Shloka 5

Devanagari script

शक्र उवाच <चतुर्युग> आद्यं कृतयुगं विद्धि ततस्त्रेतायुगं मुने द्वापरं तिष्यमित्येते चत्वारस्तु समासतः

Transliteration

śakra uvāca <caturyuga> ādyaṃ kṛtayugaṃ viddhi tatastretāyugaṃ mune dvāparaṃ tiṣyamityete catvārastu samāsataḥ

Translation

शक्र बोले—हे मुनि, प्रथम युग कृतयुग जानो; उसके बाद त्रेतायुग आता है। फिर द्वापर और तिष्य (कलि) — संक्षेप में ये चारों युग हैं।

Word by Word

• शक्रः (śakraḥ): Indra

• उवाच (uvāca): said

• चतुर्युग (caturyuga): the fourfold age-cycle

• आद्यम् (ādyam): the first

• कृतयुगम् (kṛtayugam): Kṛta-yuga (Satya-yuga)

• विद्धि (viddhi): know/understand

• ततः (tataḥ): thereafter

• त्रेतायुगम् (tretāyugam): Tretā-yuga

• मुने (mune): O sage

• द्वापरम् (dvāparam): Dvāpara-yuga

• तिष्यम् (tiṣyam): Tiṣya, i.e., Kali-yuga

• इति (iti): thus

• एते (ete): these

• चत्वारः (catvāraḥ): four

• तु (tu): indeed

• समासतः (samāsataḥ): in summary/briefly

Speaker

Śakra (Indra)

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Shakra)
• Krita Yuga
• Treta Yuga
• Dvapara Yuga
• Kali Yuga (Tishya)

FAQs

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

By defining the four yugas, the verse frames why Shiva-linga worship is taught as a stable sādhana across changing ages—when dharma declines, devotion to Pati (Shiva) through the Linga remains a direct support for the pashu (soul).

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

Implicitly, it situates kāla (time) as an ordered cosmic principle; in Shaiva Siddhanta, such order is governed by Pati, Shiva, whose śakti regulates cycles of manifestation and dissolution while remaining transcendent to them.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this line; the practical takeaway is yuga-aware discipline—strengthening Shiva-bhakti, japa, and Linga-pūjā as protective sādhana, especially as one moves toward Tiṣya/Kali where pasha (bondage) intensifies.