Shloka 59
विष्णु-ब्रह्म-विवाद-वर्णनम्
Description of the Viṣṇu–Brahmā Dispute and Brahmā’s Confusion
एवम्बर्षसहस्रं च चरन्विष्णुरधो गतः । तथाप्रभृति लोकेषु श्वेतवाराहसंज्ञकः
evambarṣasahasraṃ ca caranviṣṇuradho gataḥ | tathāprabhṛti lokeṣu śvetavārāhasaṃjñakaḥ
Ainsi, durant mille ans, Viṣṇu poursuivit sa course et descendit vers le bas. Dès lors, dans les mondes, il fut connu sous le nom de « Śveta-Varāha » (le Varāha Blanc).
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Liṅgodbhava
Sthala Purana: The prolonged descent ‘for a thousand years’ underscores the ananta (limitlessness) of the Liṅga; the epithet Śveta-Varāha becomes a cosmological memory of the failed measurement.
Significance: Hearing/reciting this episode is framed as a corrective to pride: even great deities cannot ‘reach’ Śiva by effort alone—knowledge matures into surrender and grace-seeking.
Cosmic Event: Mythic time-span (sahasra-varṣa) marking the immeasurable axis of theophany.
FAQs
It highlights the motif that even exalted divine powers can traverse vast time and space and still not reach the ultimate ground by mere searching; Shaiva Siddhanta reads this as pointing to the Supreme Pati (Śiva) as the transcendent foundation, realized through grace and right knowledge rather than endless descent or ascent.
The narrative context commonly contrasts directional searching with the revelation of the supreme principle symbolized by the Liṅga—Śiva as the limitless axis beyond “above” and “below.” Saguna forms (like avatāras) operate within the cosmos, while the Liṅga points to Śiva’s boundless reality that contains and surpasses cosmic directions.
The takeaway is inward turning: instead of outward ‘search,’ steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with devotion, supported by Śiva-dharma practices like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa, cultivating humility and receptivity to Śiva’s grace.