Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 25
लिङ्गप्रतिष्ठा-माहात्म्यम् / The Greatness of Liṅga Installation
संहरामि नमे कश्चित्स्रष्टा जगति विद्यते । इत्युक्ते सति सो ऽप्याह ब्रह्माणं विष्णुरव्ययः
saṃharāmi name kaścitsraṣṭā jagati vidyate | ityukte sati so 'pyāha brahmāṇaṃ viṣṇuravyayaḥ
Lorsqu’il déclara : «Je dissous (l’univers), et pour moi il n’existe aucun créateur dans le monde», l’impérissable Viṣṇu, en réponse, s’adressa à Brahmā.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Brahma–Vishnu dialogue within the Vayu Samhita discourse)
Tattva Level: pashu
Cosmic Event: pralaya (implied)
FAQs
It highlights the limitation of ego-based claims of supremacy (as creator or destroyer) and sets the stage for recognizing the Supreme Lord (Pati) as the transcendent reality beyond the functions of creation and dissolution.
The Brahmā–Viṣṇu exchange typically culminates in the revelation of a higher principle identified with Śiva, often symbolized by the Liṅga as the sign of the beginningless, endless Lord beyond the roles of creator and destroyer.
A practical takeaway is humility and surrender in japa—especially of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya)—to dissolve the sense of personal doership, aligning the mind with Śiva as the supreme refuge.