Mahākāleśvara is the third of the twelve Jyotirliṅgas, the self-arisen liṅgas of light of Śiva (a liṅga is Śiva’s sacred sign or form). It is at Avantī, the city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.

Its story tells how the asura Dūshaṇa (Dūshaṇāsura) terrorised the brāhmaṇas of Avantī, and how four young sons of a brāhmaṇa bravely kept up their pūjā to a pārthiva liṅga (a liṅga of earth) even when their lives were in danger. Śiva burst out of the liṅga as Mahākāleśvara and destroyed Dūshaṇāsura. A second story in the same chapters, about King Candrasena, the cowherd boy Śrīkara and Hanumān, shows the power of Mahākāleśvara in simple, everyday devotion. It also holds a striking prophecy of the coming avatāra of Śrī Kṛshṇa.

Location

Avantī, the present-day city of Ujjain (also called Mahākāla-nagara) in Madhya Pradesh, is one of the seven holiest cities of Bhārata (the saptapurī). It is the seat of the Mahākāleśvara Jyotirliṅga. The Kshiprā (Śiprā) River flows beside this ancient city.

The Story of Dūshaṇāsura

The Terror of Dūshaṇāsura

A powerful asura named Dūshaṇāsura terrorised the land of Avantī. He drove out the brāhmaṇas, stopped all Vedic practice, yajñas (sacred fire offerings) and pūjā, and spread fear through the three worlds. The devout brāhmaṇas of Avantī could not leave and lived on under his cruel rule.

The Four Brāhmaṇa Sons

Among the brāhmaṇas of Avantī lived a family with a deep devotion to Śiva. The brāhmaṇa’s four sons, Devapriya, Priyamedha, Sukṛta and Dharmavāhī, had been raised from childhood in complete dedication to Śiva. Even while Dūshaṇāsura’s terror went on, these four young men would not give up their daily pūjā to a pārthiva liṅga.

Every day the four brothers made a fresh liṅga from earth and offered the full shoḍaśopacāra pūjā (pūjā with sixteen offerings) with deep devotion. The presence of Dūshaṇāsura’s army did not weaken their pūjā at all. When Dūshaṇāsura himself faced them and threatened to destroy them if they carried on, the four brothers replied that they would not stop their pūjā to Śiva for any reason.

Śiva Comes Forth

As Dūshaṇāsura moved to destroy the four brothers, the pārthiva liṅga burst open. Out of it came the fearsome form of Mahākāla, “Great Time”, the destroyer, bearing the trident, the skull-topped staff and all the weapons of the great warrior of the universe. In a moment, Mahākāleśvara destroyed Dūshaṇāsura, and the brāhmaṇas of Avantī were set free.

The four brothers begged Śiva to stay at Avantī for ever, to protect devotees and lead them to liberation. Śiva agreed and made his home at Avantī as Mahākāleśvara, the Īśvara who is Mahākāla, master over death and time.

The Story of Candrasena and the Cowherd Boy

Candrasena’s Devotion

The king of Avantī, Candrasena, was a devoted follower of Śiva. He received the gift of a divine jewel (cintāmaṇi, the wish-fulfilling gem), from Gaṇeśa or from a siddha (perfected being). He was well known for his pūjā to Śiva.

The Cowherd Boy Śrīkara

A cowherd boy (gopabālaka) named Śrīkara saw King Candrasena offering pūjā to Śiva with great devotion. Inspired, the boy picked up a stone and began, in play, to offer it pūjā as Śiva. He was lost in a deep and sincere picture in his mind of the pūjā of Mahākāleśvara. His mother called him home again and again, but he was so absorbed in this pūjā of his own making that he did not answer. At last, fed up, she threw his stone away and dragged him home. He was filled with grief, as if the divine presence had suddenly been torn from him.

When night came, Śrīkara fell asleep in his sorrow. He woke to find himself in a divine vimāna (a heavenly chariot or palace), lifted by Śiva’s grace into a state of bliss. When he came back home, his stone had become a Śiva-liṅga, and a magnificent temple had appeared around it.

This story gives the teaching: even untaught, childlike, natural pūjā of Śiva brings full grace at once.

Hanumān and the Prophecy of Kṛshṇa

In this story Hanumān appears as a protector of Śrīkara and his mother. His own deep devotion to Śiva and his service to devotees in trouble are brought out. Through this scene, Śiva gives a remarkable prophecy:

“In the eighth generation of this boy’s lineage, a divine being will be born, one who is supreme and whose worship will sanctify all the worlds.”

This is understood to refer to the coming birth of Śrī Kṛshṇa.

Why It Matters

Mahākāleśvara has two sides, which together show the complete Śiva:

The destroyer of Dūshaṇāsura: the fearsome Mahākāla who comes forth to protect his devotees from terror on a world-wide scale
The kind receiver of natural devotion: as in the story of the cowherd boy, Śiva who answers even the simplest, childlike pūjā

The name Mahākāla, “Great Time”, places this Jyotirliṅga at the heart of Śiva’s role as master of the kālacakra, the wheel of time. In traditional Indian geography, Ujjain is the prime meridian (the line from which longitude is measured), lying on the Tropic of Cancer. This makes the kshetra especially important for keeping time and for festivals tied to the sun.

Sources

Śiva Purāṇa, Koṭi Rudra Saṃhitā, Chapters 16–17