Shloka 28

Adhyaya 4: अहोरात्र-युग-मन्वन्तर-कल्पमान तथा प्रलयान्ते सृष्ट्युपक्रमः

Devanagari script

अशीतिश् च सहस्राणि कालस्त्रेतायुगस्य च सप्तैव नियुतान्याहुर् वर्षाणां मानुषाणि तु

Transliteration

aśītiś ca sahasrāṇi kālastretāyugasya ca saptaiva niyutānyāhur varṣāṇāṃ mānuṣāṇi tu

Translation

The Tretā-yuga is said to last eighty thousand years; and they declare that, in human years, it is reckoned as seven niyutas of years.

Word by Word

• aśītiḥ: eighty

• ca: and

• sahasrāṇi: thousands

• kālaḥ: the time-span/duration

• tretā-yugasya: of the Tretā-yuga

• ca: and

• sapta: seven

• eva: indeed/only

• niyutāni: niyutas (a large numerical unit)

• āhuḥ: they say/declare

• varṣāṇām: of years

• mānuṣāṇi: human (years)

• tu: indeed/however

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

By defining the vast span of the Tretā-yuga, the verse trains the devotee to see time (kāla) as immense and transient—supporting Linga-upāsanā as a refuge in Pati (Shiva), beyond changing ages.

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

Though not naming Shiva directly, it implies a Shaiva metaphysics where kāla is a measurable power within creation, while Shiva as Pati is the transcendent ground—unbound by yuga change that binds the pashu through pasha.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A practical takeaway is vairāgya (dispassion) cultivated through kāla-anusandhāna—contemplating yuga cycles to loosen pasha (bondage), supporting steadiness in japa, dhyāna, and Linga-pūjā.