Linga Purana

हिमवन्तं गिरीणां तु नदीनां चैव जाह्नवीम् समुद्राणां च सर्वेषाम् अधिपं पयसां निधिम्

He made Himavat lord of the mountains, Jahnavi of the rivers, and the ocean, the repository of waters, lord of all the seas.

वृक्षाणां चैव चाश्वत्थं प्लक्षं च प्रपितामहः

And among trees, the Lord of ancestors made the aśvattha and the plakṣa.

गन्धर्वविद्याधरकिन्नराणाम् ईशं पुनश् चित्ररथं चकार नागाधिपं वासुकिमुग्रवीर्यं सर्पाधिपं तक्षकमुग्रवीर्यम्

He appointed Citraratha as lord of the Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, and Kinnaras; Vasuki, of fierce strength, as king of the serpents; and Takṣaka, also of fierce strength, as lord of the snakes.

सुपर्णमीशं पततामथाश्वराजानमुच्चैःश्रवसं चकार

He made Suparṇa the lord of birds, and Uccaiḥśravas the king of horses.

सिंहं मृगाणां वृषभं गवां च मृगाधिपानां शरभं चकार सेनाधिपानां गुहमप्रमेयं श्रुतिस्मृतीनां लकुलीशमीशम्

He made the lion lord of beasts, the bull of cows, the śarabha of wild animals, Guha—immeasurable—as commander of armies, and Lakulīśa as lord of the Vedas and Smṛtis.

अभ्यषिञ्चत्सुधर्माणं तथा शङ्खपदं दिशाम् केतुमन्तं क्रमेणैव हेमरोमाणमेव च

He anointed Sudharmā, then Śaṅkhapada, Ketumanta in order, and also Hemaromā.

पृथिव्यां पृथुमीशानं सर्वेषां तु महेश्वरम् चतुर्मूर्तिषु सर्वज्ञं शङ्करं वृषभध्वजम्

On earth, he made Pṛthu the lord, Maheśvara lord of all, and among the four-formed, the all-knowing Śaṅkara, bearer of the bull-banner.

प्रसादाद्भगवाञ्छम्भोश् चाभ्यषिञ्चद्यथाक्रमम् पुराभिषिच्य पुण्यात्मा रराज भुवनेश्वरः

By the grace of the blessed Śambhu, he anointed them in due order; having consecrated them before, the virtuous lord of the world shone.

एतद्वो विस्तरेणैव कथितं मुनिपुङ्गवाः अभिषिक्तास्ततस्त्वेते विशिष्टा विश्वयोनिना

O foremost sages, this has been told to you in detail; these were then anointed by the source of the universe and are thus distinguished.

एतच्छ्रुत्वा तु मुनयः पुनस्तं संशयान्विताः पप्रच्छुरुत्तरं भूयस् तदा ते रोमहर्षणम्

Hearing this, the sages, still filled with doubt, again questioned Romaharṣaṇa further.

यदेतदुक्तं भवता सूतेह वदतां वर एतद्विस्तरतो ब्रूहि ज्योतिषां च विनिर्णयम्

O best of speakers, you have said this; now tell us in detail, and also the determination regarding the luminaries.

श्रुत्वा तु वचनं तेषां तदा सूतः समाहितः उवाच परमं वाक्यं तेषां संशयनिर्णये

Hearing their words, the Sūta, composed, spoke the supreme teaching to resolve their doubts.

अस्मिन्नर्थे महाप्राज्ञैर् यदुक्तं शान्तबुद्धिभिः एतद्वो ऽहं प्रवक्ष्यामि सूर्यचन्द्रमसोर्गतिम्

What has been said on this matter by the great wise ones of tranquil mind, that I shall declare to you—the course of the sun and moon.

यथा देवगृहाणीह सूर्यचन्द्रादयो ग्रहाः अतः परं तु त्रिविधम् अग्नेर्वक्ष्ये समुद्भवम्

How the sun, moon, and other planets dwell in the abodes of the gods here—after this, I shall explain the threefold origin of fire.

दिव्यस्य भौतिकस्याग्नेर् अथो ऽग्नेः पार्थिवस्य च व्युष्टायां तु रजन्यां च ब्रह्मणो ऽव्यक्तजन्मनः

Of the divine, material, and earthly fire, and of fire belonging to earth—at the end of night, from Brahman of unmanifest birth—

अव्याकृतमिदं त्वासीन् नैशेन तमसा वृतम् चतुर्भागावशिष्टे ऽस्मिन् लोके नष्टे विशेषतः

This was unmanifest, covered by night’s darkness; when only a fourth remained, the world was especially lost.

स्वयंभूर्भगवांस्तत्र लोकसर्वार्थसाधकः खद्योतवत्स व्यचरद् आविर्भावचिकीर्षया

There, the self-born Lord, accomplishing all purposes of the worlds, moved about like a firefly, wishing to manifest.

सो ऽग्निं सृष्ट्वाथ लोकादौ पृथिवीजलसंश्रितः संहृत्य तत्प्रकाशार्थं त्रिधा व्यभजदीश्वरः

Then, having created fire at the beginning of the world, and abiding in earth and water, the Lord divided it threefold for the sake of illumination.

पवनो यस्तु लोके ऽस्मिन् पार्थिवो वह्निरुच्यते यश्चासौ लोकादौ सूर्ये शुचिरग्निस्तु स स्मृतः

The wind here in this world is called earthly fire, and that pure fire which was at the beginning of the world in the sun is remembered as Agni.

वैद्युतो ऽब्जस्तु विज्ञेयस् तेषां वक्ष्ये तु लक्षणम् वैद्युतो जाठरः सौरो वारिगर्भास्त्रयो ऽग्नयः

Of these, the electric, the aquatic, and the lotus-born are to be understood; I shall now describe their characteristics. The electric, the digestive, the solar, and the aquatic—these three are fires.

तस्मादपः पिबन्सूर्यो गोभिर् दीप्यत्यसौ विभुः जले चाब्जः समाविष्टो नाद्भिर् अग्निः प्रशाम्यति

Therefore, the sun, drinking up the waters, shines forth with rays; the lotus-born fire is established in water, but fire is not extinguished by water.

मानवानां च कुक्षिस्थो नाग्निः शाम्यति पावकः अर्चिष्मान्पवनः सो ऽग्निर् निष्प्रभो जाठरः स्मृतः

In the bellies of humans, fire is not extinguished; the blazing fire, accompanied by wind, is called the digestive fire, though it is without visible light.

यश्चायं मण्डली शुक्ली निरूष्मा सम्प्रजायते प्रभा सौरी तु पादेन ह्य् अस्तं याते दिवाकरे

And that which appears as a white, circular, and cool form, when the sun has set with its foot, is the solar radiance.

अग्निमाविशते रात्रौ तस्माद्दूरात्प्रकाशते उद्यन्तं च पुनः सूर्यम् औष्ण्यम् अग्नेः समाविशेत्

At night, the fire enters the sun's orb, and thus it shines from afar; when the sun rises again, the heat of fire enters the sun once more.

पादेन पार्थिवस्याग्नेस् तस्मादग्निस्तपत्यसौ प्रकाशोष्णस्वरूपे च सौराग्नेये तु तेजसी

By the foot of the terrestrial fire, therefore, that fire burns; in both their forms of light and heat, the solar and terrestrial fires are radiant.

परस्परानुप्रवेशाद् आप्यायेते परस्परम् उत्तरे चैव भूम्यर्धे तथा ह्यग्निश् च दक्षिणे

By mutual interpenetration, they nourish each other; in the northern half of the earth is water, and in the southern, fire.

उत्तिष्ठति पुनः सूर्यः पुनर्वै प्रविशत्य् अपः तस्मात्ताम्रा भवन्त्यापो दिवारात्रिप्रवेशनात्

The sun rises again and again, and again enters the waters; therefore, the waters become coppery due to the sun's entering by day and night.

अस्तं याति पुनः सूर्यो ऽहर्वै प्रविशत्य् अपः तस्मान्नक्तं पुनः शुक्ला आपो दृश्यन्ति भास्वराः

The sun sets again, and the waters enter the day; therefore, at night, the waters appear white and shining.

एतेन क्रमयोगेन भूम्यर्धे दक्षिणोत्तरे उदयास्तमने नित्यम् अहोरात्रं विशत्य् अपः

By this sequential process, in the southern and northern halves of the earth, at sunrise and sunset, day and night, the waters always enter.