Shloka 46
अवंतीस्थ-ब्राह्मणकथा तथा तृतीय-ज्योतिर्लिङ्गोपाख्यान-प्रस्तावना
Avanti Brahmin Narrative and Prelude to the Third Jyotirliṅga
द्विजा ऊचुः । महाकाल महादेव दुष्टदण्डकर प्रभो । मुक्तिं प्रयच्छ नश्शंभो संसारांबुधितश्शिव
dvijā ūcuḥ | mahākāla mahādeva duṣṭadaṇḍakara prabho | muktiṃ prayaccha naśśaṃbho saṃsārāṃbudhitaśśiva
The twice-born (brahmins) said: “O Mahākāla, O Mahādeva, O Lord who chastises the wicked! O Śambhu, grant us liberation—O Śiva, (lift us) from the ocean of worldly existence.”
The dvijas (brahmins/devotees) addressing Lord Shiva (Mahakala)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Śiva is invoked as Mahākāla—Lord of Time and death-transcendence—who punishes adharma and grants mukti, a signature theological tone of the Ujjayinī Mahākāla tradition where Śiva is the sovereign over kāla and saṃsāra.
Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is sought for fearlessness before time/death, removal of pāśa (bondage) and attainment of auspicious destiny; especially potent for liberation-oriented prayer.
Mantra: महाकाल महादेव दुष्टदण्डकर प्रभो । मुक्तिं प्रयच्छ नश्शंभो संसारांबुधितश्शिव
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
Cosmic Event: kāla-tattva emphasis (Śiva as Great Time)
FAQs
It is a direct bhakti-prayer to Shiva as Mahākāla, acknowledging him as the moral governor who restrains evil and as the compassionate Lord who alone grants moksha by carrying the soul beyond saṁsāra.
In the Kotirudrasaṁhitā’s Jyotirlinga context, devotees approach Saguna Shiva—Mahākāla—as the accessible, worship-worthy Lord whose manifested presence (Linga/Jyotirlinga) becomes the doorway to liberation.
The verse suggests heartfelt surrender and repetition of Shiva-nāma (especially the Panchākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a moksha-intent, alongside Jyotirlinga darśana and prayer to be freed from the “ocean of saṁsāra.”