Shloka 32

Adhyaya 17: लिङ्गोद्भव—ब्रह्मविष्ण्वहङ्कार-शमनं, ओंकार-प्रादुर्भावः, मन्त्र-तत्त्वं च

Devanagari script

आवयोश्चाभवद्युद्धं सुघोरं रोमहर्षणम् प्रलयार्णवमध्ये तु रजसा बद्धवैरयोः

Transliteration

āvayoścābhavadyuddhaṃ sughoraṃ romaharṣaṇam pralayārṇavamadhye tu rajasā baddhavairayoḥ

Translation

Lalu timbullah peperangan antara kami—sangat dahsyat dan menggetarkan—di tengah samudra pralaya, sebab permusuhan kami terikat kuat oleh rajas, daya nafsu dan gairah.

Word by Word

• āvayoḥ: between us (of the two)

• ca: and

• abhavat: arose/occurred

• yuddham: battle

• su-ghoram: exceedingly terrible

• roma-harṣaṇam: causing horripilation/terror

• pralaya-arṇava-madhye: in the midst of the ocean of dissolution

• tu: indeed

• rajasā: by rajas (passion, agitation)

• baddha-vairayoḥ: of the two whose hostility was bound/fastened

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating an internal account of the Brahma–Vishnu conflict around the Linga’s manifestation)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Vishnu
• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

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.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

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.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

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.