Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 11
अवभृथस्नान-तीर्थयात्रा-तेजोदर्शनम् | Avabhṛtha Bath, Tīrtha-Pilgrimage, and the Vision of Divine Radiance
तथा विलीयमानेषु तपस्विषु महात्मसु । सद्यस्तिरोदधे तेजस्तदद्भुतमिवाभवत्
tathā vilīyamāneṣu tapasviṣu mahātmasu | sadyastirodadhe tejastadadbhutamivābhavat
Et tandis que ces grands ascètes se fondaient ainsi, cette splendeur merveilleuse disparut soudain, comme un prodige.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Sthala Purana: The episode illustrates tirodhāna: after granting a revelatory vision and drawing siddhas into absorption, the Lord withdraws the manifest tejas from perception.
Significance: Teaches that divine manifestations are governed by Śiva’s will; the devotee should not cling to visions but seek stable knowledge and grace.
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: A sudden withdrawal of theophanic light—framed as tirodhāna (concealment) rather than physical disappearance.
FAQs
It points to laya (dissolution/merging) as a yogic culmination: as the perfected ascetics merge, the manifest ‘tejas’ also withdraws, indicating Shiva’s grace is not always an outward spectacle but an inward consummation leading toward liberation.
Saguna signs—light, radiance, and visible tejas—can appear in devotion, but this verse emphasizes their withdrawal as the seeker matures toward subtler realization; the Linga remains the stable focus through which the mind moves from form (saguna) toward the formless ground (nirguna) without denying either.
Meditative laya: steady japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with inward absorption; optionally supported by Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha as aids to steadiness, aiming not for visions but for sustained inner merging.