Shloka 68

अध्याय ९६: शरभ-प्रादुर्भावः, नृसिंह-दर्पशमनम्, विष्णोः शिवस्तुतिः, फलश्रुति

Devanagari script

कण्ठे कालो महाबाहुश् चतुष्पाद् वह्निसंभवः युगान्तोद्यतजीमूतभीमगंभीरनिःस्वनः

Transliteration

kaṇṭhe kālo mahābāhuś catuṣpād vahnisaṃbhavaḥ yugāntodyatajīmūtabhīmagaṃbhīraniḥsvanaḥ

Translation

Dans sa gorge demeure Kāla (le Temps/la Mort) ; il est le Seigneur aux bras puissants, à quatre pattes, né du feu, dont le rugissement profond et terrible est comme les nuées de tonnerre qui se lèvent à la fin d’un âge. En tant que Pati, il recueille le Temps en lui-même et, lors de la dissolution cosmique, dissout les liens (pāśa) qui enchaînent le paśu.

Word by Word

• कण्ठे (kaṇṭhe): in the throat/neck

• कालः (kālaḥ): Time, Death, the cosmic dissolver

• महाबाहुः (mahābāhuḥ): mighty-armed, of great power

• चतुष्पात् (catuṣpāt): four-footed (symbol of firm, all-supporting power / dharma-foundation)

• वह्निसंभवः (vahnisaṃbhavaḥ): born of fire, arising as fiery energy

• युगान्त (yugānta): end of an age/aeon

• उद्यत (udyata): risen, surging forth

• जीमूत (jīmūta): raincloud, thundercloud

• भीम (bhīma): terrible, awe-inspiring

• गंभीर (gambhīra): deep, profound

• निःस्वनः (niḥsvanaḥ): sound, roar, reverberation

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a Shiva-stuti/epithet sequence within the Linga Purana discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames the Linga as the sign of Pati who contains Kāla itself—worship of the Linga is devotion to the Lord who rules dissolution and grants the pashu freedom from time-bound fear.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Shiva is depicted as Kāla-adhīśa (Lord of Time): Time/Death is in His throat, while His yugānta-like roar signifies sovereign power over pralaya—He is not bound by pāśa but is the liberator of bound souls.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse supports Pāśupata-bhāva in japa and dhyāna—contemplating Shiva as Kāla-transcendent during Linga-pūjā steadies the mind against fear and strengthens vairāgya toward time-bound attachments.