Shloka 21
Harīśvara-liṅga Mahimā and the Origin-Context of Viṣṇu’s Sudarśana (हरिश्वरलिङ्गमहिमा तथा सुदर्शनप्राप्तिकथा)
न ज्ञातं विष्णुना तच्च मायाकारणमद्भुतम् । न्यूनं तच्चापि सञ्ज्ञाय तदन्वेषणतत्परः
na jñātaṃ viṣṇunā tacca māyākāraṇamadbhutam | nyūnaṃ taccāpi sañjñāya tadanveṣaṇatatparaḥ
Viṣṇu did not understand that wondrous cause born of māyā. Yet, realizing the deficiency, he became wholly intent on searching for it.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: The verse explicitly names māyā-kāraṇa as the wondrous cause behind the missing lotus—an interpretive key: Śiva’s veiling power operates to reveal the devotee’s limitation and redirect him from self-sufficiency to surrender.
Significance: Pilgrimage lesson: when worship seems ‘incomplete’ or obstructed, recognize the possibility of tirodhāna; respond with humility and renewed seeking rather than frustration.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It highlights that even exalted cosmic deities face limitation before Shiva’s transcendent reality; true progress begins with humility and earnest inquiry into the Supreme (Pati) who stands beyond māyā.
The Linga signifies Shiva as the mysterious, beginningless source beyond conceptual grasp; the verse supports approaching that truth through Saguna worship that leads the seeker toward the formless ground beyond māyā.
Adopt a seeker’s discipline: japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with humility, and contemplative inquiry into Shiva as the source beyond māyā; this aligns with devotional focus rather than mere intellectual certainty.