Vighneshvara-Prashna and Deva-Krita Shiva-Stava
Adhyaya 104
सूत उवाच एतस्मिन्नन्तरे देवाः सेन्द्रोपेन्द्राः समेत्य ते धर्मविघ्नं तदा कर्तुं दैत्यानामभवन्द्विजाः
sūta uvāca etasminnantare devāḥ sendropendrāḥ sametya te dharmavighnaṃ tadā kartuṃ daityānāmabhavandvijāḥ
قال سوتا: في تلك الأثناء اجتمع الآلهة—ومعهم إندرا وأوبندرا (فيشنو)—ولكي يعرقلوا آنذاك دَرْمَةَ الدايتيَة، اتخذوا هيئة البراهمة «ثنائيّي الميلاد».
Suta
It frames ritual authority (the guise of dvijas) as a contested space; in the Linga Purana, true dharma ultimately culminates in Shiva-bhakti and Linga-upasana, beyond mere external social markers.
Though Shiva is not named here, the episode highlights that Deva-level strategies are worldly and tactical, whereas Shiva as Pati transcends such oppositions; liberation of the pashu is not secured by disguise or power but by right orientation to the Supreme.
The verse emphasizes dharma as ritual conduct and its obstruction; by implication it points to the need for inner authenticity in practice—an idea aligned with Shaiva discipline where external form must support devotion and restraint, not mere display.