Shloka 80
Paramātma-Svarūpa-Nirṇaya: Strī–Puṃ–Napuṃsaka-Vicāra
Inquiry into the Supreme Self and Gendered Forms
अपि संकोचरूपेण विभांत्य इति नित्यशः । पशोः कलाख्य विद्येति रागकालौ नियत्यपि । तत्त्वपञ्चकरूपेण भवत्यत्र कलेति सा
api saṃkocarūpeṇa vibhāṃtya iti nityaśaḥ | paśoḥ kalākhya vidyeti rāgakālau niyatyapi | tattvapañcakarūpeṇa bhavatyatra kaleti sā
Indeed, by taking the form of contraction (saṃkoca), it shines forth perpetually, yet in a limited way. In the bound soul (paśu) that power is called Vidyā named Kalā, and it operates together with Rāga, Kāla, and Niyati. Here, that same Kalā becomes manifest as the five tattvas, the fivefold principle.
Suta Goswami (summarizing Shaiva Siddhanta-style metaphysics taught in the Kailasha Samhita to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse explains how the soul’s innate luminosity appears restricted due to saṃkoca (contraction). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, Kalā—along with Rāga, Kāla, and Niyati—functions as a limiting power that makes the infinite awareness of the paśu seem finite, structuring experience through specific tattvas.
By identifying the mechanism of limitation, the verse implicitly points to Shiva (Pati) as the liberating Lord beyond these constraints. Linga/Saguna Shiva worship, supported by mantra and devotion, is presented in the Purana as a means to receive Shiva’s grace that dissolves these bindings and restores the soul’s unobstructed consciousness.
A practical takeaway is to meditate on Shiva as the transcendent Pati beyond Kāla (time) and Niyati (necessity), using japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” with steady awareness of how desire (rāga) and limitation (kalā) arise—then offering them into Shiva through devotion and inner surrender.