Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 15

श्वेतमुनिना कालस्य निग्रहः (मृत्युञ्जय-भक्ति-प्रसादः)

Devanagari script

सिंहनादं महत्कृत्वा चास्फाट्य च मुहुर्मुहुः बबन्ध च मुनिं कालः कालप्राप्तं तमाह च

Transliteration

siṃhanādaṃ mahatkṛtvā cāsphāṭya ca muhurmuhuḥ babandha ca muniṃ kālaḥ kālaprāptaṃ tamāha ca

Translation

مُطلقًا زئيرًا عظيمًا كزئير الأسد، ومُصفِّقًا بأصابعه مرارًا وتكرارًا، قيّد كالا (الزمن) الحكيمَ؛ ثم خاطبه—وقد بلغته ساعته المقدّرة—كالا بكلامه.

Word by Word

• सिंहनादम्: a lion-roar

• महत्: great, mighty

• कृत्वा: having made/done

• च: and

• आस्फाट्य: snapping (the fingers), clapping sharply

• मुहुः-मुहुः: repeatedly, again and again

• बबन्ध: bound, fettered

• च: and

• मुनिम्: the sage

• कालः: Kāla, Time (death as the cosmic power)

• काल-प्राप्तम्: one who has reached his appointed time/destiny

• तम्: to him

• आह: said, spoke

• च: and

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the episode to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Kāla (Time/Death)
• Muni (the sage)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames Kāla (Time) as a binding force (pāśa) over the embodied pashu; Linga-worship is implied as the refuge in Pati (Shiva/Mahākāla), who alone transcends and masters Time.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By highlighting Kāla’s power to bind, the narrative points to Shiva-tattva as the higher principle—Mahākāla/Pāśupati—who is not bound by time and is the liberator of the soul from temporal limitation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway aligns with Pāśupata orientation: cultivate detachment (vairāgya) and steady Shiva-remembrance (smaraṇa) so the pashu is not overwhelmed by Kāla, recognizing Time as pāśa and Shiva as the sole pāśa-bhedaka (cutter of bonds).