Shloka 65
Lord Śiva Instructs the Pracetās (Śiva-stuti and the Path of Bhakti)
स एष लोकानतिचण्डवेगो विकर्षसि त्वं खलु कालयान: । भूतानि भूतैरनुमेयतत्त्वो घनावलीर्वायुरिवाविषह्य: ॥ ६५ ॥
sa eṣa lokān aticaṇḍa-vego vikarṣasi tvaṁ khalu kāla-yānaḥ bhūtāni bhūtair anumeya-tattvo ghanāvalīr vāyur ivāviṣahyaḥ
يا ربّ، أنتَ في صورة الزمان ذي السرعة العاتية تجرّ العوالم. سلطانُك المطلق لا يُدرَك مباشرةً، لكن من أفعال العالم يُستدلّ أن كل شيء يُفنى في أوانه—كما يُؤكل كائنٌ بكائن. والزمان يبعثر كل شيء كما يبعثر الريحُ سُحُبَ السماء.
The process of destruction is going on according to the law of nature. Nothing within this material world can be permanent, although scientists, philosophers, workers and everyone else are trying to make things permanent. One foolish scientist recently declared that eventually life will be made permanent through science. Some so-called scientists are also trying to manufacture living entities within the laboratory. Thus in one way or another everyone is busy denying the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and rejecting the supreme authority of the Lord. However, the Lord is so powerful that He destroys everything in the form of death. As Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (10.34) , mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham: “I am all-devouring death.” The Lord is just like death to the atheists, for He takes away everything they accumulate in the material world. Hiraṇyakaśipu, the father of Prahlāda, always denied the existence of the Lord, and he tried to kill his five-year-old boy due to the boy’s unflinching faith in God. However, in due course of time the Lord appeared as Nṛsiṁhadeva and killed Hiraṇyakaśipu in the presence of his son. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.13.47) , this killing process is natural. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam: “One animal is food for another animal.” A frog is eaten by a snake, a snake is eaten by a mongoose, and the mongoose is eaten by another animal. In this way the process of destruction goes on by the supreme will of the Lord. Although we do not see the hand of the Supreme Lord directly, we can feel the presence of that hand through the Lord’s process of destruction. We can see the clouds scattered by the wind, although we cannot see how this is being done because it is not possible to see the wind. Similarly, although we do not directly see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we can see that He controls the process of destruction. The destructive process is going on fiercely under the control of the Lord, but the atheists cannot see it.
FAQs
This verse portrays Time as an irresistible force that drags all worlds and living beings onward; its presence is recognized by the transformations it causes in creation.
Lord Śiva teaches the Pracetās spiritual sobriety: recognizing Time’s unstoppable power awakens detachment and turns the mind toward bhakti, the only secure shelter beyond worldly change.
Remember impermanence daily, prioritize sādhana and service over distractions, and make decisions that deepen devotion—since time will carry away all temporary achievements.