Shloka 14
शुक्रोत्पत्तिः तथा महेश्वरदर्शनम् (Śukra’s Emergence and the Vision of Maheśvara)
चण्डं तुंगं गरुत्मंतं नित्यमासवभोजनम् । लेलिहानं महारौद्रं मृत्युं मृत्योरगोचरम्
caṇḍaṃ tuṃgaṃ garutmaṃtaṃ nityamāsavabhojanam | lelihānaṃ mahāraudraṃ mṛtyuṃ mṛtyoragocaram
He is fierce and exalted, winged with irresistible swiftness, ever the consumer of the intoxicating essence; tongue outstretched in blazing wrath—He is Death itself, yet beyond the reach of death.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Yuddhakhaṇḍa account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord of Time who protects Ujjayinī; the jyotirliṅga is revered as the timeless power before whom even Death is powerless (mṛtyor agocara).
Significance: Darśana is sought for conquest of fear of death, relief from calamities, and steadiness in dharma through awareness of Kāla (Time).
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
Cosmic Event: Allusive: Kāla-tattva and mṛtyu-jaya motif (beyond death).
FAQs
The verse portrays Rudra as the power that dissolves all bondage and ego—‘Death’ to limitation—while affirming that the Supreme Lord is untouched by decay and time, hence “beyond death’s reach.”
As Saguna Shiva, Rudra is contemplated in a formidable, protective aspect that destroys fear and impurity; in Linga-worship, the devotee approaches that same Supreme reality as the deathless Pati who grants liberation.
Meditate on Shiva as Mṛtyuñjaya (the conqueror of death) while repeating the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and support the practice with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as reminders of impermanence and surrender.