतां लिङ्गम् अलिङ्गाद् अभवत्स्वयम्

O best of twice-born, the source of the world, the great element, gross and subtle, the form of the worlds, the Linga, arose spontaneously from the unmanifest.

सप्तधाचाष्टधा चैव तथैकादशधा पुनः लिङ्गान्यलिङ्गस्य तथा मायया विततानि तु

Sevenfold, eightfold, and again elevenfold, the Lingas of the unmanifest are thus spread by Māyā.

तेभ्यः प्रधानदेवानां त्रयमासीच्छिवात्मकम् एकस्मात्त्रिष्वभूद्विश्वम् एकेन परिरक्षितम्

From them, among the chief gods, three arose, having the nature of Shiva. From one, the universe came forth in three ways, and by one it is preserved.

एकेनैव हृतं विश्वं व्याप्तं त्वेवं शिवेन तु अलिङ्गं चैव लिङ्गं च लिङ्गालिङ्गानि मूर्तयः

By one alone, the universe is withdrawn, and thus pervaded by Shiva. The unmanifest and the Linga, the forms of Linga and unmanifest, are the manifestations.

यथावत्कथिताश्चैव तस्माद्ब्रह्म स्वयं जगत् अलिङ्गी भगवान् बीजी स एव परमेश्वरः

As described, therefore, Brahma himself is the world. The Lord, unmanifest, is the seed; he alone is the supreme ruler.

बीजं योनिश् च निर्बीजं निर्बीजो बीजमुच्यते बीजयोनिप्रधानानाम् आत्माख्या वर्तते त्विह

The seed, the womb, and the seedless; the seedless is called the seed. Among the seed, womb, and pradhāna, the self-named exists here.

परमात्मा मुनिर्ब्रह्म नित्यबुद्धस्वभावतः विशुद्धो ऽयं तथा रुद्रः पुराणे शिव उच्यते

The supreme self, the sage Brahma, by nature eternally wise, is pure; likewise Rudra, who in the Purāṇa is called Shiva.

शिवेन दृष्टा प्रकृतिः शैवी समभवद्द्विजाः सर्गादौ सा गुणैर्युक्ता पुराव्यक्ता स्वभावतः

When seen by Shiva, Prakriti became Shaivi, O twice-born; at the beginning of creation, she, though previously unmanifest by nature, became endowed with the gunas.

अव्यक्तादिविशेषान्तं विश्वं तस्याः समुच्छ्रितम् विश्वधात्री त्वजाख्या च शैवी सा प्रकृतिः स्मृता

From her arose the universe, from the unmanifest to the particular; she is called the bearer of the universe and, known as Aja, that Shaivi Prakriti is remembered thus.

तामजां लोहितां शुक्लां कृष्णामेकां बहुप्रजाम् जनित्रीमनुशेते स्म जुषमाणः स्वरूपिणीम्

That unborn one, red, white, and black, the single mother of many beings—he, delighting in his own form, lay with her, the mother and source.

तामेवाजामजो ऽन्यस्तु भुक्तभोगां जहाति च अजा जनित्री जगतां साजेन समधिष्ठिता

Another unborn one, having enjoyed her pleasures, departs; the unborn mother of worlds is established together with the unborn.

प्रादुर्बभूव स महान् पुरुषाधिष्ठितस्य च अजाज्ञया प्रधानस्य सर्गकाले गुणैस् त्रिभिः

From her, by command of the unborn, at the time of creation, the Mahat arose, endowed with the three gunas and presided over by Purusha.

सिसृक्षया चोद्यमानः प्रविश्याव्यक्तमव्ययम् व्यक्तसृष्टिं विकुरुते चात्मनाधिष्ठितो महान्

Urged by the desire to create, Mahat, entering the unmanifest and imperishable, produces the manifest creation, being established in itself.

महतस्तु तथा वृत्तिः संकल्पाध्यवसायिका महतस् त्रिगुणस् तस्माद् अहंकारो रजो ऽधिकः

From Mahat arises the function of resolve and determination; from Mahat, which is threefold in quality, comes ahamkara, predominated by rajas.

तेनैव चावृतः सम्यग् अहंकारस् तमो ऽधिकः महतो भूततन्मात्रं सर्गकृद्वै बभूव च

Covered by that very ahamkara, which is predominated by tamas, from Mahat arose the subtle elements, which are indeed the creators of beings.

अहंकाराच्छब्दमात्रं तस्मादाकाशमव्ययम् सशब्दमावृणोत्पश्चाद् आकाशं शब्दकारणम्

From ahamkara comes the subtle element of sound; from that, the imperishable ether; ether, possessing sound, then enveloped it, and is the cause of sound.

तन्मात्राद्भूतसर्गश् च द्विजास्त्वेवं प्रकीर्तितः स्पर्शमात्रं तथाकाशात् तस्माद्वायुर् महान्मुने

From the subtle elements, the creation of the elements is thus declared, O twice-born; from ether comes the subtle element of touch, and from that, air, O great sage.

तस्माच्च रूपमात्रं तु ततो ऽग्निश्च रसस्ततः रसादापः शुभास्ताभ्यो गन्धमात्रं धरा ततः

From that comes the subtle element of form, then fire; from taste, water, which is auspicious; from those, the subtle element of smell, and from that, earth.

आवृणोद्धि तथाकाशं स्पर्शमात्रं द्विजोत्तमाः आवृणोद्रूपमात्रं तु वायुर्वाति क्रियात्मकः

O best of twice-born, ether enveloped the subtle element of touch; air, active by nature, enveloped the subtle element of form.

आवृणोद्रसमात्रं वै देवः साक्षाद्विभावसुः आवृण्वाना गन्धमात्रम् आपः सर्वरसात्मिकाः

The god Agni directly enveloped the subtle element of taste; the waters, full of all tastes, enveloped the subtle element of smell.

क्ष्मा सा पञ्चगुणा तस्माद् एकोना रससम्भवाः त्रिगुणो भगवान्वह्निर् द्विगुणः स्पर्शसम्भवः

Therefore, earth is fivefold in qualities, and from her arise things with less taste; the blessed fire is threefold in qualities, and air, arising from touch, is twofold.

अवकाशस्ततो देव एकमात्रस्तु निष्कलः तन्मात्राद्भूतसर्गश् च विज्ञेयश् च परस्परम्

Then, space is the god with a single quality, indivisible; the creation of elements from the subtle elements should be understood as mutually connected.

वैकारिकः सात्त्विको वै युगपत्सम्प्रवर्तते सर्गस् तथाप्यहंकाराद् एवमत्र प्रकीर्तितः

The Vaikarika, which is sattvic, proceeds simultaneously; thus, creation from ahamkara is described here.

पञ्च बुद्धीन्द्रियाण्यस्य पञ्च कर्मेन्द्रियाणि तु शब्दादीनामवाप्त्यर्थं मनश्चैवोभयात्मकम्

From it arise the five organs of knowledge, the five organs of action, and the mind, which partakes of both, for the purpose of apprehending sound and the rest.

महदादिविशेषान्ता ह्य् अण्डमुत्पादयन्ति च जलबुद्बुदवत्तस्माद् अवतीर्णः पितामहः

From Mahat down to the particular elements, they produce the cosmic egg; from that, as from a bubble in water, the Grandfather (Brahma) descended.

स एव भगवान् रुद्रो विष्णुर्विश्वगतः प्रभुः तस्मिन्नण्डे त्विमे लोका अन्तर्विश्वमिदं जगत्

That very Lord, Rudra, is also Viṣṇu, the sovereign who pervades the universe; within that cosmic egg are these worlds and this entire universe.

अण्डं दशगुणेनैव वारिणा प्रावृतं बहिः आपो दशगुणेनैव तद्बाह्यस्तेजसा वृताः

The egg is enveloped on the outside by water, ten times its size; and that water, in turn, is surrounded on the outside by fire, also ten times greater.