Shloka 75
महाकालज्योतिर्लिङ्गमाहात्म्ये चन्द्रसेन-चिन्तामणि-प्रसङ्गः
Mahākāla Jyotirliṅga Māhātmya: The Episode of King Candrasena and the Cintāmaṇi
चन्द्रसेनो महाराजः श्रीकरो गोपबालकः । उभावपि परप्रीत्या महाकालं च भेजतुः
candraseno mahārājaḥ śrīkaro gopabālakaḥ | ubhāvapi paraprītyā mahākālaṃ ca bhejatuḥ
Le roi Candrasena et le jeune gardien de vaches Śrīkara—tous deux animés d’une dévotion suprême—prirent refuge en Mahākāla, le servant et l’adorant.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla is worshipped as the Lord of Time who grants refuge and final good. In Ujjayinī’s Mahākāla tradition, the Lord is famed as a svayaṃbhū jyotirliṅga whose presence protects the city and grants both bhukti and mukti; this verse explicitly names Mahākāla as the object of refuge (bhajana).
Significance: Refuge in Mahākāla is held to destroy fear of time/death and bestow Śiva’s grace culminating in liberation; also famed for protective, kṣetrapāla-like guardianship of the sacred city.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: liberating
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: Kāla as the governing cosmic principle is foregrounded through the name Mahākāla (Lord beyond/over Time).
FAQs
It highlights that Mahākāla’s grace is accessed through paraprīti (supreme devotion), transcending social status—both a king and a simple cowherd attain refuge in Shiva by heartfelt bhakti.
Mahākāla here is Saguna Shiva worshipped as the Jyotirliṅga; the verse emphasizes approaching the manifested form of Shiva with love and surrender as a direct means to receive protection and upliftment.
A practical takeaway is bhakti-centered Jyotirliṅga worship—mentally taking refuge in Mahākāla, offering prayer with the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and maintaining steady devotion as the core practice.