Adhyaya 17: लिङ्गोद्भव—ब्रह्मविष्ण्वहङ्कार-शमनं, ओंकार-प्रादुर्भावः, मन्त्र-तत्त्वं च
आवयोश्चाभवद्युद्धं सुघोरं रोमहर्षणम् प्रलयार्णवमध्ये तु रजसा बद्धवैरयोः
āvayoścābhavadyuddhaṃ sughoraṃ romaharṣaṇam pralayārṇavamadhye tu rajasā baddhavairayoḥ
Entre nosotros surgió una batalla, sumamente terrible y erizante, en medio mismo del océano de la disolución; pues nuestra enemistad había quedado firmemente atada por rajas (la fuerza de la pasión).
Suta Goswami (narrating an internal account of the Brahma–Vishnu conflict around the Linga’s manifestation)
It frames the Brahma–Vishnu rivalry as a rājasic bondage; the Linga’s manifestation functions as the Shaiva axis that dissolves such ego-born conflict and reorients worship toward Pati (Shiva), the supreme stabilizing reality.
By highlighting that the combat is driven by rajas even amid pralaya, the verse implies Shiva-tattva as that which is beyond the guṇas—Pati who reveals Himself (as Linga) to end guṇa-driven delusion and establish true knowledge.
The key takeaway is guṇa-śuddhi: Pāśupata discipline aims to pacify rajas (and tamas), so the pashu (soul) is freed from pasha (bondage) and becomes fit for Linga-upāsanā rooted in steadiness, not rivalry.