Shloka 42

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

Devanagari script

यजन्ते चाश्वमेधेन राजानः शूद्रयोनयः स्त्रीबालगोवधं कृत्वा हत्वा चैव परस्परम्

Transliteration

yajante cāśvamedhena rājānaḥ śūdrayonayaḥ strībālagovadhaṃ kṛtvā hatvā caiva parasparam

Translation

Kings born of Śūdra lineage will perform the Aśvamedha sacrifice; yet, after killing women, children, and cows—and even slaying one another—they will still claim to be sacrificers. In the age of decline, outward rite is severed from the inner dharma that should lead the paśu toward Pati, Lord Śiva.

Word by Word

• यजन्ते: they sacrifice/worship

• च: and

• अश्वमेधेन: by (means of) the Aśvamedha rite

• राजानः: kings

• शूद्रयोनयः: born in Śūdra womb/lineage

• स्त्री: women

• बाल: children

• गो: cows

• वधं: killing/slaughter

• कृत्वा: having done/committed

• हत्वा: having slain

• च एव: and indeed

• परस्परम्: one another/mutually

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

FAQs

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

It contrasts mere outward sacrifice with true dharma; Linga-worship in the Śaiva view requires inner śuddhi (purity), ahiṃsā, and devotion to Pati (Śiva), not ritual performance mixed with adharma.

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

Implicitly, it points to Śiva as Pati—the moral and liberating principle—showing that actions bound by pasha (violence, delusion, rivalry) do not lead the paśu toward Śiva even if clothed in Vedic forms.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The Aśvamedha is mentioned as an external rite; the takeaway is that without Pāśupata-oriented inner discipline—restraint, compassion, and devotion—ritual becomes spiritually ineffective.