Kaalabhairava might have some relation with Kaalabhairava temple in Varanasi.
On Wed, 22 Oct 2025, 19:03 Madhav Deshpande via INDOLOGY, < [email protected]> wrote: > ---------- Forwarded message --------- > From: Madhav Deshpande <[email protected]> > Date: Wed, Oct 22, 2025 at 6:26 AM > Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Gayatri mantras to time > To: Nataliya Yanchevskaya <[email protected]> > > > This is perhaps similar to Kāleśvara. The Śiva in Ujjain is called > Mahākāleśvara. > > Madhav M. Deshpande > Professor Emeritus, Sanskrit and Linguistics > University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA > Senior Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies > Adjunct Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India > > [Residence: Campbell, California, USA] > > > On Wed, Oct 22, 2025 at 12:50 AM Nataliya Yanchevskaya via INDOLOGY < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Dear Harry (if I may), >> I don't think you'll find any Gayatri mantra specifically dedicated to >> time, though time may come up in various mantras to Bhairava (like this >> one), Rudra, or Shiva. >> >> I wonder what the source of this particular mantra is? >> >> Regarding kālakāla: It first appears in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (6.2 >> and 6.16) as an epithet of Rudra. However, Olivelle's edition has >> *kālakāra* instead – "the maker of time." >> I suspect *kālakāla* may be a corruption that later shows up in the Śiva >> Purāṇa as an epithet of Śiva. >> >> So in the Upanishadic context, I'd definitely translate *kālakāla* as >> "Time of Time" (meaning Rudra is the lord of time, or "time beyond time"). >> >> In the Purāṇas, it's more like "Slayer of Death" or "Death of Death." As >> far as I remember, there is a Purāṇic story explaining this epithet where >> Shiva burns Kāla—who's clearly Yama, the god of death. >> Generally speaking, unless I'm specifically working with Purāṇic >> mythology, I prefer the translation "Time of Time." >> >> "Death of Time" is, of course, grammatically possible, but it ascribes to >> Rudra/Shiva/Bhairava a function he does not possess. >> >> Best wishes, >> Nataliya >> >> On Tue, Oct 21, 2025 at 7:15 PM Harry Spier via INDOLOGY < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Dear list members, >>> >>> 1) I was asked to find any gayatri mantras to time or that mention >>> time. Does anyone know of any or have ideas about where to look. I've >>> looked in GRETIL and the Muktbodha searchable library but didn't find >>> any. >>> >>> )In the following Gayatri mantra from the internet >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCIGR0cpiyc >>> >>> oṁ kāla-kālāya vidmahe >>> kālātītāya dhīmahi >>> tan no kāla-bhairavaḥ pracodayāt >>> >>> How would you translate kāla-kāla in the first line. Someone suggested >>> "death of time". Is that a possible translation. >>> >>> Thanks, >>> Harry Spier >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> INDOLOGY mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> INDOLOGY mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology >> > > _______________________________________________ > INDOLOGY mailing list > [email protected] > https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology >
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