Shloka 2

Adhyaya 40: Kali-yuga Lakshana, Yuga-sandhyamsha, and the Re-emergence of Dharma

Devanagari script

कलौ प्रमादको रोगः सततं क्षुद्भयानि च अनावृष्टिभयं घोरं देशानां च विपर्ययः

Transliteration

kalau pramādako rogaḥ satataṃ kṣudbhayāni ca anāvṛṣṭibhayaṃ ghoraṃ deśānāṃ ca viparyayaḥ

Translation

In the age of Kali, the disease of heedlessness prevails; fear of hunger arises again and again; there is the dreadful terror of drought, and the lands fall into disorder and reversal of right order.

Word by Word

• कलौ: in Kali-yuga

• प्रमादकः: causing heedlessness/neglect

• रोगः: disease/affliction

• सततम्: continually

• क्षुत्: hunger

• भयानि: fears/terrors

• च: and

• अनावृष्टि: absence of rain/drought

• भयम्: fear

• घोरम्: terrible/dreadful

• देशानाम्: of regions/countries

• च: and

• विपर्ययः: inversion/disorder/calamitous reversal

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Kali-yuga as dominated by pramāda (spiritual negligence) and public calamity; Linga-worship is implied as a stabilizing refuge under Pati (Shiva) when worldly supports—rain, food, and social order—fail.

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

By highlighting pramāda as the root affliction binding the pashu, the verse points to Shiva-tattva as Pati—the restoring principle of order and clarity who removes pasha (bondage) when the world turns inverted.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse primarily warns against pramāda; the practical takeaway aligns with Pashupata discipline—steadfast awareness, restraint, and regular Shiva-upāsanā (including Linga-pūjā) to counter negligence and fear.