Shloka 7

Kālajñāna (Knowledge of Time) and Mṛtyu-cihna (Signs of Death): Śiva’s Instruction to Umā

Devanagari script

अहः पक्षं तथा मासमृतुं चायनवत्सरौ । स्थूलसूक्ष्मगतैश्चिह्नैर्बहिरंतर्गतैस्तथा

Transliteration

ahaḥ pakṣaṃ tathā māsamṛtuṃ cāyanavatsarau | sthūlasūkṣmagataiścihnairbahiraṃtargataistathā

Translation

Hari, paruh bulan, bulan, musim, lintasan ayana, dan tahun—demikianlah Kāla dikenali; dan ia pun dikenali melalui tanda-tandanya yang kasar maupun halus, yang bekerja di luar dan di dalam diri.

Word by Word

• ahaḥ: day
• ahaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahar (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• pakṣam: fortnight
• pakṣam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• tathā: and likewise
• tathā: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय)

• māsam: month
• māsam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• ṛtum: season
• ṛtum: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛtu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय)

• ayana-vatsarau: (the) ayana and year
• ayana-vatsarau: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ayana + vatsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Dual (द्विवचन); itaretara-dvandva (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व)

• sthūla-sūkṣma-gataiḥ: by (signs) that are gross and subtle
• sthūla-sūkṣma-gataiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthūla + sūkṣma + gata (प्रातिपदिक; gata = √gam क्त)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुं), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Plural (बहुवचन); dvandva ‘sthūla-sūkṣma’ + tatpuruṣa with gata; qualifying cihnaiḥ

• cihnaiḥ: by signs/marks
• cihnaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cihna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Plural (बहुवचन)

• bahir-antar-gataiḥ: by (signs) that are external and internal
• bahir-antar-gataiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahis + antar + gata (प्रातिपदिक; gata = √gam क्त)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुं), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Plural (बहुवचन); dvandva ‘bahir-antar’ + tatpuruṣa with gata; qualifying cihnaiḥ (understood)

• tathā: also/likewise
• tathā: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Shiva Purana discourse to the sages, conveying the Uma-samhita’s teaching on time and its marks)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara

Sthala Purana: Enumeration of temporal units (day to year) and signs (gross/subtle) reinforces Mahākāla theology: Time structures embodied existence and is apprehended through outer cycles and inner marks; Mahākāla is the lord who contains these measures.

Significance: Encourages disciplined awareness of time’s passage (kāla-smṛti), fostering detachment and urgency in sādhana; pilgrims often undertake pradoṣa and kāla-oriented worship at Mahākāla.

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Cyclic time mapped: day/fortnight/month/season/ayana/year; outer and inner indicators implied

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames time (kāla) as something measurable not only by outer cycles (day to year) but also by inner, subtle indicators—implying that the seeker should recognize how time binds the soul (pāśa) and turn inward toward Shiva, the Lord beyond time (Pati).

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

By pointing to both external and internal signs, it supports a twofold Shaiva approach: outward worship through visible forms (such as Linga-pūjā with disciplined observances across days/months) and inward worship through subtle contemplation, where Saguna Shiva leads the mind toward the timeless reality of Shiva.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Maintain regularity in daily/fortnightly/monthly observances (vrata, pūjā) while pairing them with inner practice—japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and meditative awareness of subtle changes in breath, mind, and attention as “internal signs” of time.