Shloka 52
दुर्वाससः तपः-प्रभावः तथा देवाः ब्रह्म-विष्ण्वोः शरणागमनम् | Durvāsā’s Tapas and the Devas’ Appeal to Brahmā and Viṣṇu
पुनर्दाशरथेश्चक्रे परीक्षां नियमेन वै । मुनिरूपेण कालेन यः कृतो नियमो मुने
punardāśaratheścakre parīkṣāṃ niyamena vai | munirūpeṇa kālena yaḥ kṛto niyamo mune
വീണ്ടും അദ്ദേഹം ദാശരഥിയുടെ പ്രഭു (രാമൻ)നെ നിയമപ്രകാരം പരീക്ഷിച്ചു. ഹേ മുനേ, കാലൻ മുനിരൂപം ധരിച്ചു സ്ഥാപിച്ച ആ നിയമം തന്നെയാണ് അവിടെ നടപ്പായത്.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Kāla (Time) is identified with Mahākāla, the Lord who subdues death and fate; the verse’s ‘kālaḥ muni-rūpeṇa’ resonates with Ujjayinī’s Mahākāla as the sovereign of time who tests and disciplines beings.
Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is sought for relief from fear of death, karmic afflictions, and for steadiness in dharma under the pressure of time.
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: destructive
Cosmic Event: Kāla as the cosmic principle that governs the unfolding of karma and tests dharma (implicit).
FAQs
The verse teaches that divine tests are not random; they follow niyama (cosmic ordinance). In Shaiva thought, Kāla functions as Shiva’s power, ripening karma and revealing the steadiness of dharma and inner discipline.
Kāla appearing as a muni reflects Saguna Shiva’s governance of the world through intelligible forms and lawful order. Linga-worship contemplates Shiva as the transcendent source from whom Kāla and niyama arise, while devotion steadies the mind amid such trials.
The takeaway is niyama: maintain steady daily discipline—japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), wearing Rudraksha, and applying Tripundra—so that when Kāla brings tests, the devotee remains established in dharma and bhakti.