Shloka 53
रुद्राक्ष-माहात्म्य
Rudrākṣa Māhātmya — The Greatness of Rudraksha
एवमाज्ञापयामास कालोपि निजकिण्करान् । तथेति मत्त्वा ते सर्वे तूष्णीमासन्सुविस्मिताः
evamājñāpayāmāsa kālopi nijakiṇkarān | tatheti mattvā te sarve tūṣṇīmāsansuvismitāḥ
ดังนี้กาละก็สั่งบ่าวของตน เมื่อคิดว่า “เป็นเช่นนั้นเถิด” พวกเขาทั้งหมดก็นิ่งเงียบด้วยความพิศวงยิ่ง
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord of Time who subdues death; the verse’s Kāla motif resonates with Ujjayinī’s Mahākāleśvara where Time/Death is mastered by Śiva.
Significance: Darśana is sought for fearlessness before death and the pacification of kāla-doṣa; devotion to Mahākāla is held to grant protection and inner steadiness.
Cosmic Event: Kāla (Death/Time) is shown as subordinate to Śiva’s ordinance—an implicit cosmic hierarchy rather than a calendrical event.
FAQs
It highlights that even Kāla (the force of time and death) functions as an instrument within the higher divine order; astonished silence suggests the supremacy of Shiva-tattva over fear and fate.
In Linga/Saguna worship, the devotee approaches the Lord as the sovereign who governs all powers, including Kāla; this verse supports the Purāṇic theme that refuge in Shiva transcends death’s authority.
Cultivate fearlessness through japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and steady remembrance of Shiva as Kāla-kāla (the Lord beyond Time), especially during Mahashivratri observances.