Shloka 55

युगधर्मवर्णनम् — चतुर्युग, गुण, धर्मपाद, तथा वार्तोत्पत्ति

Devanagari script

वेदशाखाप्रणयनं धर्माणां संकरस् तथा वर्णाश्रमपरिध्वंसः कामद्वेषौ तथैव च

Transliteration

vedaśākhāpraṇayanaṃ dharmāṇāṃ saṃkaras tathā varṇāśramaparidhvaṃsaḥ kāmadveṣau tathaiva ca

Translation

વેદની અનેક શાખાઓ પ્રસરે; ધર્મોમાં સંકર અને ગૂંચવણ થાય; વર્ણ-આશ્રમની વ્યવસ્થા ધ્વસ્ત થાય; અને કામ તથા દ્વેષ પ્રબળ બને।

Word by Word

• वेदशाखा (veda-śākhā): branches/recensions of the Veda

• प्रणयनम् (praṇayanam): producing/propagating/setting forth

• धर्माणाम् (dharmāṇām): of duties/laws/sacred norms

• संकरः (saṅkaraḥ): mixing, confusion, adulteration

• तथा (tathā): and/also

• वर्णाश्रम (varṇāśrama): the varṇa and āśrama system

• परिध्वंसः (paridhvaṃsaḥ): destruction, collapse

• काम (kāma): desire

• द्वेषौ (dveṣau): hatred/aversion

• तथैव (tathaiva): just so/likewise

• च (ca): and

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana’s teaching to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Dharma
• Varna
• Ashrama

FAQs

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

It frames Kali-age disorder—confused dharmas, collapsed social-spiritual disciplines, and the rise of desire and hatred—as the condition in which the soul needs a stable refuge; Linga-upāsanā becomes a direct means to re-anchor life in Śiva (Pati) beyond external confusion.

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

By implication, Shiva-tattva is the unwavering Pati-principle: when worldly structures (varṇāśrama and conventional dharmas) become unstable, Śiva remains the transcendent-ground and liberating Lord who can cut pāśa for the paśu through grace and right practice.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse itself lists symptoms of decline, but its Shaiva thrust points to Pāśupata-oriented discipline—restraint of kāma and dveṣa, and steadfast Śiva-upāsanā (including Linga-pūjā and inner yogic steadiness) as the corrective.