Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

भूतानामादिभूतत्वाद्भूतादिः कथ्यते तु सः भूतादेश्शब्दमात्रं स्यात्तत्र चाकाशसंभवः

Because it is the first among the elements, it is called the primary element; from the primary element arises only sound, and from that, space is produced.

आकाशात्स्पर्श उत्पन्नः स्पर्शाद्वायुसमुद्भवः वायो रूपं ततस्तेजस्तेजसो रससंभवः

From space arose touch; from touch, air was produced. From air came form, and from form, fire; from fire, taste was born.

रसादापस्समुत्पन्नास्तेभ्यो गन्धसमुद्भवः गन्धाच्च पृथिवी जाता भूतेभ्योन्यच्चराचरम्

From taste, waters were produced; from them, scent arose. And from scent, earth was born; from the elements, all moving and unmoving beings.

पुरुषाधिष्ठितत्वाच्च अव्यक्तानुग्रहेण च महदादिविशेषान्ता ह्यण्डमुत्पादयन्ति ते

Because of the presence of the Purusha and the favor of the unmanifest, from the Great Principle down to the particular, they produce the cosmic egg.

तत्र कार्यं च करणं संसिद्धं ब्रह्मणो यदा तदंडे सुप्रवृद्धो ऽभूत् क्षेत्रज्ञो ब्रह्मसंज्ञितः

When, within that egg, the effect and the instrument of Brahman were perfected, then the knower of the field, called Brahma, grew greatly therein.

स वै शरीरी प्रथमः स वै पुरुष उच्यते आदिकर्ता स भूतानां ब्रह्माग्रे समवर्तत

He, possessing a body, is the first; he is called the Purusha. He is the original creator of beings, and in the beginning, Brahma came into being.

तस्येश्वरस्य प्रतिमा ज्ञानवैराग्यलक्षणा धर्मैश्वर्यकरी बुद्धिर्ब्राह्मी यज्ञे ऽभिमानिनः

The image of that Lord is marked by knowledge and detachment; the intellect, producing virtue and lordship, is Brahmi, for the one who is proud in sacrifice.

अव्यक्ताज्जायते तस्य मनसा यद्यदीप्सितम् वशी विकृत्वात्त्रैगुण्यात्सापेक्षत्वात्स्वभावतः

From the unmanifest, whatever he desires with his mind is born; being the master, he transforms it, due to the three qualities, dependence, and his own nature.

त्रिधा विभज्य चात्मानं त्रैलोक्ये संप्रवर्तते सृजते ग्रसते चैव वीक्षते च त्रिभिस्स्वयम्

Dividing himself threefold, he operates in the three worlds; he creates, devours, and observes, by means of these three, himself.

चतुर्मुखस्तु ब्रह्मत्वे कालत्वे चांतकस्स्मृतः सहस्रमूर्धा पुरुषस्तिस्रोवस्थास्स्वयंभुवः

With four faces, he is Brahma; as Time, he is called the Ender. The Purusha with a thousand heads is the Self-born in three states.

सत्त्वं रजश्च ब्रह्मा च कालत्वे च तमो रजः विष्णुत्वे केवलं सत्त्वं गुणवृद्धिस्त्रिधा विभौ

Sattva and rajas are Brahma; as Time, tamas and rajas. In the form of Vishnu, only sattva prevails; the increase of the qualities is threefold in the Lord.

ब्रह्मत्वे सृजते लोकान् कालत्वे संक्षिपत्यपि पुरुषत्वे ऽत्युदासीनः कर्म च त्रिविधं विभोः

As Brahma, he creates the worlds; as Time, he also withdraws them. As Purusha, he is utterly indifferent; the Lord's action is threefold.

एवं त्रिधा विभिन्नत्वाद्ब्रह्मा त्रिगुण उच्यते चतुर्धा प्रविभक्तत्वाच्चातुर्व्यूहः प्रकीर्तितः

Thus, because of this threefold division, Brahma is called threefold in qualities; and because of his fourfold distinction, he is known as the Fourfold Manifestation.

आदित्वादादिदेवो ऽसावजातत्वादजः स्मृतः पाति यस्मात्प्रजाः सर्वाः प्रजापतिरिति स्मृतः

Because he is the first, he is the primordial god; because he is unborn, he is called the Unborn. Because he protects all beings, he is remembered as the Lord of Creatures.

हिरण्मयस्तु यो मेरुस्तस्योल्बं सुमहात्मनः गर्भोदकं समुद्राश्च जरायुश्चा ऽपि पर्वताः

The golden Meru is his shell, O greatly souled one; the waters of the womb are the oceans, and the mountains are also his membrane.

तस्मिन्नंडे त्विमे लोका अंतर्विश्वमिदं जगत् चंद्रादित्यौ सनक्षत्रौ सग्रहौ सह वायुना

Within that egg are these worlds, and within is this entire universe: the moon, the sun, the stars, the planets, and the wind.

अद्भिर्दशगुणाभिस्तु बाह्यतोण्डं समावृतम् आपो दशगुणेनैव तेजसा बहिरावृताः

The egg is surrounded externally by waters ten times greater; those waters are encircled by fire, ten times greater still.

तेजो दशगुणेनैव वायुना बहिरावृतम् आकाशेनावृतो वायुः खं च भूतादिनावृतम्

That fire is surrounded externally by air, ten times greater; air is enveloped by space, and space by the primary element.

भूतादिर्महता तद्वदव्यक्तेनावृतो महान् एतैरावरणैरण्डं सप्तभिर्बहिरावृतम्

The primary element is enveloped by the Great Principle, and that by the unmanifest; thus, the egg is surrounded externally by these seven coverings.

एतदावृत्त्य चान्योन्यमष्टौ प्रकृतयः स्थिताः सृष्टिपालनविध्वंसकर्मकर्त्र्यो द्विजोत्तमाः

Thus, eight fundamental principles exist, each performing the acts of creation, preservation, and destruction, O best of twice-born.

एवं परस्परोत्पन्ना धारयंति परस्परम् आधाराधेयभावेन विकारास्तु विकारिषु

In this way, arising from one another, they sustain each other; as substratum and supported, modifications reside in that which is modified.

कूर्मोंगानि यथा पूर्वं प्रसार्य विनियच्छति विकारांश्च तथा ऽव्यक्तं सृष्ट्वा भूयो नियच्छति

Just as a tortoise first extends its limbs and then withdraws them, so too the unmanifest, having produced modifications, again absorbs them.

अव्यक्तप्रभवं सर्वमानुलोम्येन जायते प्राप्ते प्रलयकाले तु प्रतिलोम्येनुलीयते

Everything arises from the unmanifest in accordance with its nature; but when the time of dissolution arrives, it merges back in reverse order.

गुणाः कालवशादेव भवंति विषमाः समाः गुणसाम्ये लयो ज्ञेयो वैषम्ये सृष्टिरुच्यते

The qualities, due to the influence of time, become unequal or equal; when the qualities are balanced, dissolution is to be understood, and when they are unbalanced, creation is said to occur.

तदिदं ब्रह्मणो योनिरेतदंडं घनं महत् ब्रह्मणः क्षेत्रमुद्दिष्टं ब्रह्मा क्षेत्रज्ञ उच्यते

This is the womb of Brahman—this dense cosmic egg, the great field of Brahman; Brahmā is called the knower of the field.

इतीदृशानामण्डानां कोट्यो ज्ञेयाः सहस्रशः सर्वगत्वात्प्रधानस्य तिर्यगूर्ध्वमधः स्थिताः

Of such cosmic eggs, countless millions are to be known, existing everywhere due to the pervasiveness of the primordial matter, situated horizontally, above, and below.

तत्र तत्र चतुर्वक्त्रा ब्रह्माणो हरयो भवाः सृष्टा प्रधानेन तथा लब्ध्वा शंभोस्तु सन्निधिम्

In each place, four-faced Brahmās, Viṣṇus, and Śivas are created by the primordial matter, and thus, having attained the presence of Śambhu.

महेश्वरः परोव्यक्तादंडमव्यक्तसंभवम् अण्डाज्जज्ञे विभुर्ब्रह्मा लोकास्तेन कृतास्त्विमे

The great Lord, transcending the unmanifest, creates the cosmic egg from the unmanifest; from the egg, the mighty Brahmā is born, and by him these worlds are made.

अबुद्धिपूर्वः कथितो मयैष प्रधानसर्गः प्रथमः प्रवृतः आत्यंतिकश्च प्रलयोन्तकाले लीलाकृतः केवलमीश्वरस्य

This creation of primordial matter, which I have described, is the first, initiated without intellect; and at the final dissolution, it is absorbed entirely, being only the play of the Lord.