Shloka 15

श्वेतमुनिना कालस्य निग्रहः (मृत्युञ्जय-भक्ति-प्रसादः)

Devanagari script

सिंहनादं महत्कृत्वा चास्फाट्य च मुहुर्मुहुः बबन्ध च मुनिं कालः कालप्राप्तं तमाह च

Transliteration

siṃhanādaṃ mahatkṛtvā cāsphāṭya ca muhurmuhuḥ babandha ca muniṃ kālaḥ kālaprāptaṃ tamāha ca

Translation

മഹാസിംഹനാദം മുഴക്കി, വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും വിരലുകൾ ചടക്കിച്ച്, കാലൻ മുനിയെ ബന്ധിച്ചു; നിശ്ചിത നിമിഷം എത്തിയ അവനോട് കാലൻ സംസാരിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• सिंहनादम्: a lion-roar

• महत्: great, mighty

• कृत्वा: having made/done

• च: and

• आस्फाट्य: snapping (the fingers), clapping sharply

• मुहुः-मुहुः: repeatedly, again and again

• बबन्ध: bound, fettered

• च: and

• मुनिम्: the sage

• कालः: Kāla, Time (death as the cosmic power)

• काल-प्राप्तम्: one who has reached his appointed time/destiny

• तम्: to him

• आह: said, spoke

• च: and

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the episode to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Kāla (Time/Death)
• Muni (the sage)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames Kāla (Time) as a binding force (pāśa) over the embodied pashu; Linga-worship is implied as the refuge in Pati (Shiva/Mahākāla), who alone transcends and masters Time.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By highlighting Kāla’s power to bind, the narrative points to Shiva-tattva as the higher principle—Mahākāla/Pāśupati—who is not bound by time and is the liberator of the soul from temporal limitation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway aligns with Pāśupata orientation: cultivate detachment (vairāgya) and steady Shiva-remembrance (smaraṇa) so the pashu is not overwhelmed by Kāla, recognizing Time as pāśa and Shiva as the sole pāśa-bhedaka (cutter of bonds).