Shloka 75

Kālajñāna (Knowledge of Time) and Mṛtyu-cihna (Signs of Death): Śiva’s Instruction to Umā

Devanagari script

एतत्ते कथितं देवि कालचक्रं गतायुषः । लोकानां च हितार्थाय किमन्यच्छ्रोतुमिच्छसि

Transliteration

etatte kathitaṃ devi kālacakraṃ gatāyuṣaḥ | lokānāṃ ca hitārthāya kimanyacchrotumicchasi

Translation

O Diyosa, gayon ko naipaliwanag sa iyo ang gulong ng Panahon (kālacakra) na nagdadala sa mga nilalang sa dulo ng kanilang buhay. Sinabi ko rin ito para sa kapakanan ng mga daigdig. Ano pa ang nais mong marinig?

Word by Word

• etat: this (teaching/statement)
• etat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1/2 विभक्ति), Singular (एकवचन)

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन)

• kathitam: has been told
• kathitam: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (कथ् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1/2), Singular; agrees with etat

• devi: O Goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (देवी-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• kālacakram: the wheel/cycle of time
• kālacakram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (काल-प्रातिपदिक) + cakra (चक्र-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): kālasya cakram

• gatāyuṣaḥ: of those whose lifespan is spent
• gatāyuṣaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (गत-प्रातिपदिक, from √gam गम्) + āyus (आयुस्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन); बहुव्रीहि: gataṃ āyuḥ yeṣām (those whose lifespan has gone)

• lokānām: of the worlds/people
• lokānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (लोक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• hitārthāya: for the welfare (purpose)
• hitārthāya: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/अर्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hita (हित-प्रातिपदिक) + artha (अर्थ-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): hitasya arthaḥ (purpose of welfare)

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; interrogative

• anyat: other
• anyat: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (अन्य-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; qualifies kim

• śrotum: to hear
• śrotum: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमुनन्त), expresses purpose/object of desire

• icchasi: do you wish
• icchasi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √iṣ (इष् धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

Speaker

Lord Shiva

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Characters & Entities

• Parvati

FAQs

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

The verse underscores impermanence under Kāla (Time) and frames Shiva’s teaching as loka-hita (for the welfare of all), pointing seekers toward dispassion, right understanding, and the Shaiva aim of liberation through turning to Pati (Shiva) beyond the binding forces.

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

By highlighting the time-bound nature of embodied life, it implicitly directs the devotee to take refuge in Saguna Shiva—worshipped as the Linga—as the accessible form of the timeless Lord who grants steadiness of mind and the path beyond worldly change.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is daily japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with contemplation on Kāla (life’s brevity), supported by Shaiva disciplines such as Tripuṇḍra (bhasma), Rudrāksha, and inward meditation on Shiva as the witness beyond time.