Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 9

कालतत्त्वनिर्णयः / Doctrine of Kāla (Time) and Its Subordination to Śiva

Devanagari script

तस्मात्कालवशे विश्वं न स विश्ववशे स्थितः । शिवस्य तु वशे कालो न कालस्य वशे शिवः

Transliteration

tasmātkālavaśe viśvaṃ na sa viśvavaśe sthitaḥ | śivasya tu vaśe kālo na kālasya vaśe śivaḥ

Translation

Ainsi, l’univers est sous l’emprise du Temps ; mais le Temps n’est pas sous l’emprise de l’univers. Le Temps est sous la souveraineté de Śiva, tandis que Śiva n’est jamais sous la souveraineté du Temps.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore, from that
• tasmāt: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; 'from that/therefore'

• kāla: time
• kāla: Samāsa-aṅga (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, stem used in compound

• vaśe: under the control
• vaśe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; compound: kāla-vaśe = 'under the control of time' (तत्पुरुष)

• viśvam: the universe
• viśvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; here as subject of nominal clause

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-अव्यय)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; demonstrative pronoun

• viśva: universe
• viśva: Samāsa-aṅga (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, stem used in compound

• vaśe: under the control
• vaśe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular; compound: viśva-vaśe = 'under the control of the universe' (तत्पुरुष)

• sthitaḥ: is situated, stands
• sthitaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था-धातु; क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; used predicatively: 'is situated/stands'

• śivasya: of Śiva
• śivasya: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th), Singular; 'of Śiva'

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (विरोध/विशेष-प्रदर्शक अव्यय)

• vaśe: under control
• vaśe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular

• kālaḥ: Time
• kālaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle

• kālasya: of Time
• kālasya: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th), Singular; 'of time'

• vaśe: under control
• vaśe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular

• śivaḥ: Śiva
• śivaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahākāla

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara

Sthala Purana: Śiva manifests as Mahākāla to protect devotees and establish his supremacy over death/time; the liṅga is famed as self-manifest and as the Lord who subdues kāla.

Significance: Worship of Mahākāla is sought for fearlessness before death, relief from time-bound afflictions, and steadiness in dharma; pradoṣa and mahāśivarātri worship are especially valued.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Time (Kala)
• Universe (Vishva)

FAQs

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

It establishes Śiva as Pati—the supreme Lord who transcends and governs Kāla (Time). Since worldly bondage operates through time-bound change, recognizing Śiva as beyond Time supports detachment and the pursuit of liberation.

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

The Liṅga represents Śiva’s timeless, beginningless reality made approachable for worship. By worshipping Saguna Śiva through the Liṅga, the devotee connects to the Nirguna truth implied here: Śiva is not limited by temporal processes.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Śiva as Mahākāla (the Lord of Time) while repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” contemplating that time governs the world but cannot govern Śiva.