Shloka 25

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

Devanagari script

युगान्तेषु भविष्यन्ति स्वरक्षणपरायणाः अट्टशूला जनपदाः शिवशूलाश्चतुष्पथाः

Transliteration

yugānteṣu bhaviṣyanti svarakṣaṇaparāyaṇāḥ aṭṭaśūlā janapadāḥ śivaśūlāścatuṣpathāḥ

Translation

Al término de los yugas, los hombres se entregarán por completo a la sola preservación de sí mismos. Los territorios se erizarán de tridentes, y las encrucijadas quedarán señaladas por el tridente de Śiva: signos de una era regida por el temor, la violencia y la vigilancia defensiva, más que por el dharma.

Word by Word

• युगान्तेषु: at the end of the yugas

• भविष्यन्ति: will come to be/will occur

• स्वरक्षण-परायणाः: devoted to self-protection/self-preservation

• अट्ट-शूला: bristling with raised tridents (aṭṭa = lifted/brandished, śūla = trident/spear)

• जनपदाः: towns, districts, settlements

• शिव-शूलाः: bearing Śiva’s trident/marked by Śiva’s śūla

• चतुष्पथाः: four-way crossroads/intersections

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames yuga-anta as a time of dharma’s decline and fear-driven living; in such conditions, Shaiva practice (including Linga-puja) becomes a stabilizing refuge where the Pashu turns toward Pati (Shiva) rather than relying only on worldly defenses.

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

By invoking the śūla as a pervasive public sign, the verse points to Shiva’s sovereign presence even in chaotic times—Pati remains the ultimate controller while the world of Pashus becomes bound by Pāśa (fear, violence, insecurity).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this line; the implied takeaway is to adopt Shaiva disciplines—Linga-upasana and Pashupata-oriented inner restraint—to cut the bondage of fear that dominates yuga-anta society.