Shloka 31
विशेषतः कलौ व्यास पुराणश्रवणादृते । परो धर्मो न पुंसां हि मुक्तिध्यानपरः स्मृतः
viśeṣataḥ kalau vyāsa purāṇaśravaṇādṛte | paro dharmo na puṃsāṃ hi muktidhyānaparaḥ smṛtaḥ
Especially in the Kali age, O Vyāsa, apart from hearing the Purāṇas, no higher dharma for human beings is remembered—one devoted to meditation upon liberation (mokṣa).
Lord Shiva (instructing Vyasa within the Umāsaṃhitā discourse)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Not a site-specific (sthāna) passage; it frames Kali-yuga upāya: śravaṇa of Vyāsa’s Purāṇas as a direct means toward mokṣa-oriented contemplation.
Significance: Positions Purāṇa-śravaṇa as a Kali-yuga accessible sādhana that ripens viveka and bhakti, functioning as a grace-channel (anugraha) toward liberation.
Cosmic Event: Kali-yuga (degenerate age) as the governing dharma-context
FAQs
It declares that in Kali Yuga, sincere listening to Purāṇic teachings is a foremost dharma because it turns the mind toward mokṣa—steady contemplation on liberation and the Lord as Pati (the liberator).
Purāṇa-śravaṇa transmits the glory, forms, and disciplines of Saguna Shiva (including Linga worship), which purifies the soul’s bonds (pāśa) and stabilizes devotion and right understanding that culminate in liberation.
The verse emphasizes śravaṇa (listening) as a primary practice in Kali Yuga, to be paired with mokṣa-oriented dhyāna—regular contemplation on Shiva’s liberating nature, supported by daily worship as taught in the Purāṇas.