Shloka 34
Manu’s Progeny and the Birth of Iḍā
Genealogy and Dharma-Choice
कालेन संहृतास्ते वै वरा ये ते कृता हृदि । न तद्गोत्रं हि तत्रास्ति कालस्सर्वस्य भक्षकः
kālena saṃhṛtāste vai varā ye te kṛtā hṛdi | na tadgotraṃ hi tatrāsti kālassarvasya bhakṣakaḥ
Indeed, in time, those very boons that you had cherished in your heart are dissolved. There, no lineage or clan remains at all—Time devours everything.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Uma Samhita discourse to the sages, conveying the puranic teaching on Kāla)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord of Time who subdues death and dissolves all compounded things; the verse’s ‘kālaḥ sarvasya bhakṣakaḥ’ aligns with Ujjayinī’s Mahākāla-tattva where Time is mastered by Śiva as Mahākāleśvara.
Significance: Contemplation of impermanence and surrender to Śiva beyond Time; seeking protection from untimely death and the fear of dissolution.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: destructive
Cosmic Event: kāla as universal devourer; implicit pralaya/dissolution principle
FAQs
The verse teaches vairagya: all worldly attainments—even cherished “boons”—are ultimately consumed by Kāla. From a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, only turning to Shiva (Pati), who stands beyond time, leads the bound soul (pashu) past perishing conditions (pāśa).
It redirects the seeker from dependence on temporary results to steadfast Shiva-bhakti. Linga worship anchors the mind in the timeless Lord, so devotion is not merely for boons but for liberation and inner purification.
Contemplate impermanence while repeating the Panchakshara mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and offer daily Linga-pūjā with bhasma/tripundra as a reminder that all forms return to dissolution under Time.