Adhyaya 17: लिङ्गोद्भव—ब्रह्मविष्ण्वहङ्कार-शमनं, ओंकार-प्रादुर्भावः, मन्त्र-तत्त्वं च
तथैव भगवान् विष्णुः श्रान्तः संत्रस्तलोचनः सर्वदेवभवस्तूर्णम् उत्थितः सः महावपुः
tathaiva bhagavān viṣṇuḥ śrāntaḥ saṃtrastalocanaḥ sarvadevabhavastūrṇam utthitaḥ saḥ mahāvapuḥ
ฉันนั้นเอง พระวิษณุผู้เป็นภควานก็อ่อนล้า ดวงตาสั่นด้วยความครั่นคร้าม; พระองค์ผู้มีมหากาย อันเป็นบ่อเกิดแห่งหมู่เทพ ได้ลุกขึ้นโดยพลันและปรากฏยืนอยู่.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
It shows even Viṣṇu responding with awe and humility before the manifested Liṅga, reinforcing the Liṅga as the supreme, worship-worthy sign (liṅga) of Pati beyond the reach of ordinary divine power.
By implying a reality that overwhelms and reorients even the highest deities, the verse points to Shiva-tattva as Pati—transcendent, sovereign, and the ultimate ground before whom all other powers (including the devas) stand.
The key practice is bhakti-filled namra-bhāva (reverent humility) foundational to Pāśupata discipline—recognizing Pasha-bound beings (pashus) and even cosmic rulers as dependent upon Pati, which grounds Liṅga-pūjā and inner surrender.