The story goes that there was a conflict between Brahma and Vishnu regarding who was the true God. Then, a long pillar of fire appeared in between them. Determined to find the ends of the pillar, Brahma took the form of a swan and went towards the skies, Vishnu took the form of a boar and dug underground. Vishnu came back and admitted that the pillar was endless. Brahma however lied about the pillar's limits claiming that he was the true God. Immediately the pillar broke open and Shiva appeared and said to Brahma - "You are a liar. You are not God"; and to Vishnu - "You are humble and accepting the truth. You are in the process of becoming God", hence revealing that Shiva was indeed the true God.
