Shloka 58
नन्दिकेशावतारवर्णनम् (Nandikeśa Avatāra Varṇanam) — “Account of the Descent/Origin of Nandikeśvara”
पुत्र उवाच । देवो वा दानवो वापि यमः कालोथ वापि हि । ऋध्येयुर्यद्यपि ह्येते मामन्येपि जनास्तथा
putra uvāca | devo vā dānavo vāpi yamaḥ kālotha vāpi hi | ṛdhyeyuryadyapi hyete māmanyepi janāstathā
Der Sohn sprach: «Sei es ein Deva oder ein Asura, ja selbst Yama oder Kāla, die Zeit selbst—mögen all diese auch gedeihen—so können auch andere Menschen gedeihen, indem sie sich mir widersetzen.»
Putra (the son, speaking in dialogue within the narrative)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla is invoked as the Lord beyond Yama and Kāla; the jyotirliṅga tradition frames Mahākāleśvara as the time-transcending protector whose presence subdues death’s fear.
Significance: Darśana is sought for relief from mṛtyu-bhaya and for steadiness amid the pressures of time and fate; devotion reorients the paśu from Kāla’s terror to Śiva’s sovereignty.
FAQs
The verse highlights the limited and conditional nature of worldly prosperity: even devas, danavas, Yama, and Kala can “flourish” in their roles, implying that external success is not the measure of ultimate truth—alignment with Shiva (Pati) and dharma is.
By placing even cosmic powers like Yama and Time within the field of changing fortunes, the verse implicitly points toward Saguna Shiva (worshipped as the Linga) as the stable refuge beyond fear of death and the fluctuations governed by Kala.
A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—to transcend fear of Yama and the pressure of Time, supported by Shaiva disciplines like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha as aids to remembrance.