Shloka 54

नरकलोकमार्गयमदूतस्वरूपवर्णनम् / Description of the Path to Naraka and the Nature of Yama’s Messengers

Devanagari script

कालश्चांजनसंकाशः कृतांतश्च भयानकः । मारीचोग्रमहामारी कालरात्रिश्च दारुणा

Transliteration

kālaścāṃjanasaṃkāśaḥ kṛtāṃtaśca bhayānakaḥ | mārīcogramahāmārī kālarātriśca dāruṇā

Translation

Allí estaba Kāla, oscuro como el kohl; y Kṛtānta (la Muerte), aterrador. Estaban también Mārīca, la feroz Mahāmārī (gran pestilencia), y la terrible Kālarātrī: poderes sombríos que encarnan el tiempo, la disolución y la calamidad.

Word by Word

• कालः: Time (personified)
• कालः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अञ्जनसंकाशः: resembling collyrium (black/dark)
• अञ्जनसंकाशः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अञ्जन + संकाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• कृतान्तः: Kṛtānta (Death/fate)
• कृतान्तः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• भयानकः: terrifying
• भयानकः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भयानक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• मारीचः: Mārīca (a being/personification)
• मारीचः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मारीच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उग्रमहामारी: the fierce great plague (personified)
• उग्रमहामारी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उग्रा + महामारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उग्रा इति विशेषणपूर्वपद

• कालरात्रिः: Kālarātri (Night of Time)
• कालरात्रिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल + रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• दारुणा: cruel/terrible
• दारुणा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Rudra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: destructive

Characters & Entities

• Kāla
• Kṛtānta
• Mahāmārī
• Kālarātrī
• Mārīca

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse enumerates fearsome forces—Time, Death, plague, and the dark night of dissolution—to highlight the Shaiva insight that all worldly powers remain within the domain of pasha (bondage) and are ultimately transcended by taking refuge in Pati, Lord Shiva, who stands beyond Kāla.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

In Linga-worship, Shiva is approached as the stable, auspicious Reality amid impermanence. Remembering Shiva as Mahākāla (the Lord over Time) reframes these terrifying powers as subordinate to Him, strengthening surrender (śaraṇāgati) to Saguna Shiva for protection and liberation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha as aids to fearlessness, contemplating Shiva as the witness beyond time, death, and calamity.