अध्याय ९६: शरभ-प्रादुर्भावः, नृसिंह-दर्पशमनम्, विष्णोः शिवस्तुतिः, फलश्रुति
एतावदुक्त्वा भगवान् वीरभद्रो महाबलः अपश्यन् सर्वभूतानां तत्रैवान्तरधीयत
etāvaduktvā bhagavān vīrabhadro mahābalaḥ apaśyan sarvabhūtānāṃ tatraivāntaradhīyata
Setelah berkata sekadar itu, Bhagavān Vīrabhadra yang maha perkasa—tanpa terlihat oleh semua makhluk—lenyap di situ juga. Dengan ini, utusan Tuhan menarik diri dari medan tindakan, memperlihatkan bahawa segala kuasa beroperasi hanya oleh Pati (Śiva), sedangkan para paśu (jiwa) tetap terikat oleh penglihatan yang terbatas.
Suta Goswami (narrating the episode to the sages at Naimisharanya)
It reinforces Śiva’s sole sovereignty (Pati): even His formidable emissary acts and withdraws by divine will, pointing devotees back to the Linga as the stable locus of Śiva’s presence beyond visible forms.
Through Vīrabhadra’s unseen disappearance, it hints at Śiva-tattva as both manifest in power and ungraspable to ordinary beings—transcendent, self-concealing, and not limited by perception.
The takeaway is inner discernment central to Pāśupata discipline: recognizing the limits of sense-perception (paśu-bodha) and turning to Śiva through mantra, dhyāna, and Linga-upāsanā rather than chasing external signs.