Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 20

गणेश-वाक्यं तथा गणानां समर-सन्नाहः | Gaṇeśa’s Challenge and the Mustering of the Gaṇas

Devanagari script

कल्पांतकरणे कालो दृश्यते च भयंकरः । यथा तथैव दृष्टस्स सर्वेषां प्रलयंकरः

Transliteration

kalpāṃtakaraṇe kālo dṛśyate ca bhayaṃkaraḥ | yathā tathaiva dṛṣṭassa sarveṣāṃ pralayaṃkaraḥ

Translation

କଳ୍ପାନ୍ତ ସମୟରେ କାଳ ଭୟଙ୍କର ଭାବେ ଦୃଶ୍ୟମାନ ହୁଏ। ଯେପରି ଦେଖାଯାଉ, ସେ ସମସ୍ତଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ପ୍ରଳୟକାରୀ ଅଟେ।

Word by Word

• कल्पान्तकरणे: at the time of the end of the aeon
• कल्पान्तकरणे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प-अन्त-करण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7 विभक्ति), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (कल्पस्य अन्तः = कल्पान्तः; तस्मिन् करणम्/समये)

• कालः: Time (Death)
• कालः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1 विभक्ति), एकवचन

• दृश्यते: is seen/appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction), अव्यय

• भयङ्करः: terrifying
• भयङ्करः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भयङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1 विभक्ति), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कालः)

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/रीतिवाचक अव्यय (comparative adverb)

• तथा: so
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यालङ्कार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण (emphatic particle), अव्यय

• दृष्टः: is seen/has been seen
• दृष्टः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकाले कृदन्तः; क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), प्रथमा, पुंलिङ्ग, एकवचन

• सः: he/that (Time)
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1 विभक्ति), एकवचन

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6 विभक्ति), बहुवचन

• प्रलयङ्करः: causing dissolution
• प्रलयङ्करः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रलय-कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1 विभक्ति), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (प्रलयं करोति इति)

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Purāṇic account to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Mahākāla

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara

Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord beyond Time: the jyotirliṅga is revered as the axis where Kāla is mastered by Śiva; devotees seek protection from untimely death and the terrors of dissolution.

Significance: Darśana/abhisheka is sought for victory over fear of death, steadiness amid change, and Śiva’s grace that transcends Kāla.

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam | urvārukamiva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt ||

Type: mahamrityunjaya

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: destructive

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: kalpānta / pralaya

Characters & Entities

• Kāla

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse highlights the inevitability of Kāla (Time) as the agent of pralaya, urging dispassion toward transient forms and turning the seeker toward Shiva, the timeless Pati who grants liberation beyond decay.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Kāla dissolves all names and forms, but the Linga symbolizes Shiva as the stable refuge beyond change; worship of Saguna Shiva through the Linga trains the mind to cling to the Eternal rather than the perishing world.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Regular japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with contemplation on impermanence is implied; applying Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) can reinforce the insight that all embodied existence ends in dissolution.