Shloka 31
तुलसी-शङ्खचूडोपाख्यानम् — Viṣṇu’s Disguise and the Tulasī Episode
Prelude to Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Fall
सनत्कुमार उवाच । तुलसीवचनं श्रुत्वा हरिश्शापभयेन च । दधार लीलया ब्रह्मन्स्वमूर्तिं सुमनोहराम्
sanatkumāra uvāca | tulasīvacanaṃ śrutvā hariśśāpabhayena ca | dadhāra līlayā brahmansvamūrtiṃ sumanoharām
Sanatkumāra said: O Brahman, having heard Tulasī’s words, and also out of fear of Hari’s curse, he playfully (as līlā) assumed his own exceedingly charming form.
Sanatkumara
Tattva Level: pati
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; narrative hinge where the deceiver drops the assumed guise and reveals his own form, a common purāṇic device preceding a curse/boon aetiology.
Significance: Didactic: even gods fear the binding force of śāpa within līlā; reinforces dharma and accountability.
FAQs
The verse highlights that divine manifestation is purposeful: the Lord assumes an attractive, accessible form as līlā, guiding beings through dharma while honoring the moral force of speech (vāk) and consequences such as a curse.
It supports the Shaiva view that the Supreme can be approached both as formless (beyond attributes) and as saguna (with form). Here, the emphasis is on saguna manifestation—an embodied form taken to engage the world and devotees, complementing Linga-worship as a concrete support for contemplation.
A practical takeaway is saguna-upāsanā: meditate on the Lord’s beautiful form while repeating the Panchākṣarī mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), cultivating steadiness and humility toward dharma and the power of words.