Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 11

कालतत्त्वनिर्णयः / Doctrine of Kāla (Time) and Its Subordination to Śiva

Devanagari script

कालं प्रज्ञाविशेषेण को ऽतिवर्तितुमर्हति । कालेन तु कृतं कर्म न कश्चिदतिवर्तते

Transliteration

kālaṃ prajñāviśeṣeṇa ko 'tivartitumarhati | kālena tu kṛtaṃ karma na kaścidativartate

Translation

Wer vermag, selbst durch besondere Geisteskraft, die Zeit wahrhaft zu überschreiten? Und das Tun, das von der Zeit geformt wird—niemand kann über seine verordnete Frucht hinausgehen.

Word by Word

• kālam: time / Kāla
• kālam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative)

• prajñā-viśeṣeṇa: by special intelligence
• prajñā-viśeṣeṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajñā + viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रज्ञायाः विशेषः) ‘by a special (kind of) intelligence’

• kaḥ: who
• kaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• ativartitum: to transcend
• ativartitum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ati-√vṛt (वृत्)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive) ‘to overstep/transcend’

• arhati: is able/deserves
• arhati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √arh (अर्ह्)
• Form: लट् लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• kālena: by time
• kālena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपातः (but/indeed)

• kṛtam: done
• kṛtam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kṛ (कृ) (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘done/made’

• karma: deed/action
• karma: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपातः (negation)

• kaścit: anyone
• kaścit: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaścid (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम (someone/anyone)

• ativartate: transcends/oversteps
• ativartate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ati-√vṛt (वृत्)
• Form: लट् लकार (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Mahākāla

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse teaches that worldly intelligence cannot defeat Kāla (Time) or the karmic order it administers; liberation is implied to lie not in outsmarting fate, but in taking refuge in Shiva—the Lord of Time—who grants release from bondage.

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

Linga-worship centers the seeker on Shiva as Kāla-antaka (the One who ends the tyranny of time). By worshipping Saguna Shiva through the Linga with devotion and purity, one seeks grace that loosens karmic bonds governed by time.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Panchakshara mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with daily Shiva-puja—ideally with vibhuti (Tripuṇḍra) and Rudraksha—cultivating detachment from time-driven anxieties and karma-fruits.