Shloka 28

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

Devanagari script

बहुयाजनको लोको भविष्यति परस्परम् नाव्याहृतक्रूरवाक्यो नार्जवी नानसूयकः

Transliteration

bahuyājanako loko bhaviṣyati parasparam nāvyāhṛtakrūravākyo nārjavī nānasūyakaḥ

Translation

People will become mutually intent on performing many rites and sacrifices, yet they will not refrain from uttering harsh words; they will be without straightforwardness and without freedom from jealousy. Thus they are bound by the pāśa of inner faults rather than purified by true devotion to Pati, Lord Śiva.

Word by Word

• बहु-याजनकः: performing many sacrifices/rites

• लोकः: people/the world

• भविष्यति: will become/will be

• परस्परम्: mutually/among one another

• न: not

• अव्याहृत-क्रूर-वाक्यः: one who refrains from harsh speech (here: they will not refrain)

• न: not

• आर्जवी: straightforwardness/uprightness

• न: not

• अनसूयकः: free from envy/jealousy (here: they will not be free from envy)

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 warns that outward ritual abundance without inner transformation (control of speech, sincerity, and non-envy) fails to loosen pāśa; true Liṅga-bhakti requires ethical purification alongside worship.

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

By implication it presents Śiva as Pati—the liberating Lord—whose grace is approached not merely through many yajñas, but through the removal of inner impurities that bind the paśu (soul).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It emphasizes the yogic discipline of vāṅ-niyama (restraint of speech), cultivation of ārjava (uprightness), and anasūyā (non-envy) as essential supports to Śiva-pūjā and Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā.