This chapter recounts a cosmic battle between Brahma and Vishnu-each claiming supremacy, each forgetting the source from which all arises. As destruction looms, the devas turn to Shivji, not as a warrior, but as the one whose stillness dissolves conlict. Through this divine moment, we witness that only wisdom-not might-can end the war of egos.
Nandikeshwar began recounting an ancient tale. Vishnu, resting on Sheshnaag, was immersed in deep meditation, surrounded by Lakshmiji and his divine attendants. At that moment, Brahma, filled with pride, approached and questioned Vishnu’s apparent lack of respect.
Brahma said, “Who are you, lying here with such arrogance? I am the
Creator, your Guru. It is your duty to rise and greet me.”
Though angered by Brahma’s words, Vishnu remained composed. He replied, “Welcome, O Brahma! Please take a seat. But remember-you were born from the lotus of my navel. I sustain the universe, and you are my creation.”
Their argument escalated as both claimed supremacy. Brahma insisted he was the creator of all beings; Vishnu airmed his role as the preserver of the universe. Blinded by ego, they prepared for battle.
Mounted on their celestial vehicles-Brahma on his swan, Vishnu on Garuda-the two deities unleashed a fierce war. Their celestial armies clashed, causing chaos across the heavens. Gods and sages watched in awe, showering flowers and chanting mantras as the skies shook with divine power.
In the heat of battle, Vishnu prepared the Maheshwar Astra and aimed it at Brahma. In response, Brahma invoked the Pashupat Astra. The sky lit up with a radiance as intense as a thousand suns. The clash of these powerful weapons threatened to destroy the balance of the universe.
Filled with dread, the devas realized that only Shivji-Supreme Lord of creation, preservation, and dissolution-could resolve this cosmic crisis. They went to Mount Kailash, his sacred abode, to seek his intervention.
There, they found Shivji seated in serene stillness beside Parvatiji,
surrounded by his attendants, glowing with divine light. The gods fell at his feet with tears of devotion, praying for guidance. Shivji, the jewel of the gods, listened with compassion.
Ever patient and wise, Shivji asked them why they were distressed. The gods, still trembling, recounted the conflict between Brahma and Vishnu-their pride, their battle, and the impending destruction.
Shivji, embodying the highest wisdom, assured them that he would restore peace and dissolve the storm of pride. In his presence, their fears melted away-for only Shivji has the power to calm the chaos no weapon can silence.
Even in the divine realms, pride can cast its shadow. Brahma and Vishnuji’s conlict wasn’t born of malice-it arose from forgetting the truth that unites them. Their battle reminds us that spiritual stature offers no immunity from ego. It is not titles or powers that deine us, but our willingness to bow to truth.
Carl Jung once wrote, “Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep down below the surface of the average conscience, a still, small voice says to us, ‘Something is out of tune.”
That voice is grace. It doesn’t shout. It waits-beneath the noise of our certainty, beneath the urgency to be right. When we quiet our pride, we
hear it. And in that moment, the path to wisdom opens-not with force, but with stillness. The divine doesn’t conquer the ego with more power; it dissolves it through presence.
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