Shloka 10
Brahmā–Viṣṇu Garva-vādaḥ
The Dispute of Pride Between Brahmā and Viṣṇu
युयुधातेऽमरौ वीरौ हंसपक्षींद्र वाहनौ । वैरंच्या वैष्णवाश्चैवं मिथो युयुधिरे तदा
yuyudhāte'marau vīrau haṃsapakṣīṃdra vāhanau | vairaṃcyā vaiṣṇavāścaivaṃ mitho yuyudhire tadā
Dann kämpften jene beiden heldenhaften Devas — reitend auf dem erhabenen Schwan und auf dem König der Vögel — gegeneinander. So gerieten die Heere Brahmās und die Heere Viṣṇus damals in wechselseitigen Kampf.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: The combat of Brahmā and Viṣṇu, with their retinues, is portrayed as a cosmic misrecognition that necessitates Śiva’s later self-disclosure as Viśveśvara; Kāśī becomes the locus where the supreme Lord is known beyond sectarian contest.
Significance: Pilgrimage as a corrective to deva-level rivalry: devotion in Kāśī is oriented to the supreme Lord who grants right-knowledge and releases from bondage.
FAQs
It depicts the limitation of even the highest Devas—Brahmā and Viṣṇu—when ego and rivalry arise, setting the stage for Shaiva teaching that the Supreme (Pati, Śiva) alone is the ultimate source and resolution beyond such conflict.
This mutual battle is part of the narrative arc that traditionally culminates in the revelation of Śiva’s transcendence (often through the Linga as the sign of the Infinite), establishing why devotees turn to Saguna Śiva/Linga worship as the stabilizing, supreme refuge beyond sectarian contest.
As a practical takeaway, the verse supports cultivating humility and Śiva-bhakti through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to pacify rivalry and align the mind with the supreme Lord who dissolves conflict.