Shloka 43

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

Devanagari script

उपद्रवांस्तथान्योन्यं साधयन्ति तदा प्रजाः दुःखप्रभूतमल्पायुर् देहोत्सादः सरोगता

Transliteration

upadravāṃstathānyonyaṃ sādhayanti tadā prajāḥ duḥkhaprabhūtamalpāyur dehotsādaḥ sarogatā

Translation

Then beings turn against one another and bring calamities upon each other. Life grows short; suffering becomes abundant; bodies decline and disease spreads—these are the pāśa-bonds that tighten around the paśu when dharma wanes, until one seeks refuge in Pati, Lord Śiva.

Word by Word

• उपद्रवान्: calamities, afflictions

• तथा: and thus

• अन्योन्यम्: one another, mutually

• साधयन्ति: accomplish, bring about, inflict

• तदा: then

• प्रजाः: beings, subjects, creatures

• दुःख-प्रभूतम्: abundant in suffering, dominated by sorrow

• अल्प-आयुः: short-lived

• देह-उत्सादः: bodily decline, wasting of the body

• स-रोगता: with disease, diseased condition

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)

FAQs

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

It frames worldly decline—conflict, short lifespan, and disease—as intensifying pāśa (bondage), implying that turning toward Śiva as Pati through Linga-upāsanā is the stabilizing refuge when dharma weakens.

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

By contrast: the verse depicts the pashu trapped in sorrow and decay under pāśa; Śiva-tattva is implicitly the transcendent Pati whose grace and worship free the soul from such conditions.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No single rite is named, but the takeaway aligns with Pāśupata orientation: recognizing bondage (pāśa) and seeking liberation through Śiva-bhakti and Linga-centered upāsanā as the remedial path.