Shloka 55

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

Devanagari script

नात्यर्थं धार्मिका ये च तान् सर्वान् हन्ति सर्वतः वर्णव्यत्यासजाताश् च ये च ताननुजीविनः

Transliteration

nātyarthaṃ dhārmikā ye ca tān sarvān hanti sarvataḥ varṇavyatyāsajātāś ca ye ca tānanujīvinaḥ

Translation

Those who are not truly established in dharma—he destroys them on every side; and he also destroys those born from the confusion of the social orders, along with those who live by depending on them.

Word by Word

• na: not

• atyartham: truly/excessively (in the sense of firmly)

• dhārmikāḥ: righteous, followers of dharma

• ye: who

• ca: and

• tān: them

• sarvān: all

• hanti: kills/destroys

• sarvataḥ: from all sides, everywhere

• varṇa-vyatyāsa: reversal/mixture/confusion of varṇas (social orders)

• jātāḥ: born/arisen

• ca: and

• ye: who

• ca: and

• tān-anujīvinaḥ: those who subsist by them, dependents/followers living off them

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva (Pati) as the purifier of the field of dharma, removing adharma and social-spiritual disorder—an inner prerequisite for sincere Linga-puja and Pashupata discipline.

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

Shiva-tattva is shown as the governing Lord who restrains chaos: when pashus become bound by pasha through unrighteous living, Shiva acts as the cosmic regulator who dissolves those forces that obstruct dharma.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The implied practice is ethical purification (yama-like restraint) as part of Pashupata orientation—rejecting adharma and dependency-based living so that worship and yoga are grounded in sattvic conduct.