विष्णुचेष्टितवर्णनम् / Account of Viṣṇu’s Stratagem and Its Aftermath
देवा ऊचुः । यदुद्भवास्सत्त्वरजस्तमोगुणाः सर्गस्थितिध्वंसविधान कारका । यदिच्छया विश्वमिदं भवाभवौ तनोति मूलप्रकृतिं नताः स्म ताम्
devā ūcuḥ | yadudbhavāssattvarajastamoguṇāḥ sargasthitidhvaṃsavidhāna kārakā | yadicchayā viśvamidaṃ bhavābhavau tanoti mūlaprakṛtiṃ natāḥ sma tām
Para Dewa berkata: Kami bersujud kepada Prakṛti Mula yang darinya lahir tiga guṇa—sattva, rajas, dan tamas—yang menata penciptaan, pemeliharaan, dan peleburan. Atas kehendak-Nya seluruh jagat mengembang, tampak dan lenyap; Dialah yang memancarkan arus dunia.
The Devas
Tattva Level: pasha
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: creative
Cosmic Event: sarga-sthiti-pralaya (cosmic cycle)
It points to the cosmic mechanism of bondage and experience: the three guṇas arise from primordial Prakṛti and govern creation, maintenance, and dissolution. From a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, this highlights the domain of Pāśa (binding nature) that operates under higher divine sanction, urging the seeker to turn toward Shiva (Pati) for liberation beyond the guṇas.
By describing the guṇas and the world-process as unfolding by will, the verse implicitly distinguishes the changing realm (Prakṛti and its effects) from the unchanging Lord who is worshiped in Saguna form—most directly as the Śiva-liṅga. Linga worship anchors the mind in the transcendent Pati who governs and surpasses Prakṛti.
A practical takeaway is guṇa-viveka (discernment of sattva, rajas, tamas) while doing japa of the Pañcākṣarī—"Om Namaḥ Śivāya"—and offering bhakti through liṅga-pūjā. The aim is to reduce rajas-tamas, cultivate sattva, and seek Shiva’s grace to transcend all three.