Shloka 56

अध्याय ९६: शरभ-प्रादुर्भावः, नृसिंह-दर्पशमनम्, विष्णोः शिवस्तुतिः, फलश्रुति

Devanagari script

ध्वान्तोदरे शशाङ्कस्य जनित्वा परमेश्वरः कालो ऽसि त्वं महाकालः कालकालो महेश्वरः

Transliteration

dhvāntodare śaśāṅkasya janitvā parameśvaraḥ kālo 'si tvaṃ mahākālaḥ kālakālo maheśvaraḥ

Translation

ഹേ പരമേശ്വരാ! അന്ധകാരത്തിന്റെ ഗർഭത്തിൽ ശശാങ്കനെ ജനിപ്പിച്ച് നീ തന്നെയാണ് കാലം. നീ മഹാകാലൻ; കാലത്തിനും കാലമായ കാലകാലൻ, ഹേ മഹേശ്വരാ।

Word by Word

• ध्वान्त-उदरे: in the womb/belly of darkness

• शशाङ्कस्य: of the moon

• जनित्वा: having generated/caused to be born

• परमेश्वरः: O Supreme Lord

• कालः: Time

• असि: (You) are

• त्वं: You

• महाकालः: Great Time (Mahākāla)

• काल-कालः: the Time of Time / destroyer of Time

• महेश्वरः: O Great Lord

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a stuti addressed to Shiva within the Adhyaya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Parameshvara/Maheshvara/Mahakala)
• Chandra (Shashanka)

FAQs

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

It frames the Liṅga as the sign of Pati (Śiva) who transcends temporal limitation—worship is not merely for worldly time-bound gains, but for turning the pashu (soul) toward the timeless Lord who dissolves karma and fear of death.

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

Śiva is identified as Kāla itself (the cosmic regulator) and also as Kāla-kāla (the one who overrules and ends time), indicating His supremacy over creation, dissolution, and the bondage of temporality that binds the pashu through pāśa (karmic fetters).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A Mahākāla-centered stuti and dhyāna: contemplate Śiva as the inner governor of time to cultivate vairāgya and loosen time-driven saṃskāras—supporting Pāśupata-style inward worship alongside external Liṅga-pūjā.