Shloka 35
Viśveśvara-māhātmya and the Nirguṇa–Saguṇa Emergence of Śiva (Śakti–Puruṣa/Prakṛti Discourse)
अविमुक्त उवाच । देवदेव महादेव कालामयसुभेषज । त्वं त्रिलोकपतिस्सत्यं सेव्यो ब्रह्माच्युतादिभिः
avimukta uvāca | devadeva mahādeva kālāmayasubheṣaja | tvaṃ trilokapatissatyaṃ sevyo brahmācyutādibhiḥ
Avimukta said: “O God of gods, O Mahādeva—O supreme medicine for the afflictions of Time (death and decay)! Truly, You are the Lord of the three worlds, and You are worthy to be worshipped even by Brahmā, Acyuta (Viṣṇu), and the other gods.”
Avimukta
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Avimukta’s praise of Śiva as the ‘medicine for the disease of Time’ resonates with Kāśī’s promise of liberation from death’s fear; while ‘Mahākāla’ is a Ujjain jyotirliṅga epithet, here it functions primarily as a theological title of Śiva as conqueror of kāla.
Significance: Affirms Śiva’s supremacy (worshipped by Brahmā and Viṣṇu) and his power to cure the ‘kāla-āmaya’—a devotional articulation of mokṣa as freedom from time-bound decay and rebirth.
Mantra: devadeva mahādeva kālāmayasubheṣaja | tvaṃ trilokapatissatyaṃ sevyo brahmācyutādibhiḥ
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse proclaims Śiva as the transcendent Lord (Trilokapati) and the “medicine” for kāla—meaning He liberates the soul from fear of death, decay, and bondage through grace received by devotion.
By declaring Śiva ‘worthy of worship even by Brahmā and Viṣṇu,’ the verse supports Saguna worship—approaching the Supreme through reverent service (seva) to Śiva, commonly expressed in Jyotirliṅga and Liṅga worship in the Koṭirudrasaṃhitā context.
The key takeaway is steady bhakti and seva to Śiva to overcome kāla; in practice this aligns with daily Liṅga pūjā, japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and remembrance of Śiva as the healer of worldly suffering.