Shloka 17
युद्धप्रस्थान-वर्णनम्
Departure to the Battlefield and the Śaiva Overlordship over the Devas
तथा ब्रह्माहं सतनुस्तदंतं वीक्षितुं ययौ । भित्त्वा पातालनिलयं गत्वा दूरतरं हरिः
tathā brahmāhaṃ satanustadaṃtaṃ vīkṣituṃ yayau | bhittvā pātālanilayaṃ gatvā dūrataraṃ hariḥ
तथा ब्रह्माहं सतनुः तदन्तं द्रष्टुं ययौ । भित्त्वा पातालनिलयं हरिः दूरतरं जगाम ॥
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Brahmā–Viṣṇu search of the endless Liṅga to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Liṅgodbhava
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: The Liṅgodbhava episode is narrated in the Viśveśvarasaṃhitā to establish Śiva as the limitless axis (stambha) beyond Brahmā’s upward search and Viṣṇu’s downward search; Kāśī’s Viśveśvara is traditionally contemplated as that very ‘ananta-stambha’ made accessible to devotees as a liṅga.
Significance: Darśana of Viśveśvara is framed as direct access to the transcendent ‘endless pillar’ that neither Brahmā nor Viṣṇu can measure—granting pāśa-kṣaya (loosening of bondage) through Śiva’s self-revelation.
Cosmic Event: Revelation of the endless fiery liṅga-stambha that defeats cosmic measurement (a tirodhāna-līlā over Brahmā and Viṣṇu).
FAQs
It highlights the Shaiva Siddhānta insight that the Supreme Lord (Pati), symbolized by the infinite Liṅga/Column, is beyond the reach of limited intellect and ego; even exalted deities cannot “measure” Him, and humility before Shiva’s infinitude becomes the doorway to grace.
The verse situates the Liṅga as a revelatory form through which the boundless (ultimately transcendent) Shiva becomes worship-worthy and contemplatable; the Liṅga points to Shiva’s immeasurable reality while remaining a concrete focus for devotion and ritual.
A practical takeaway is Liṅga-dhyāna: meditate on Shiva as limitless light and presence, paired with steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” cultivating humility and surrender rather than a desire to “conquer” the divine by mere effort.