Shloka 54
देवस्तुतिः (Devastuti) — Hymn/Praise of the Devas
कालः कलयतां च त्वं दैत्यानां बलिरेव च । किं बहूक्तेन देवेश सर्वं विष्टभ्य वै जगत्
kālaḥ kalayatāṃ ca tvaṃ daityānāṃ balireva ca | kiṃ bahūktena deveśa sarvaṃ viṣṭabhya vai jagat
कलयतां मध्ये त्वमेव कालः; दैत्यानां मध्ये बलिरेव च। किं बहूक्तेन देवेश—त्वमेव जगत् सर्वं विष्टभ्य धारयसि॥
A deva (divine being) praising Lord Shiva during the Yuddhakhaṇḍa narrative, as relayed by Sūta Gosvāmin
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as Time itself: the Lord who measures and ends all measures; the Mahākāleśvara liṅga is revered as the embodiment of Kāla that grants fearlessness from death and the right orientation to impermanence.
Significance: Darśana is sought for kāla-bhaya-nivṛtti (freedom from fear of time/death), stability amid change, and Śiva’s all-pervading support of the cosmos.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: destructive
Offering: dipa
Cosmic Event: kāla-tattva (time as cosmic principle)
FAQs
It declares Shiva as Kāla (Time) and the cosmic support of all existence, directing the devotee to see every power, measure, and greatness as dependent on Pati (Shiva), the supreme Lord who sustains and transcends the universe.
By praising Shiva as the all-pervading sustainer, it supports Saguna worship—seeing Shiva present in a form (such as the Linga) while recognizing that this same Lord simultaneously pervades and upholds all worlds beyond any single form.
Meditate on Shiva as Kāla and Jagad-ādhāra (support of the universe) while chanting the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” optionally applying Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as a reminder that time consumes all, but Shiva grants liberation.