Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 35
लिङ्गप्रतिष्ठा-माहात्म्यम् / The Greatness of Liṅga Installation
विसृज्य युद्धं किं त्वेतदित्यचिंतयतां तदा । न तयोस्तस्य याथात्म्यं प्रबुद्धमभवद्यदा
visṛjya yuddhaṃ kiṃ tvetadityaciṃtayatāṃ tadā | na tayostasya yāthātmyaṃ prabuddhamabhavadyadā
Then, setting aside the battle, they began to ponder, “What indeed is this?” Yet at that time the true nature of that mystery did not become clear to either of them.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Liṅgodbhava
Sthala Purana: The narrative pivot: Brahmā and Viṣṇu abandon conflict and turn to inquiry, yet cannot awaken to the yāthātmya (true essence) of the manifestation—highlighting the need for divine revelation/grace.
Significance: Teaches that mere intellectual inquiry (tarka) and power-contest do not yield tattva-jñāna; humility and devotion are prerequisites for Śiva’s anugraha that removes pāśa.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It highlights that mere power or conflict cannot reveal ultimate truth; the Supreme (Pati, Shiva) is known only when His real nature is disclosed through awakening and grace, not by ordinary reasoning alone.
The verse reflects a common Shiva Purana theme: when the divine mystery is not grasped intellectually, Shiva becomes knowable through His manifest signs—such as the Linga—where the formless truth is approached through a sacred form.
A practical takeaway is to pause reactive struggle and turn to Shiva-upasana—japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), meditation on the Linga, and disciplined yoga-like contemplation—seeking clarity through devotion and inner stillness.