Shloka 21
भैरवावतारवर्णनम् (Bhairavāvatāra-varṇanam) — “Description of the Descent/Manifestation of Bhairava”
विधिविष्णू ऊचतुः । वेदाः प्रमाणं सर्व्वत्र प्रतिष्ठा परमामिताः । यूयं वदत विश्रब्धं किमेकं तत्त्वमव्ययम्
vidhiviṣṇū ūcatuḥ | vedāḥ pramāṇaṃ sarvvatra pratiṣṭhā paramāmitāḥ | yūyaṃ vadata viśrabdhaṃ kimekaṃ tattvamavyayam
Brahmā (the Ordainer) and Viṣṇu said: “The Vedas are the supreme authority everywhere, the unsurpassed foundation. Therefore speak without hesitation: what is the one imperishable Reality (tattva)?”
Brahma and Vishnu
Tattva Level: pashu
Significance: Positions śruti as pramāṇa and seeks ‘ekaṃ tattvam avyayam’; in Jyotirliṅga theology this anticipates the revelation of the imperishable light-form that ends sectarian dispute.
Mantra: vedāḥ pramāṇaṃ sarvvatra pratiṣṭhā paramāmitāḥ | yūyaṃ vadata viśrabdhaṃ kimekaṃ tattvamavyayam
Role: teaching
FAQs
It frames the central Shaiva inquiry: beyond all changing names and forms, what is the one imperishable Reality—ultimately understood in Shaiva Siddhanta as Pati (Śiva) who is the stable ground of all knowledge and liberation.
By asking for the one tattva, the narrative prepares the teaching that the Linga and other saguna forms are authoritative supports (pratiṣṭhā) for approaching the imperishable Śiva-tattva that the Vedas indicate.
A key takeaway is śravaṇa and manana—listening to scripture-based teaching and contemplating the one imperishable principle—often supported in Shaiva practice by japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and steady dhyāna on the Linga.