Puranic Stories · Shiva Purana
As neither combat nor negotiation had succeeded, Lord Vishnu himself entered the growing conflict at Kailash's gate, turning not to force or persuasion but to Maya, his own powerful capacity for illusion, in an attempt to distract the boy from his post.
A Different Kind of Approach
Recognizing that direct confrontation had only strengthened the boy's resolve, Vishnu employed carefully crafted illusions, hoping that where strength and words had both failed, deception and distraction might finally create an opening.
A Battle of Wits Joins the Battle of Strength
This turn to Maya marked a significant escalation in the standoff, drawing in not merely Shiva's household but the wider cosmic order itself, as gods of genuine stature found themselves needing every resource available against a single, determined child.
What This Escalation Reveals
That the situation required Vishnu's own illusion-craft to even attempt a resolution shows how completely this conflict had outgrown a simple misunderstanding, setting the stage for the far graver confrontation that was, tragically, still to come.