Shloka 38
Manu’s Progeny and the Birth of Iḍā
Genealogy and Dharma-Choice
सूत उवाच । इत्यादिष्टो नृपोऽयं तं नत्वा तां च पुरीं गतः । गतान्बहून्युगाञ्ज्ञात्वा विस्मितः कन्यया युतः
sūta uvāca | ityādiṣṭo nṛpo'yaṃ taṃ natvā tāṃ ca purīṃ gataḥ | gatānbahūnyugāñjñātvā vismitaḥ kanyayā yutaḥ
Sūta said: Thus instructed, this king bowed to him and then went to that city. Realizing that many ages (yugas) had passed, he was astonished—while still accompanied by the maiden.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it highlights time-dislocation (many yugas passing) as a narrative device—suggestive of māyā’s concealment of temporal reality.
Cosmic Event: bahu-yuga-atikrama (many ages elapsed)
FAQs
It highlights the Purāṇic vision that time is governed by a higher divine order; worldly certainty is overturned when one encounters realities beyond ordinary human measure, encouraging humility and reliance on Śiva as the Lord of Time (Kāla).
Though the Liṅga is not named here, the narrative reflects Saguna Śiva’s lordship over the manifest cosmos—including yuga-cycles—reminding devotees that worship is not merely for worldly aims but for alignment with Śiva’s supreme governance.
A practical takeaway is daily remembrance of Śiva as Kāleśvara through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and cultivating detachment from time-bound expectations.