Shloka 32

युगधर्मवर्णनम् — चतुर्युग, गुण, धर्मपाद, तथा वार्तोत्पत्ति

Devanagari script

आवर्तनात्तु त्रेतायां द्वन्द्वान्यभ्युत्थितानि वै शीतवर्षातपैस्तीव्रैस् ततस्ता दुःखिता भृशम्

Transliteration

āvartanāttu tretāyāṃ dvandvānyabhyutthitāni vai śītavarṣātapaistīvrais tatastā duḥkhitā bhṛśam

Translation

Doch mit dem Umschwung des Zeitalters zur Tretā erhoben sich wahrhaft die Paare der Gegensätze (dvandva). Von schneidendem Frost, Regen und sengender Hitze getroffen, wurden die Wesen damals überaus vom Leid bedrängt.

Word by Word

• āvartanāt: due to the turning/transition (of time, yuga-cycle)

• tu: indeed/but

• tretāyām: in the Tretā-yuga

• dvandvāni: pairs of opposites/dualities

• abhyutthitāni: arose, became manifest

• vai: verily/indeed

• śīta: cold

• varṣa: rain

• ātapaiḥ: by heat/sun-glare

• tīvraiḥ: intense, severe

• tataḥ: then/thereupon

• tāḥ: they (the beings/creatures)

• duḥkhitāḥ: afflicted, made sorrowful

• bhṛśam: greatly, exceedingly

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames worldly suffering as dvandva-born bondage (pāśa). Linga worship is implied as the Shaiva remedy—turning the pashu (individual soul) toward Pati (Shiva), who grants steadiness beyond heat, cold, and other opposites.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By highlighting the rise of opposites in Tretā, the verse implicitly contrasts Shiva-tattva as that which is not shaken by dvandvas—Pati, the stable ground of consciousness beyond climatic and mental extremes that bind the pashu.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse points to the need for dvandva-titikṣā (forbearance) and Pashupata-oriented Shiva-upāsanā—discipline, japa, and Linga-pūjā that train the mind to remain anchored in Shiva while conditions fluctuate.