Shloka 16
युद्धप्रस्थान-वर्णनम्
Departure to the Battlefield and the Śaiva Overlordship over the Devas
आवयोर्मिश्रयोस्तत्र कार्यमेकं न संभवेत् । इत्युक्त्वा सूकरतनुर्विष्णुस्तस्यादिमीयिवान्
āvayormiśrayostatra kāryamekaṃ na saṃbhavet | ityuktvā sūkaratanurviṣṇustasyādimīyivān
“If the two of us are mixed together there, a single definite result cannot arise.” Having said this, Viṣṇu—assuming the body of a boar—set out to measure it, seeking its beginning.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Liṅgodbhava
Sthala Purana: Role-separation in the Liṅgodbhava quest: Viṣṇu takes Varāha form to seek the ‘ādi’ (beginning) below, while Brahmā (implied) will seek the top—both attempts ultimately fail, proving the liṅga’s beginningless/endless nature.
Significance: Symbolizes the seeker’s descent into foundations (ādhiṣṭhāna) and the futility of locating an ‘origin’ of the Absolute through effort alone; encourages surrender and devotion to the self-revealing liṅga.
Cosmic Event: Mythic descent motif: Viṣṇu as Varāha plunges downward to find the ‘beginning’—a cosmological dramatization of searching for first cause and failing before the beginningless Pati.
FAQs
It highlights that the Absolute (ultimately Shiva as Pati) is beyond ordinary grasp; even great deities must abandon rivalry and approach the mystery with humility, which is a prerequisite for true knowledge and liberation.
The act of trying to find the ‘beginning’ points to a Linga-like sign of the Infinite—worship shifts from competing claims to reverent contemplation of Shiva’s limitless nature, where the Saguna form guides the devotee toward the Nirguna truth.
A practical takeaway is dhyāna on Shiva’s infinitude while chanting the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—cultivating humility and steadiness; ritualistically, Linga-pūjā with focused japa aligns the mind away from ego-driven comparison.