त्रिपुरमोहनम्
Tripuramohana — “The Delusion/Enchanting of Tripura”
देहो यथास्मदादीनां स्वकालेन विलीयते । ब्रह्मादि मशकांतानां स्वकालाल्लीयते तथा
deho yathāsmadādīnāṃ svakālena vilīyate | brahmādi maśakāṃtānāṃ svakālāllīyate tathā
Just as the bodies of beings like us dissolve when their allotted time is complete, so too do the bodies of all—from Brahmā down to the tiniest gnat—dissolve when their destined time arrives.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Purāṇic teaching within the Yuddhakhaṇḍa context)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Kālāntaka
Cosmic Event: mortality across all embodied ranks (from Brahmā to insects)
It teaches vairāgya (dispassion): all embodied existence is time-bound, from the highest creator-god to the smallest being, so one should seek the timeless Pati (Śiva) rather than cling to perishable form.
The Liṅga signifies the deathless reality of Śiva beyond decay; by worshipping Saguna Śiva through the Liṅga, the devotee is led from attachment to the body toward the imperishable Nirguna truth.
Contemplate the body’s impermanence while repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya); reinforce detachment with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as a reminder that all forms return to ash.