Shloka 69
पंचवक्त्रः स्वयं रुद्र ः कालाग्निर्नामतः प्रभुः । सर्वमुक्तिप्रदश्चैव सर्वकामफलप्रदः
paṃcavaktraḥ svayaṃ rudra ḥ kālāgnirnāmataḥ prabhuḥ | sarvamuktipradaścaiva sarvakāmaphalapradaḥ
Rudra Himself, the Lord of five faces, is renowned by the name Kālāgni. He bestows every kind of liberation, and He also grants the fruits of all righteous desires.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Kālāntaka
Mantra: paṃcavaktraḥ svayaṃ rudraḥ kālāgnirnāmataḥ prabhuḥ | sarvamuktipradaś caiva sarvakāmaphalapradaḥ ||
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
Cosmic Event: kāla-agni motif (time-fire) implying pralaya/consuming power, though not a specific event.
FAQs
It presents Shiva as Panchavaktra Rudra—Kālāgni, the power of Time that dissolves bondage—who alone can grant both liberation (mukti) and the fulfillment of desires, showing that moksha ultimately depends on Shiva’s grace (anugraha).
By naming Shiva as the five-faced Lord, the verse supports Saguna upāsanā—devotion to Shiva with form and attributes—commonly approached through Linga worship, where the devotee seeks both worldly welfare (bhoga) and final release (moksha) under Shiva’s lordship.
Meditate on Panchavaktra Shiva as Kālāgni while repeating the Panchākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), praying for purification of time-bound karmas; this can be paired with traditional Shaiva observances like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as supports to focused devotion.