Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 19
कालतत्त्वनिर्णयः / Doctrine of Kāla (Time) and Its Subordination to Śiva
नाभिजात्यं न वै शीलं न बलं न च नैपुणम् । भवेत्कार्याय पर्याप्तं कालश्च ह्यनिरोधकः
nābhijātyaṃ na vai śīlaṃ na balaṃ na ca naipuṇam | bhavetkāryāya paryāptaṃ kālaśca hyanirodhakaḥ
لا النسب الشريف، ولا حسن السيرة، ولا القوة، ولا حتى المهارة تكفي وحدها لإنجاز أمرٍ ما؛ لأن الزمان حقًّا قوة لا تُقاوَم ولا تُعاق.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: The verse stresses the insufficiency of human endowments before the irresistible current of time; Mahākāla is invoked implicitly as the only power that can ‘open’ what time ‘closes’ through grace.
Significance: Encourages humility and surrender: worldly qualifications cannot guarantee success; devotees seek Śiva’s sanction (anugraha) for right fruition.
FAQs
It teaches humility: worldly advantages—birth, virtue, strength, and talent—cannot guarantee outcomes, because Kāla governs change; in Shaiva Siddhanta, true refuge is in Pati (Shiva), who alone can loosen the bonds (pāśa) that bind the soul (paśu).
Linga-worship trains the devotee to rely on Shiva rather than ego-based supports like status or ability; Saguna Shiva is approached as the compassionate Lord who guides beings through Time and karma toward liberation.
Practice steady japa of the Panchakshara mantra (Om Namah Shivaya) with a surrendering attitude, and meditate on Shiva as Kāla-kāla—beyond and ruling Time—especially during Mahashivratri observances.