Śveta Rāja and Kāla

Śveta Rāja was a king whose devotion to Bhagavān Śiva was complete. When his life came to its end, Kāla, who is Death in person, came for him. Bhagavān Śiva burned Kāla with his third eye to protect his devotee. The king then asked Śiva to bring Kāla back to life. Yama was given new orders about how his messengers must treat devotees. The Kedāra Khaṇḍa of the Māheśvara Khaṇḍa in the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa tells this in chapter 32.

Śveta Rāja’s devotion

Śveta Rāja’s devotion to Śiva was complete and without any limit. He wore the tripuṇḍra (three lines of sacred ash) on his forehead at all times. He wore garlands of rudrāksha beads. He did daily pūjā to the Śivaliṅga and kept all the Śaiva vratas (vows). He made his whole kingdom a place of Śiva-bhakti. He was a rāja-ṛshi (a king who is also a ṛshi), and he joined his duties as king with his life of devotion. (Chapter 32)

His devotion did not seek gain for himself. He served all beings as forms of Śiva and ruled with perfect dharma. He gave special respect to every Śiva-bhakta in his kingdom and treated each one as a guest of Bhagavān Śiva.

Kāla comes for the king

When the span of Śveta Rāja’s life was complete, Kāla came for him. Kāla is Death in person and the chief instrument of Yama. He came in his fearsome form, with all that death needs, ready to seize the king’s life.

Kāla had come at the time he understood to be right, within the rule of the world that Śiva himself keeps. But Bhagavān Śiva, who as Mahākāla is the master of Kāla, saw Kāla coming near his devotee and was suddenly full of anger. (Chapter 32)

Śiva burns Kāla

Śiva turned his third eye towards Kāla and burned him. Kāla is beyond escape and cannot be overcome by any being. Yet he was turned to ashes by the fire of Śiva’s third eye. The king was saved.

The burning of Kāla was a crisis, because death itself had been destroyed. It was not certain whether death would now stop working in all the worlds.

Śveta Rāja asks for Kāla’s return

Śveta Rāja was grateful to Śiva for his protection. He asked Śiva to revive Kāla, because the world needed death to go on in its cycle. (Chapter 32)

Śiva was pleased with the king’s wisdom and with his freedom from self-interest even about his own life. He revived Kāla.

Yama’s new orders

Yama had seen the whole event. Śiva told him to give new and lasting orders about how his messengers must treat devotees.

• Those who wear the tripuṇḍra, the three lines of vibhūti (sacred ash) that mark a Śiva-bhakta, must never be approached by Yama’s messengers as ordinary mortals are. They must be received with respect.
• Those who wear rudrāksha, the sacred beads of Śiva, are protected from Yama’s force in the same way.
• Vishṇu-bhaktas, who are marked with the tilaka, keep the śālagrāma and are devoted to Bhagavān Vishṇu in his known forms, must also be given full respect by Yama’s court. They must not be dragged to Yama’s court against their will.

(Chapter 32)

Sources

• Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, chapter 32