Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 65
हंस-वराह-रूपग्रहण-कारणम्
The Reason for Assuming the Swan and Boar Forms
ब्रह्मोवाच । इत्युक्त्वा मां स भगवान्सुश्रीमान्नीललोहितः । सगणः पश्यतो मे हि द्रुतमंतर्दधे हरः
brahmovāca | ityuktvā māṃ sa bhagavānsuśrīmānnīlalohitaḥ | sagaṇaḥ paśyato me hi drutamaṃtardadhe haraḥ
ब्रह्मोवाच—इत्युक्त्वा मां स भगवान् सुश्रीमान् नीललोहितः सगणो मे पश्यतः शीघ्रमन्तर्दधे; एवं हरः स्वयमन्तर्हितः।
Brahmā
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
Cosmic Event: īśvara-tirodhāna: the Lord’s self-concealment after issuing the creative mandate
FAQs
It highlights Śiva’s sovereignty over manifestation: He grants darśana (revelation) and then performs antardhāna (withdrawal), teaching that the Lord is not grasped by ego or mere sight but by devotion, purity, and grace.
Nīlalohita is a Saguna manifestation of Rudra witnessed by Brahmā; the swift disappearance points devotees to stable worship through Śiva-liṅga and mantra, where the same Lord is approached consistently even when visionary forms withdraw.
A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with focused dhyāna on Śiva as Hara, along with simple Śaiva disciplines like bhasma-dhāraṇa (Tripuṇḍra) and reverent remembrance of the Lord’s gaṇas and protection.