एकोनविंशतिशिवावतारवर्णनम्
Description of the Nineteen Manifestations/Avatāras of Śiva
इत्येवमुक्त्वा ब्रह्माणमनुगृह्य महेश्वरः । पुनः संप्रेक्ष्य देवेशस्तत्रैवान्तरधीयत
ityevamuktvā brahmāṇamanugṛhya maheśvaraḥ | punaḥ saṃprekṣya deveśastatraivāntaradhīyata
如是说已,摩诃提婆大自在天以慈恩加被梵天。随后,诸天之主复又回顾一眼,便在彼处隐没不现。
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Role: liberating
It highlights Śiva’s anugraha (grace): He grants understanding and support to Brahmā, then withdraws His visible form, teaching that the Lord is not bound to appearance—He reveals Himself for upliftment and then remains as the inner Reality.
Śiva’s appearing and disappearing reflects Saguna darśana—God approachable through form—while also implying the need for a stable focus like the Śiva-liṅga, which remains as an enduring support for devotion when the Lord’s manifest vision is withdrawn.
Practice steady dhyāna after darśana: hold the Lord’s presence inwardly (smaraṇa) and continue japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—so devotion does not depend on external signs.