Shloka 27
पितृसर्ग-श्राद्धमाहात्म्य-प्रश्नः
Pitṛ-sarga and the Greatness of Śrāddha: The Inquiry
न ते प्रभविता मृत्युर्यावज्जीवितुमिच्छसि । त्वत्तोभ्यनुज्ञां संप्राप्य मृत्युः प्रभविता पुनः
na te prabhavitā mṛtyuryāvajjīvitumicchasi | tvattobhyanujñāṃ saṃprāpya mṛtyuḥ prabhavitā punaḥ
So long as you wish to live, Death shall have no power over you. Only after obtaining your permission will Death again become effective.
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord of Time grants mastery over mṛtyu; the Ujjayinī liṅga is famed for Śiva’s sovereignty over kāla, where devotees seek protection from untimely death and fear of death.
Significance: Darśana is sought for relief from fear of death, kāla-doṣa, and for steadiness in dharma; emblematic of Śiva’s lordship over time and mortality.
Type: mahamrityunjaya
Role: liberating
FAQs
It teaches that Mṛtyu (death) functions under the higher sovereignty of Pati (Shiva). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, bondage (pāśa) such as time and death cannot overrule Shiva’s grace; they operate only within his ordinance.
Worship of the Linga as Saguna Shiva is devotion to the Lord who governs time, fate, and death. The verse supports the Purāṇic theme that refuge in Shiva (śaraṇāgati) makes even Mṛtyu subordinate, emphasizing Shiva as the compassionate protector.
A practical takeaway is śaraṇāgati with japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and steady dhyāna on Shiva as the inner ruler of prāṇa and kāla; this aligns the devotee with Shiva’s anugraha (grace) for fearlessness toward death.