Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 23
Kūrma Supports Mandara; Hālahala Appears; Śiva Becomes Nīlakaṇṭha
गुणमय्या स्वशक्त्यास्य सर्गस्थित्यप्ययान्विभो । धत्से यदा स्वदृग् भूमन्ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवाभिधाम् ॥ २३ ॥
guṇa-mayyā sva-śaktyāsya sarga-sthity-apyayān vibho dhatse yadā sva-dṛg bhūman brahma-viṣṇu-śivābhidhām
噢大能者，你以由诸性（guṇa）构成的自有能量，行使创造、维持与毁灭。噢自光明的至尊，当你从事这些作用时，便显现为梵天、毗湿奴与湿婆之名。
This prayer is actually offered to Lord Viṣṇu, the puruṣa, who in His incarnations as the guṇa-avatāras assumes the names Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara.
FAQs
This verse teaches that the Supreme Lord, through His own guṇa-based potency, performs creation, maintenance, and dissolution, and is therefore spoken of by the functional names Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva.
While seeking Śiva’s help during the churning crisis, the Devas glorify him by acknowledging the Lord’s cosmic functions—creation, preservation, and dissolution—showing Śiva’s integral role within the same divine governance.
Recognizing how sattva, rajas, and tamas shape thoughts and actions helps one cultivate sattva (clarity and goodness), reduce agitation and inertia, and live with steadier devotion and discernment.