Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 38
द्वितीयतृतीयावरणपूजाक्रमः | The Sequence of the Second and Third Enclosure Worship (Āvaraṇa-pūjā)
कालं पश्चिमदिग्भागे पुरुषं चोत्तरे यजेत् । हिरण्यगर्भः प्रथमो ब्रह्मा कमलसन्निभः
kālaṃ paścimadigbhāge puruṣaṃ cottare yajet | hiraṇyagarbhaḥ prathamo brahmā kamalasannibhaḥ
On doit vénérer Kāla dans le quartier occidental et Puruṣa dans le quartier septentrional. Hiraṇyagarbha —Brahmā, le premier-né— resplendit tel un lotus.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla is revered as the Lord of Time who subdues death; the Jyotirliṅga tradition associates Ujjayinī with Śiva’s supremacy over Kāla and the granting of fearlessness and liberation.
Significance: Darśana is sought for protection from untimely death, pacification of time-bound suffering, and deepened vairāgya leading toward mokṣa.
Role: destructive
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It places cosmic principles into sacred space: Kāla (time that binds and dissolves) and Puruṣa (cosmic consciousness) are honored directionally, while Hiraṇyagarbha Brahmā is presented as the first manifest creator—implying that all creation unfolds within Time and is ordered by cosmic intelligence, yet ultimately stands under Shiva as Pati (the Lord beyond bondage).
Directional worship (dikpuja) supports Saguna practice by sanctifying the ritual field around the Linga. By acknowledging Kāla and Puruṣa as powers within manifestation, the devotee centers the Linga as the axis of worship—Shiva as the transcendent Lord who is not limited by time, even while appearing within time for grace.
A dik-nyāsa/dikpuja style contemplation: visualize or offer worship to Kāla in the west and Puruṣa in the north before proceeding to the main Shiva worship; inwardly, meditate that time (kāla) is surrendered at Shiva’s feet, using japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” to steady the mind.