Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 17
तस्यैव हेतोः प्रयतेत्कोविदो यन्न दुःखवित् । कालेन घोररुपेण गंभीरेण समाहितः
tasyaiva hetoḥ prayatetkovido yanna duḥkhavit | kālena ghorarupeṇa gaṃbhīreṇa samāhitaḥ
اسی سبب سے دانا شخص—جو رنج و الم کا شناسا نہ بنے—پورے اخلاص سے کوشش کرے، اور ہولناک و بے کنار صورت والے زمانہ (کال) کو دل میں جما کر ہوشیار رہے۔
Garbha
Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (frame); verse addresses a didactic audience
Scene: A contemplative ascetic or devotee sits in stillness while a vast, shadowy personification of Kāla looms—cosmic wheel, hourglass, or serpent of time—yet the devotee remains composed, eyes turned inward toward Śiva.
FAQs
Awareness of Time’s power should produce urgency and disciplined effort toward freedom from suffering.
No; the verse is an exhortation to spiritual endeavor rather than a tīrtha-māhātmya.
No specific rite; it prescribes inner striving (prayatna) and collected mindfulness (samādhāna).