Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 3
बाणासुरस्य क्रोधाज्ञा तथा अन्तःपुरयुद्धारम्भः
Bāṇāsura’s Wrathful Command and the Onset of Battle at the Inner Palace
अहो मनुष्यो रूपाढ्यस्साहसी धैर्यवानिति । कोयमागतकालश्च दुष्टभाग्यो विमूढधीः
aho manuṣyo rūpāḍhyassāhasī dhairyavāniti | koyamāgatakālaśca duṣṭabhāgyo vimūḍhadhīḥ
കഷ്ടം! ഈ മനുഷ്യൻ രൂപവാനും സാഹസികനും ധൈര്യശാലിയുമാണ്. എന്നാൽ മരണകാലം അടുത്ത, നിർഭാഗ്യവാനും ബുദ്ധിഹീനനുമായ ഇവൻ ആരാണ്?
A battlefield speaker in the Yuddhakhaṇḍa (a warrior/antagonist addressing or referring to the opposing man; narrated in Sūta’s discourse)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Kālāntaka
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord beyond Time who grants refuge from untimely death; the Ujjayinī liṅga is famed as svayaṃbhū and as the protector against kāla-bhaya.
Significance: Darśana is sought for protection from fear of death/time (kāla) and for inner steadiness (dhairya) through Śiva’s lordship over mortality.
Cosmic Event: kāla (death-time) invoked as a personal apocalypse for the opponent
FAQs
It exposes how pride in outer qualities (beauty, bravery, resolve) can coexist with inner delusion (vimūḍha-dhī). In Shaiva understanding, ignoring Śiva as the Lord of Kāla makes one mistake temporary power for truth, leading toward downfall.
The verse contrasts unstable human attributes with the sovereignty of Kāla, which is ultimately under Śiva. Linga/Saguṇa-Śiva worship centers the devotee in the Eternal Lord beyond changing fortunes, dissolving the delusion that mere worldly strength can protect one.
A practical takeaway is daily remembrance of Śiva as Kāleśvara through japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and applying Tripuṇḍra-bhasma as a mindfulness of impermanence and devotion, reducing pride and strengthening discernment.