Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 22

शिवशङ्खचूडयुद्धवर्णनम् / Description of the Battle between Śiva and Śaṅkhacūḍa

Devanagari script

महाकालस्समुत्पत्या ताडयद्गां तथा नभः । कराभ्यां तन्निनादेन क्षिप्ता आसन्पुरारवाः

Transliteration

mahākālassamutpatyā tāḍayadgāṃ tathā nabhaḥ | karābhyāṃ tanninādena kṣiptā āsanpurāravāḥ

Translation

摩诃迦罗腾然而起，以双手击打大地与苍穹；那一击如雷的轰响，使诸城的古老仇敌惊乱中被抛掷四散。

Word by Word

• महाकालः: Mahākāla
• महाकालः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाकाल (प्रातिपदिक; components: महा + काल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case/nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• समुत्पत्या: by (his) leaping up / by a sudden spring
• समुत्पत्या: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुत्पत् (धातु √पत् with उपसर्ग सम्+उत्; action noun)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), तृतीया (3rd case/instrumental), एकवचन (singular); भाववाचक (action/means)

• ताडयत्: striking
• ताडयत्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ताडय् (धातु √ताड्, णिच् causative)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present active participle), परस्मैपदी, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• गाम्: the earth
• गाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), द्वितीया (2nd case/accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• तथा: also/likewise
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/समुच्चयवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• नभः: the sky
• नभः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नभस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd case/accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• कराभ्याम्: with (his) two hands
• कराभ्याम्: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (3rd case/instrumental), द्विवचन (dual)

• तत्-निनादेन: by that sound/roar
• तत्-निनादेन: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्-निनाद (प्रातिपदिक; components: तत् (सर्वनाम) + निनाद)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (3rd case/instrumental), एकवचन (singular)

• क्षिप्ताः: were thrown/scattered
• क्षिप्ताः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप्त (कृदन्त; past passive participle from धातु √क्षिप्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधेय (predicate adjective)

• आसन्: were
• आसन्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु √अस्)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• पुरारवाः: the city-criers / those who shout in the city
• पुरारवाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर-रव (प्रातिपदिक; components: पुर + रव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case/nominative), बहुवचन (plural)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahākāla

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara

Sthala Purana: Mahākāla manifests as the Lord of Time who subdues death and hostile forces; the Purāṇic Mahākāla motif underlies Ujjayinī’s Mahākāleśvara as the timeless protector who consumes the asuric and the mortal alike.

Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is sought for fearlessness before death/time, removal of calamities, and stabilization of dharma through Śiva’s protective destruction.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: destructive

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: kāla-tattva dominance (Mahākāla motif: Time erupting as a cosmic force)

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla
• Shiva

FAQs

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

Mahākāla symbolizes Śiva as Time and transcendent power: when dharma is threatened, the Lord’s śakti shakes the very “earth and sky,” meaning the inner and outer worlds, and scatters hostile tendencies that oppose liberation.

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

Mahākāla is a Saguna manifestation of Śiva—worship of the Liṅga trains the devotee to recognize the same Supreme Pati who is gentle in grace and fierce in protection, destroying obstacles (pāśa) that bind the soul (paśu).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Mahākāla as Śiva-Time while chanting the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and adopt Shaiva marks like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as a reminder that all fear and hostility are reduced to ash by the Lord’s power.