Shloka 19
नारदस्य विष्णूपदेशवर्णनम् — Nārada and Viṣṇu: Instruction after Delusion
अथ शंभुर्महालीलो निश्चकर्ष विमोहिनीम । स्वमायां मोहितो ज्ञानी नारदोप्यभवद्यया
atha śaṃbhurmahālīlo niścakarṣa vimohinīma | svamāyāṃ mohito jñānī nāradopyabhavadyayā
Then Śambhu, sporting in His great divine play, projected the power that bewilders. By that very power—His own Māyā—even the wise sage Nārada became deluded.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadashiva
FAQs
It teaches that Māyā (the veiling power) operates under Śiva’s lordship, and even a great jñānī like Nārada can be covered when Śiva’s līlā unfolds—thereby urging humility, devotion, and reliance on Śiva’s grace for liberation.
By showing that the cosmos and its delusions arise through Śiva’s own Śakti, the verse supports Saguna worship—such as Linga-upāsanā—as a concrete means to turn the mind from Māyā toward the Lord who transcends and governs it.
A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with bhakti and discernment, along with traditional Shaiva aids like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa to anchor remembrance of Śiva beyond delusion.