Shloka 26
हंस-वराह-रूपग्रहण-कारणम्
The Reason for Assuming the Swan and Boar Forms
तस्मिंश्च समये तात प्रादुर्भूतो हरिस्स्वयम् । मामुवाच महाप्रीत्या मदंगं संस्पृशन्मुदा
tasmiṃśca samaye tāta prādurbhūto harissvayam | māmuvāca mahāprītyā madaṃgaṃ saṃspṛśanmudā
Then, dear one, at that very moment Hari (Viṣṇu) himself manifested. With great affection he spoke to me, joyfully touching my body.
Brahmā (narrating within the Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa creation account)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Tatpuruṣa
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: Theophany during tapas: deity manifests to resolve uncertainty and set creation in motion
FAQs
It highlights divine grace expressed through direct manifestation and loving contact—showing that the cosmic functions (like preservation through Hari) operate through compassionate, personal presence, ultimately under the Shaiva vision of a divinely ordered cosmos.
Though the verse names Hari, the Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa frames creation as guided by the Supreme (Śiva as Pati) while deities appear in saguna form to communicate and bless; this supports saguna worship (including the Liṅga) as a valid means to receive divine guidance and anugraha (grace).
The takeaway is bhakti with reverent remembrance (smaraṇa) of the Lord’s compassionate presence; in Shaiva practice this is naturally paired with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and simple daily worship, seeking the same anugraha that the narrative models.