Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 88
कर्दमोपि च तत्कालमज्ञासीत्क्षणसंगतम् । यतो न प्रभवेत्कालो महाकालस्य संनिधौ
kardamopi ca tatkālamajñāsītkṣaṇasaṃgatam | yato na prabhavetkālo mahākālasya saṃnidhau
Et Kardama ne s’aperçut même pas de cet intervalle—il lui sembla n’être qu’un instant—car le Temps n’a point de pouvoir en la présence de Mahākāla.
Narrator (Skanda to Agastya, contextually)
Tirtha: Mahākāla-sannidhi in Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame implied)
Scene: Kardama in Śiva’s presence where centuries feel like a moment; depict Mahākāla as a vast, calm presence—time-wheels, sun-moon, and hourglass motifs fading near the liṅga.
FAQs
Near Mahākāla, devotion loosens the grip of time; spiritual proximity to Śiva transforms one’s experience of temporality.
Kāśī is implied as Mahākāla’s sanctified sphere; the epithet Mahākāla also resonates with Ujjain’s Mahākāleśvara tradition across Śaiva sacred geography.
No explicit rite; the verse highlights samādhi-like absorption and nearness to Mahākāla through worship.