Shloka 18
मित्रसह-राज्ञो रक्षत्व-शापकथा — The Curse that Turns King Mitrasaha into a Rakshasa
Vasiṣṭha’s Śāpa Narrative
स कदाचिद्वने क्वापि रममाणौ किशोरकौ । अपश्यदन्तकाकारो नवोढौ मुनिदम्पती
sa kadācidvane kvāpi ramamāṇau kiśorakau | apaśyadantakākāro navoḍhau munidampatī
Una vez, en algún lugar de un bosque, aquel ser temible —con la apariencia de la Muerte— vio a una joven pareja de sabios recién casados, divirtiéndose juntos con deleite.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord of Time who subdues death; the verse’s Antaka-appearance evokes the Mahākāla principle though not a direct shrine-episode.
Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is sought for fearlessness before death and relief from kāla-doṣa; remembrance of Mahākāla reframes ‘death’ as Śiva’s instrument.
FAQs
The verse introduces the motif of Antaka (Death) confronting worldly joy, reminding the seeker that impermanence drives one toward Pati (Shiva) as the true refuge beyond fear and change.
In Kotirudrasaṃhitā, such encounters with Death often serve as narrative pressure that leads devotees to take shelter in Saguna Shiva—worship of the Jyotirlinga/Linga as the accessible form of the transcendent Lord who grants protection and liberation.
A fitting Shaiva takeaway is Mrityunjaya-bhāva: japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and remembrance of Shiva as the conqueror of Death, supported by Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as aids to steady devotion.