Shloka 75
Kālajñāna (Knowledge of Time) and Mṛtyu-cihna (Signs of Death): Śiva’s Instruction to Umā
एतत्ते कथितं देवि कालचक्रं गतायुषः । लोकानां च हितार्थाय किमन्यच्छ्रोतुमिच्छसि
etatte kathitaṃ devi kālacakraṃ gatāyuṣaḥ | lokānāṃ ca hitārthāya kimanyacchrotumicchasi
O Goddess, thus have I explained to you the Wheel of Time (kālacakra) that bears beings toward the end of their span of life. I have spoken it also for the welfare of the worlds. What else do you wish to hear?
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Shakti Form: Umā
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: Kālacakra as universal driver of embodied beings toward āyuḥ-kṣaya
FAQs
The verse underscores impermanence under Kāla (Time) and frames Shiva’s teaching as loka-hita (for the welfare of all), pointing seekers toward dispassion, right understanding, and the Shaiva aim of liberation through turning to Pati (Shiva) beyond the binding forces.
By highlighting the time-bound nature of embodied life, it implicitly directs the devotee to take refuge in Saguna Shiva—worshipped as the Linga—as the accessible form of the timeless Lord who grants steadiness of mind and the path beyond worldly change.
A practical takeaway is daily japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with contemplation on Kāla (life’s brevity), supported by Shaiva disciplines such as Tripuṇḍra (bhasma), Rudrāksha, and inward meditation on Shiva as the witness beyond time.