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
神々は言った。「われらは、三つのグナ—サットヴァ・ラジャス・タマス—を生じさせ、創造・維持・滅尽の法を成り立たせる原初のムーラ・プラクリティに礼拝する。彼女の御意志によって、この宇宙は顕現と収斂とをもって展開し、世界の流転が投影される。」
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.