Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 12
कालमान-निर्णयः
Determination of the Measures of Time
पूर्वं कृतयुगं नाम ततस्त्रेता विधीयते । द्वापरं च कलिश्चैव युगान्येतानि कृत्स्नशः
pūrvaṃ kṛtayugaṃ nāma tatastretā vidhīyate | dvāparaṃ ca kaliścaiva yugānyetāni kṛtsnaśaḥ
D’abord vient l’âge nommé Kṛta (Satya-yuga) ; ensuite est institué Tretā. Puis viennent Dvāpara et aussi Kali : tels sont, dans leur totalité, les yuga.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Cosmic Event: yuga-cycle (caturyuga sequence)
FAQs
It frames cosmic time as a dharmic cycle—Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali—within which the soul (paśu) remains bound by pāśa until liberated by the grace of Pati (Śiva). Knowing the yuga-cycle encourages appropriate sādhanā for one’s era, especially steadiness in devotion and inner discipline.
By defining the changing conditions of each yuga, the text implicitly points to stable refuge in Saguna Śiva—most tangibly the Liṅga—whose worship remains accessible regardless of time’s decline. In Kali-yuga especially, Liṅga-bhakti and remembrance of Śiva are upheld as direct supports for purification.
A practical Kali-yuga takeaway is steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with simple Liṅga-pūjā; where possible, wearing rudrākṣa and applying tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as daily reminders of Śiva and impermanence.