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
Sekali lagi, baginda menguji Rāma, tuan kepada Daśaratha, menurut aturan yang telah ditetapkan. Wahai resi, ketetapan yang ditegakkan oleh Kāla (Waktu) dengan menyamar sebagai seorang muni itu pun dilaksanakan demikian.
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.