Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 49
विष्णु-ब्रह्म-विवाद-वर्णनम्
Description of the Viṣṇu–Brahmā Dispute and Brahmā’s Confusion
अनौपम्यमनिर्देश्यमव्यक्तं विश्वसंभवम् । तस्य ज्वालासहस्रेण मोहितो भगवान्हरिः
anaupamyamanirdeśyamavyaktaṃ viśvasaṃbhavam | tasya jvālāsahasreṇa mohito bhagavānhariḥ
Incomparable, inexprimable, non manifesté, et source même d’où naît l’univers : devant cette Réalité embrasée de milliers de flammes, même Bhagavān Hari (Viṣṇu) demeura saisi de trouble.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Liṅgodbhava
Sthala Purana: The verse explicitly characterizes the jyotiḥ-stambha as anirdeśya/avyakta—an ontological ‘source of the universe’ that overwhelms even Viṣṇu; this is the doctrinal core of the Liṅgodbhava sthala-narrative genre rather than a single named jyotirliṅga here.
Significance: Contemplation of Śiva as anirdeśya (beyond speech) and avyaktam (beyond sense) is held to cut through māyika certainty and egoic comparison, preparing the soul for anugraha.
Cosmic Event: Epiphany that suspends ordinary cognition: even Hari is mohitā—signaling tirodhāna (concealment of true measure) preceding revelation.
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as incomparable and beyond speech—yet the very womb of the cosmos—showing that even great deities are limited before Śiva’s transcendent Reality, which is grasped through grace and inner realization rather than mere intellect.
The imagery of innumerable flames aligns with the Liṅga as the sign of the formless Infinite (nirguṇa) appearing as a perceivable focus (saguṇa/arcā) for devotion—radiance that points beyond form while still being worship-worthy.
Meditate on Śiva as the inner Light (jyotis) while japa-ing the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”; support it with Śiva-pūjā using vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa as aids to steadiness and remembrance.