Shloka 32
नारदमोहवर्णनम् — Description of Nārada’s Delusion
इत्युक्त्वा मुनये तस्मै ददौ विष्णुर्मुखं हरे । स्वरूपमनुगृह्यास्य तिरोधानं जगाम सः
ityuktvā munaye tasmai dadau viṣṇurmukhaṃ hare | svarūpamanugṛhyāsya tirodhānaṃ jagāma saḥ
ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞ് വിഷ്ണു ആ മുനിക്ക് ഹരിയായ തന്റെ ദിവ്യ മുഖം നൽകി. പിന്നെ കൃപയോടെ തന്റെ യഥാർത്ഥ സ്വരൂപം കാണിച്ച് അദ്ദേഹം അന്തർധാനം ചെയ്ത് പുറപ്പെട്ടു.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Cosmic Event: Tirodhāna motif: deity reveals a form then becomes unseen (concealment as cosmic function)
FAQs
The verse highlights anugraha (grace) as the decisive spiritual force: the Lord reveals his svarūpa to uplift the seeker, and then performs tirodhāna (concealment) to mature devotion and inner realization rather than dependence on outer vision—an idea resonant with Shaiva Siddhanta’s emphasis on grace guiding the soul toward liberation.
It supports the principle that the Lord can be approached through a manifest, graspable form (saguṇa)—like the Śiva-liṅga as an accessible focus of worship—yet the ultimate aim is inner recognition of the divine svarūpa. The Lord’s ‘withdrawal from sight’ points to moving from external darśana to steady contemplation and faith.
A practical takeaway is dhyāna on the Lord’s form received through scripture and guru, combined with japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—so that devotion remains firm even when direct experiences ‘withdraw,’ reflecting tirodhāna as a stage in spiritual ripening.