Shloka 74

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

Devanagari script

अहोरात्रात्तदा तासां युगं तु परिवर्तते चित्तसंमोहनं कृत्वा तासां वै सुप्तमत्तवत्

Transliteration

ahorātrāttadā tāsāṃ yugaṃ tu parivartate cittasaṃmohanaṃ kṛtvā tāsāṃ vai suptamattavat

Translation

Alors, pour eux, dans l’espace d’un seul jour et d’une seule nuit, tout un yuga fut comme renversé—leur esprit ayant été ensorcelé—et ils devinrent tels des gens plongés dans le sommeil ou l’ivresse.

Word by Word

• अहोरात्रात्: within a day and night

• तदा: then

• तासाम्: of them/for them

• युगम्: an age, yuga

• तु: indeed

• परिवर्तते: turns over, is made to pass/transform

• चित्तसंमोहनम्: delusion/enchantment of the mind

• कृत्वा: having done/caused

• तासाम् वै: truly of them

• सुप्तमत्तवत्: like the sleeping and the intoxicated

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana to the sages of Naimisharanya; describing Shiva’s māyā within the episode)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It highlights Shiva as Pati who governs Kāla (time) and Moha (delusion); Linga-worship is presented as an anchor that steadies the pashu’s mind and helps cut pasha—so time and experience no longer overpower consciousness.

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

Shiva-tattva is shown as sovereign over time-cycles (yuga-parivarta) and as the wielder of māyā that can veil awareness; the same Lord who binds through moha also grants clarity for liberation when approached through right knowledge and devotion.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The implied practice is citta-śuddhi (purification of mind) central to Pāśupata-oriented discipline—countering citta-saṃmohana through japa, dhyāna on the Linga, and steadying awareness against sleep-like tamas and intoxication-like pramāda.