Shloka 10
युद्धप्रस्थान-वर्णनम्
Departure to the Battlefield and the Śaiva Overlordship over the Devas
अस्त्रज्वालैरथो दग्धं ब्रह्मविष्ण्वोर्जगत्त्रयम् । ईशोपि तं निरीक्ष्याथ ह्यकालप्रलयं भृशम्
astrajvālairatho dagdhaṃ brahmaviṣṇvorjagattrayam | īśopi taṃ nirīkṣyātha hyakālapralayaṃ bhṛśam
Then, by the blazing flames of those divine missiles, the entire triple world—along with Brahmā and Viṣṇu—was scorched. Seeing that, even Īśa (Lord Śiva) beheld a fierce dissolution, as though the cosmic pralaya had arrived out of its proper time.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: The verse’s ‘untimely pralaya’ imagery aligns with Mahākāla as Lord of Time who alone regulates dissolution; Mahākāleśvara’s sthala traditions emphasize Śiva’s sovereignty over kāla and death, preventing disorderly destruction and restoring cosmic rhythm.
Significance: Mahākāla-darśana is sought for protection from untimely death, pacification of destructive forces, and restoration of right order (kāla-niyama).
Type: mahamrityunjaya
Cosmic Event: akāla-pralaya (untimely dissolution) imagery—worlds scorched as if mahāpralaya arrived prematurely
FAQs
It highlights that even the highest cosmic functions and deities are within the field of change, while Śiva as Īśa oversees dissolution and restoration; the devotee learns refuge in Pati (Śiva) when the worlds themselves seem to collapse.
The verse points to Śiva as the sovereign witness and regulator of cosmic cycles—precisely what the Liṅga signifies: the stable, worshipful form (saguṇa upāsanā) through which devotees approach the transcendent Lord who governs creation, preservation, and dissolution.
Contemplate Śiva as the inner refuge during fear and instability, repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with steadiness; mentally offer all worlds and anxieties into the Liṅga as an act of surrender.