Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 12
कालतत्त्वनिर्णयः / Doctrine of Kāla (Time) and Its Subordination to Śiva
एकच्छत्रां महीं कृत्स्नां ये पराक्रम्य शासति । ते ऽपि नैवातिवर्तंते कालवेलामिवाब्धयः
ekacchatrāṃ mahīṃ kṛtsnāṃ ye parākramya śāsati | te 'pi naivātivartaṃte kālavelāmivābdhayaḥ
Même ceux qui, par seule vaillance, gouvernent la terre entière sous un seul sceptre ne peuvent franchir la limite assignée par le Temps ; ainsi les océans ne dépassent pas la borne fixée par les marées.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord of Time is praised as unsurpassable; the verse’s ocean–shoreline simile aligns with Ujjayinī’s Mahākāla-kṣetra idea that even kings and cosmic powers remain within Kāla’s ordinance, while Mahākāla alone is the regulator beyond regulation.
Significance: Contemplation of Mahākāla dissolves pride of sovereignty and turns the mind to surrender (śaraṇāgati), preparing the paśu for grace beyond temporal limitation.
Type: stotra
FAQs
It teaches vairāgya (detachment): even the greatest worldly power cannot surpass Kāla’s ordained boundary. In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, Time functions as a pāśa (bond) limiting the pashu (bound soul), and liberation requires turning to Pati—Lord Shiva—rather than relying on temporal achievements.
The Linga signifies Shiva as the transcendent ground beyond change and decay. By contrasting kingship with Kāla’s limit, the verse points the seeker from impermanent dominion to Saguna Shiva worship (Linga-pūjā) that ripens into recognition of Shiva as the ultimate refuge beyond Time.
A practical takeaway is daily japa of the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—with contemplation on impermanence: as oceans keep their limit, keep the mind within dharma and remembrance of Shiva; offer bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) and cultivate humility before Kāla.