Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 14
कालतत्त्वनिर्णयः / Doctrine of Kāla (Time) and Its Subordination to Śiva
आयुर्वेदविदो वैद्यास्त्वनुष्ठितरसायनाः । न मृत्युमतिवर्तंते कालो हि दुरतिक्रमः
āyurvedavido vaidyāstvanuṣṭhitarasāyanāḥ | na mṛtyumativartaṃte kālo hi duratikramaḥ
आयुर्वेद जाणणारे वैद्य रसायन-उपचारांचे विधिवत् अनुष्ठान करीत असले तरी मृत्यू ओलांडू शकत नाहीत; कारण काळ दुरतिक्रम्य आहे।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Vaidyanātha
Sthala Purana: Vaidyanātha is famed as the ‘Divine Physician’ who heals the deepest disease—saṃsāra—whereas worldly medicine (even rasāyana) cannot cross death; the verse contrasts human āyurveda with the Lord’s ultimate mastery over mṛtyu through grace.
Significance: Pilgrims seek relief from illness and, more pointedly, the curing of bhava-roga; the teaching redirects reliance from therapies to Śiva’s anugraha.
Type: mahamrityunjaya
Role: nurturing
Offering: dhupa
FAQs
It teaches that worldly means—even the highest life-extending knowledge—cannot conquer Kāla; lasting freedom is sought through turning to Pati (Shiva) rather than relying solely on bodily preservation.
By highlighting the limits of human effort against Time, it redirects the seeker toward Saguna Shiva worship (including Linga devotion) as a saving refuge that leads beyond fear of death and toward Shiva’s grace.
Cultivate dispassion and steadiness in practice—supporting Shiva-upāsanā such as japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and meditative remembrance of Shiva as the Lord of Time (Kāla).