Shloka 17
कुण्डी द्वादशभिर्वाहस्तथा पर्वतकश्शुभः । कालश्च कालकश्चैव महाकालः शतेन वै
kuṇḍī dvādaśabhirvāhastathā parvatakaśśubhaḥ | kālaśca kālakaścaiva mahākālaḥ śatena vai
Kuṇḍī is to be worshipped with twelve offerings; likewise the auspicious Parvataka. Kāla and Kālakā too are to be worshipped; and Mahākāla, indeed, with a hundred offerings.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla is revered as the Lord of Time who grants fearlessness from death; the Ujjayinī Mahākāla tradition centers on Śiva as the supreme regulator of kāla, with worship emphasizing protection and liberation from time-bound bondage.
Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is sought for victory over fear of death, removal of time-related afflictions, and deepening vairāgya leading toward mokṣa.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: destructive
Offering: naivedya
Cosmic Event: Kāla-tattva emphasis: Śiva as the transcendent regulator of temporal cycles within sṛṣṭi-sthiti-saṃhāra.
FAQs
The verse highlights that the one Pati (Lord Shiva) is approached through multiple named forms, each with a prescribed measure of offering—teaching disciplined devotion (bhakti with niyama) and reverence for Shiva as Time-transcending yet time-governing (Kāla/Mahākāla).
These names function as Saguna designations of Shiva’s powers; in practice they are commonly worshipped through the Linga as the stable icon, while the devotee contemplates specific aspects like Kāla (Time) and Mahākāla (the Lord beyond time) during pūjā.
It suggests count-based upacāra/offerings (e.g., flowers, bilva leaves, oblations) aligned to a form’s prescription; meditative focus can be paired with japa of the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” contemplating Mahākāla as the inner witness who dissolves fear of time and death.