Shloka 76
महाकालज्योतिर्लिङ्गमाहात्म्ये चन्द्रसेन-चिन्तामणि-प्रसङ्गः
Mahākāla Jyotirliṅga Māhātmya: The Episode of King Candrasena and the Cintāmaṇi
कालेन श्रीकरस्सोपि चन्द्रसेनश्च भूपतिः । समाराध्य महाकालं भेजतुः परमं पदम्
kālena śrīkarassopi candrasenaśca bhūpatiḥ | samārādhya mahākālaṃ bhejatuḥ paramaṃ padam
In due course, Śrīkara and King Candrasena, having duly worshipped Mahākāla (Lord Śiva), attained the supreme state.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: The narrative culminates: sustained worship (samārādhana) of Mahākāla results in ‘paramaṃ padam’—a purāṇic expression for mokṣa. In Mahākāla’s sthala tradition, devotion to the jyotirliṅga grants liberation by Śiva’s grace, transcending kāla (time) and mṛtyu (death).
Significance: Promises the highest fruit of pilgrimage—mukti—through steadfast Mahākāla worship; frames the jyotirliṅga not merely as a boon-giver but as the liberator (anugrahakartṛ).
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: liberating
Offering: naivedya
Cosmic Event: Transcendence of kāla is implied: worship of Mahākāla leads beyond temporal limitation into paramaṃ padam.
FAQs
It teaches that sincere upāsanā of Mahākāla—Śiva as the Lord who transcends and governs time—purifies the soul (paśu) from bondage (pāśa) and leads to the supreme state, i.e., mokṣa or Śiva’s highest abode.
Mahākāla is worshipped as a Jyotirliṅga—Saguna Śiva made accessible through a sacred form. By approaching the Liṅga with devotion and right conduct, devotees gain grace that culminates in liberation, as shown by Śrīkara and Candrasena.
Regular Mahākāla Liṅga-pūjā with mantra-japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), along with offerings like bilva leaves and disciplined devotion, is implied as the practical means of “samārādhya”—wholehearted propitiation.