Shloka 45

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

Devanagari script

तस्मादायुर्बलं रूपं कलिं प्राप्य प्रहीयते तदा त्वल्पेन कालेन सिद्धिं गच्छन्ति मानवाः

Transliteration

tasmādāyurbalaṃ rūpaṃ kaliṃ prāpya prahīyate tadā tvalpena kālena siddhiṃ gacchanti mānavāḥ

Translation

Therefore, with the coming of the Kali-yuga, lifespan, strength, and bodily beauty decline. Yet in that very age, human beings can attain siddhi—spiritual accomplishment—within a short time, through concentrated devotion to Pati (Lord Śiva) and the disciplines that cut the pāśa binding the paśu (the individual soul).

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore

• आयुः: lifespan

• बलम्: strength

• रूपम्: form/beauty

• कलिम्: Kali-yuga

• प्राप्य: having reached/upon the arrival of

• प्रहीयते: diminishes/declines

• तदा: then/in that time

• तु: however/indeed

• अल्पेन: by a little/short

• कालेन: time

• सिद्धिम्: siddhi, spiritual attainment

• गच्छन्ति: attain/go to

• मानवाः: human beings

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

FAQs

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

It frames Kali-yuga as materially degenerative yet spiritually efficient: sincere Linga-centered devotion and Shaiva sadhana can yield rapid siddhi even when human vitality declines.

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

By implication, Shiva as Pati remains unchanged across yugas and is accessible even in Kali; the soul (pashu) can quickly move toward perfection by turning to Him and loosening bondage (pasha).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A general emphasis on time-efficient Kali-yuga sadhana—devotion (bhakti) and disciplined Shaiva practice aligned with Pashupata-style inner purification—rather than a specific single rite.