Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 10

मन्वन्तर-कल्प-प्रश्नोत्तरम् / Discourse on Manvantaras, Kalpas, and Re-creation

Devanagari script

पूर्वकल्पे परावृत्ते प्रवृत्ते कालमारुते । समुन्मूलितमूलेषु वृक्षेषु च वनेषु च

Transliteration

pūrvakalpe parāvṛtte pravṛtte kālamārute | samunmūlitamūleṣu vṛkṣeṣu ca vaneṣu ca

Translation

เมื่อกัลป์ก่อนสิ้นสุดลงและลมแห่งกาลเวลาเริ่มพัดพา ต้นไม้และผืนป่าถูกถอนรากถอนโคน กระจัดกระจายไปทั่ว

Word by Word

• पूर्व-कल्पे: in the former aeon
• पूर्व-कल्पे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—'पूर्वः कल्पः'

• परावृत्ते: having turned back/ended
• परावृत्ते: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा+√वृत् (धातु) से 'परावृत्त' (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पूर्वकल्पे इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (locative absolute nuance possible)

• प्रवृत्ते: having begun, set in motion
• प्रवृत्ते: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र+√वृत् (धातु) से 'प्रवृत्त' (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (काले/मारुते) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्—'having set in/commenced'

• काल-मारुते: in the time-wind (tempest of time)
• काल-मारुते: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + मारुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'कालस्य मारुतः' (wind of time)

• समुन्मूलित-मूलेषु: among (trees) whose roots were uprooted
• समुन्मूलित-मूलेषु: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+उद्+√मूल्/√मूलय् (धातु) से 'समुन्मूलित' (कृदन्त) + मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीह्यर्थे तत्पुरुष-समासवत् प्रयोगः; 'समुन्मूलितमूल' = 'येषां मूलानि सम्यगुन्मूलितानि'; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; वृक्षेषु इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• वृक्षेषु: among the trees
• वृक्षेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• वनेषु: in the forests
• वनेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Mahākāla

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara

Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord of Time who subdues death; the jyotirliṅga signifies Śiva’s sovereignty over kāla and pralaya, granting fearlessness from time-bound decay.

Significance: Darśana is sought for liberation from fear of death/time, and for steadiness amid life’s upheavals; emblematic of Śiva’s saṃhāra and kāla-tattva mastery.

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: kalpa-parāvṛtti; onset of pralaya signaled by kāla-māruta (time-wind)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It highlights the inevitability of dissolution under Kāla (cosmic time): even mighty forests are uprooted, urging the seeker to rely on Pati (Shiva), who transcends creation and destruction.

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

The Linga signifies Shiva as the stable, timeless ground (Pati) amid changing worlds; contemplating pralaya strengthens devotion to Saguna Shiva while pointing to his Nirguna transcendence beyond Kāla.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with detachment, reflecting that all forms pass under Time; optionally pair with Tripuṇḍra-bhasma as a reminder of dissolution into ash.