Shloka 12
Kāla-vañcana (Overcoming/Outwitting Time) and the Pañcabhūta Basis of the Body
शंकर उवाच । न हन्यते देववरैस्तु दैत्यैस्सयक्षरक्षोरगमानुषैश्च । ये योगिनो ध्यानपरास्सदेहा भवंति ते घ्नंति सुखेन कालम्
śaṃkara uvāca | na hanyate devavaraistu daityaissayakṣarakṣoragamānuṣaiśca | ye yogino dhyānaparāssadehā bhavaṃti te ghnaṃti sukhena kālam
Śaṅkara dit : Les yogins, toujours voués à la méditation, même demeurant dans le corps, ne sont point tués par les plus grands des dieux, ni par les daityas, ni par les yakṣas, les rākṣasas, les serpents ou les hommes. Ils triomphent aisément de Kāla, le Temps/la Mort elle-même.
Lord Shiva (Shankara)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
FAQs
It teaches that unwavering dhyāna on Shiva (Pati) loosens the bonds (pāśa) that make the embodied soul (paśu) fear death; such a yogin becomes inwardly established beyond external harm and even the tyranny of kāla.
Meditation on Saguna Shiva—often supported by Linga worship—steadies the mind in one-pointed remembrance; that sustained absorption is portrayed as a spiritual shield, culminating in mastery over fear and the sense of mortality.
A clear takeaway is daily dhyāna with japa of Shiva’s mantra (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), supported by Shaiva disciplines like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa as aids to steadiness and remembrance.