The Endless Pillar of Fire

Once, Vishnu and Brahma fell into a fierce dispute over supremacy. What began as a question of status grew into a dangerous rivalry. It began to disturb the harmony of the universe itself. Even the other gods could not resolve it. In their desperation, they turned to Maheśvara — the third of the Trinity.

Maheśvara, seeing their conflict rooted in ego, manifested as an infinite column of fire stretching beyond the heavens and depths of the earth. He declared, “Whoever finds the origin or the end of this pillar, shall be declared the greatest.”

Brahma flew upward as a majestic swan (Hamsa), while Vishnu descended as a mighty boar (Varāha). Aeons passed. Vishnu, exhausted and humbled, returned first. He had seen the limits of his search and bowed before the Infinite. But Brahma refused to accept defeat. While still flying upward, he encountered a Ketaki flower falling from above. The flower revealed it came from the matted locks of Maheśvara. Brahma seized the opportunity and convinced Ketaki to falsely attest he had reached the top.

When both returned, Shiva questioned them. Ketaki soon confessed the truth. In anger, Śiva cursed Brahma: he would no longer receive direct worship among the major deities. The Ketaki flower, too, was barred from being offered in Śiva’s worship.

This story is not merely about who is supreme among the Trinity. The Lingodbhava — the emergence of the Linga — carries a deeper truth. The endless pillar of fire is the formless Reality itself (arūpa), beyond measurement and conquest. Brahma represents the soaring intellect and creative ego that tries to grasp and claim the Infinite, even resorting to deception when it fails. Vishnu symbolises the preserving power that, through honest surrender, comes closer to truth.

The story gently reminds us: the Divine cannot be reached through outward striving, intellectual cleverness, or ego-driven rivalry. No amount of soaring ambition or clever strategy can measure the Infinite. It reveals itself only when the ego is humbled, when the mind grows quiet, and the heart turns inward with honesty and sincere devotion. Truth is not won by domination or conquest — it dawns through surrender. In that surrender, what was once sought as an object outside becomes known as the very ground of one’s own being.