Shloka 54

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

Devanagari script

स हत्वा सर्वशश्चैव राज्ञस्ताञ्शूद्रयोनिजान् पाखण्डांस्तु ततः सर्वान् निःशेषं कृतवान् प्रभुः

Transliteration

sa hatvā sarvaśaścaiva rājñastāñśūdrayonijān pākhaṇḍāṃstu tataḥ sarvān niḥśeṣaṃ kṛtavān prabhuḥ

Translation

Having slain all those kings born of the Śūdra line, he then utterly eliminated every pāṣaṇḍa (deviant, anti-dharma faction), leaving none. Thus did the Lord make them wholly cease, restoring the order that upholds Śiva’s dharma.

Word by Word

• स (sa): he

• हत्वा (hatvā): having slain

• सर्वशः (sarvaśaḥ): entirely, in every way

• च एव (ca eva): and indeed

• राज्ञः (rājñaḥ): kings

• तान् (tān): those

• शूद्र-योनिजान् (śūdra-yonijān): born from a Śūdra lineage

• पाखण्डान् (pākhaṇḍān): heretics/deviant sectarians

• तु (tu): then/indeed

• ततः (tataḥ): thereafter

• सर्वान् (sarvān): all

• निःशेषम् (niḥśeṣam): without remainder

• कृतवान् (kṛtavān): made/did/caused

• प्रभुः (prabhuḥ): the Lord

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Prabhu (the Lord)

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-centered dharma as requiring purification of the social-religious field: removing pāṣaṇḍa (anti-dharma distortions) so that Shiva-pūjā, mantra, and vrata can be practiced in a stable, sattvic order.

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

It presents the Lord as Pati—the sovereign protector who restores dharma by removing forces that bind and mislead the pashu (souls), thereby re-establishing conditions conducive to right worship and liberation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Indirectly, it highlights the Pāśupata principle of śuddhi (purification): eliminating inner and outer pāśa (bondage)—here symbolized by pāṣaṇḍa—so disciplined worship, japa, and Shaiva observances can bear fruit.