Shloka 30

भूतत्रिपुरधर्मवर्णनम् (Description of the Dharma/Conduct of the Bhūta-Tripura) — Chapter 3

Devanagari script

नानाप्रहरणोपेतान् नानावेषधरांस्तथा । कालाग्निरुद्रसदृशान्कालसूर्योपमांस्तदा

Transliteration

nānāpraharaṇopetān nānāveṣadharāṃstathā | kālāgnirudrasadṛśānkālasūryopamāṃstadā

Translation

They bore many kinds of weapons and wore many kinds of disguises; then they appeared like Kālāgnirudra itself—the fire of Time—and like the sun of Time, overpowering and dreadful.

Word by Word

• नाना-प्रहरण-उपेतान्: endowed with various weapons
• नाना-प्रहरण-उपेतान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय) + प्रहरण (प्रातिपदिक) + उपेत (कृदन्त, √इ (धातु) उपसर्ग-उप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण: भूतकृत् (क्त), ‘उपेत’ = ‘युक्त/समन्वित’

• नाना-वेष-धरान्: wearing various disguises/attires
• नाना-वेष-धरान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय) + वेष (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (कृदन्त, √धृ (धातु))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण: वर्तमानकृदन्त (ण्वुल्/अच्-प्रत्ययार्थक), ‘धर’ = ‘धारयति इति’

• तथा: and likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• काल-अग्नि-रुद्र-सदृशान्: like Rudra, the fire of Time (kālāgni)
• काल-अग्नि-रुद्र-सदृशान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + सदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण; ‘सदृश’ = ‘सम/तुल्य’

• काल-सूर्य-उपमान्: comparable to the sun of Time
• काल-सूर्य-उपमान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण; ‘उपम’ = ‘सदृश/तुल्य’

• तदा: then/at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Kālāntaka

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara

Sthala Purana: The verse’s Kālāgni/Kāla imagery resonates with Mahākāla theology: Śiva as Time that consumes all; in Ujjayinī tradition Mahākāla is worshipped as the lord who overmasters death and time.

Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is sought for fearlessness before death, relief from time-bound suffering, and steadiness in dharma; pradoṣa and Mahāśivarātri worship are especially valued.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: destructive

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Kālāgni (time-fire) motif—miniature pralaya symbolism: time as the consuming sun/fire, projecting the eschatological horizon into the battle-yajña scene.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Kālāgnirudra
• Kāla (Time)

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse uses battle imagery to point to Rudra’s śakti as Kāla (Time): all forms and powers become irresistible when aligned with the divine will, reminding the seeker that worldly terror is ultimately a manifestation within Shiva’s cosmic governance (Pati).

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Kālāgnirudra is a Saguna expression of Shiva’s sovereignty over creation and dissolution. Linga-worship trains the mind to recognize that even fierce, time-bound transformations are contained in Shiva—thus fear is transmuted into reverence and surrender.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Contemplate Shiva as Kāla while repeating the Panchākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") to steady the mind amid change; optionally apply Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as a reminder that all forms end in ash, and refuge is in Shiva alone.