समस्तसामान्यतया भीमः कालो महेश्वरः । दृश्यसत्तामिमां सर्वां कवलीकर्तुमुद्यतः ॥ ५ ॥
samastasāmānyatayā bhīmaḥ kālō mahēśvaraḥ | dṛśyasattāmimāṁ sarvāṁ kavalīkartumudyataḥ || 5 ||
Translation
Time, the great Lord, terrible because common to all, is ready to swallow this whole existence of the visible.
Word by word
- samasta
- to all
- sāmānyatayā
- because common
- bhīmaḥ
- terrible
- kālō
- (kālaḥ) Time
- mahā
- the great
- īśvaraḥ
- Lord
- dṛśya
- of the visible
- sattām
- existence
- imāṁ
- this
- sarvāṁ
- whole
- kavalīkartum
- to swallow
- udyataḥ
- is ready
Meaning
Time is maheśvara, the great Lord, the commentary says the destroyer Rudra. It is terrible precisely because it is sāmānya, common to all: it spares no one, so no one is exempt from its fear. And it stands ready to make a mouthful (kavalī-kartum) of everything seen. The verse names Time as a god, not a measure: a power one must reckon with.