Shloka 25
सृष्टिविस्तारप्रश्नः (Sṛṣṭi-vistāra-praśnaḥ) — The Detailed Inquiry into Creation
अयस्य पुत्रो वैतण्डः श्रमः शांतो मुनिस्तथा । ध्रुवस्य पुत्रो भगवान्कालो लोकभावनः
ayasya putro vaitaṇḍaḥ śramaḥ śāṃto munistathā | dhruvasya putro bhagavānkālo lokabhāvanaḥ
Aya’s son was Vaitaṇḍa; and there were also Śrama, Śānta, and the sage (muni). Dhruva’s son was the revered Kāla, the nourisher and sustainer of the worlds.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as Time (Kāla) is thematically aligned with Ujjayinī’s Mahākāleśvara: Śiva manifests as Mahākāla to subdue time/death and grant protection; devotees approach the liṅga as the Lord who rules over Kāla rather than being ruled by it.
Significance: Darśana/abhisheka is sought for relief from fear of death, obstacles, and for steadiness amid change; devotion reframes ‘kāla’ from bondage into a doorway to grace (anugraha) through Śiva’s lordship over time.
FAQs
The verse links sacred genealogy with the principle of Kāla (Time) as a sustaining power in the cosmos, pointing—through a Shaiva lens—to Shiva as the ultimate Lord who transcends time while governing it for the world’s order (dharma).
By naming Kāla as ‘lokabhāvana’ (world-sustainer), it echoes a common Shaiva understanding: Saguna Shiva is worshipped as the regulator of cosmic functions (including time), while the Linga signifies Shiva’s deeper, timeless reality beyond these functions.
No specific rite is prescribed in this line, but it supports contemplation on Kāla and impermanence—practically expressed in Shaiva practice through steady japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and remembrance that Shiva is the refuge beyond time.