Shloka 9

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

Devanagari script

अकस्मात्पांडुरं देहमूर्द्ध्वरागं समंततः । तदा मृत्युं विजानीयात्षण्मासाभ्यन्तरे प्रिये

Transliteration

akasmātpāṃḍuraṃ dehamūrddhvarāgaṃ samaṃtataḥ | tadā mṛtyuṃ vijānīyātṣaṇmāsābhyantare priye

Translation

愛しき者よ、もし身体が忽ち蒼白となり、不自然な変色が上へと昇って四方に広がるなら、死が近いと知るべきである――六か月のうちに。

Word by Word

• akasmāt: suddenly
• akasmāt: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: akasmāt (अकस्मात् अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (आकस्मिकतावाचक अव्यय)

• pāṇḍuram: pale
• pāṇḍuram: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāṇḍura (पाण्डुर-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; qualifies deham

• deham: body
• deham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deha (देह-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• ūrdhva-rāgam: upward discoloration/redness
• ūrdhva-rāgam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūrdhva (ऊर्ध्व-प्रातिपदिक) + rāga (राग-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular; कर्मधारय: ūrdhvaḥ rāgaḥ (rising redness/discoloration)

• samantataḥ: on all sides
• samantataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samantatas (समन्ततः अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (देशवाचक अव्यय)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (तदा अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• mṛtyum: death
• mṛtyum: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (मृत्यु-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• vijānīyāt: one should know/recognize
• vijānīyāt: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + √jñā (ज्ञा धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular, Parasmaipada

• ṣaṇmāsa-abhyantare: within six months
• ṣaṇmāsa-abhyantare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ (षट्-प्रातिपदिक) + māsa (मास-प्रातिपदिक) + abhyantara (अभ्यन्तर-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; तत्पुरुष: ṣaṇṇāṃ māsānām abhyantare (within six months)

• priye: O beloved
• priye: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: priyā/priya (प्रिय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

Speaker

Lord Shiva

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Mahākāla

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara

Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord of Time who grants liberation from fear of death; the jyotirliṅga is revered as the timeless witness before whom kāla is subdued.

Significance: Darśana/abhisheka is sought for relief from mṛtyu-bhaya and for steadiness in vairāgya; remembrance of Mahākāla reframes impending death as a call to surrender.

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् । उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय माऽमृतात् ॥

Type: mahamrityunjaya

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati

FAQs

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

It teaches vairāgya (detachment) by reminding the seeker that bodily changes are impermanent; recognizing mortality prompts turning to Shiva—the Pati—who alone grants liberation beyond the pasha of the body.

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

By highlighting the body’s fragility, the verse directs the devotee toward stable refuge in Saguna Shiva worship—Linga-upāsanā, japa, and devotion—so the mind rests in Shiva rather than in transient physical conditions.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Cultivate daily Shiva-smaraṇa through Panchākṣarī japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and steady sādhana; the teaching supports intensified bhakti and inner purification when signs of impermanence appear.