Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 53

तारकवाक्य-शक्रविष्णुवीरभद्रयुद्धवर्णनम् — Account of Tāraka’s declarations and the battle involving Śakra (Indra), Viṣṇu, and Vīrabhadra

Devanagari script

स्वरोचिषा भासितदिग्वितानं सूर्येन्दुबिम्बाग्निसमानमंडलम् । महाप्रभं वीरभयावहं परं कालाख्यमत्यंतकरं महोज्ज्वलम्

Transliteration

svarociṣā bhāsitadigvitānaṃ sūryendubimbāgnisamānamaṃḍalam | mahāprabhaṃ vīrabhayāvahaṃ paraṃ kālākhyamatyaṃtakaraṃ mahojjvalam

Translation

Durch sein eigenes Leuchten erhellte es die ganze Weite der Himmelsrichtungen; sein Lichtkreis glich Sonne, Mond und Feuer. Höchst strahlend und transzendent, flößte es selbst den Tapferen Furcht ein; man nannte es Kāla (Zeit/Tod), völlig vernichtend und überaus leuchtend.

Word by Word

• स्व-रोचिषा: by its own radiance
• स्व-रोचिषा: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + रोचिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष—‘स्वस्य रोचिः’ (by its own radiance)

• भासित-दिक्-वितानम्: (having) the expanse of directions illuminated
• भासित-दिक्-वितानम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भासित (भास् धातु, कृदन्त) + दिक् (प्रातिपदिक) + वितान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular; qualifying an implied object); कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समासः—‘भासिताः दिशः यस्मिन् तत् वितानम्’

• सूर्य-इन्दु-बिम्ब-अग्नि-समान-मण्डलम्: whose orb is like the sun, moon, (their) discs, and fire
• सूर्य-इन्दु-बिम्ब-अग्नि-समान-मण्डलम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूर्य + इन्दु + बिम्ब + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + समान (प्रातिपदिक) + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष—‘सूर्येन्दुबिम्बाग्निभिः समानं मण्डलं यस्य’

• महाप्रभम्: greatly radiant
• महाप्रभम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महā + प्रभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय—‘महती प्रभा यस्य’

• वीर-भय-आवहम्: bringing fear to heroes
• वीर-भय-आवहम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वीर (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक) + आवह (आ+वह् धातु, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ—‘वीराणां भयम् आवहति’

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• काल-आख्यम्: called ‘Time’
• काल-आख्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (आ+ख्या धातु, कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—‘कालेन आख्यं/काल-नामकं’

• अत्यन्त-करम्: causing extreme (destruction/terror)
• अत्यन्त-करम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अत्यन्त (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + कर (कृ धातु, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—‘अत्यन्तं करोति’ (extremely doing/causing)

• महा-उज्ज्वलम्: very brilliant
• महा-उज्ज्वलम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महā (प्रातिपदिक) + उज्ज्वल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय—‘महद् उज्ज्वलम्’

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Kumārakhaṇḍa account to the sages, describing the manifested dreadful form/power)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahākāla

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara

Sthala Purana: The verse’s Kāla/Time-Death imagery aligns with Mahākāla as the Lord who subdues Time; in Ujjayinī the Jyotirliṅga is famed as Mahākāleśvara, where Śiva is worshiped as the sovereign of Kāla and the granter of fearlessness from death.

Significance: Darśana is traditionally sought for protection from untimely death, pacification of fear, and deepening vairāgya through contemplation of Time’s devouring power under Śiva’s lordship.

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Kāla-tattva manifestation: Time/Death as a cosmic devourer, suggestive of pralaya-force though narrated within a battle-epic frame.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Kala

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It portrays an overwhelming, time-like divine power—radiant, all-pervading, and fearsome—pointing to Shiva’s sovereignty over Kāla (Time/Death) and the soul’s need to seek refuge in the Supreme Pati who alone grants liberation beyond fear.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

The verse emphasizes Saguna revelation—Shiva’s manifest, awe-inspiring brilliance and destructive power as Kāla—supporting Linga-worship as a concrete focus for devotion where the devotee venerates Shiva as both immanent radiance and transcendent Lord.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Shiva as Mahākāla—reciting the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with steady breath—contemplating the Lord’s light filling all directions, cultivating fearlessness and detachment from the grip of time and death.