Shloka 23

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

Devanagari script

साधूनां विनिवृत्तिश् च वेद्या तस्मिन्युगक्षये तदा सूक्ष्मो महोदर्को दुर्लभो दानमूलवान्

Transliteration

sādhūnāṃ vinivṛttiś ca vedyā tasminyugakṣaye tadā sūkṣmo mahodarko durlabho dānamūlavān

Translation

युगक्षयी साधूंची निवृत्ती (वैराग्य) जाणावी. तेव्हा दानमूल असलेला, सूक्ष्म पण महान प्रकाश देणारा विवेक—दुर्लभ—उत्पन्न होतो; तो पशु (जीव)ला पाशातून वळवून पति शिवाकडे प्रवृत्त करतो.

Word by Word

• साधूनाम् (sādhūnām): of the holy/virtuous ones

• विनिवृत्तिः (vinivṛttiḥ): withdrawal, cessation, turning back (from worldliness)

• च (ca): and

• वेद्या (vedyā): to be known/understood, discerned

• तस्मिन् (tasmin): in that

• युगक्षये (yuga-kṣaye): at the end of the yuga/age

• तदा (tadā): then

• सूक्ष्मः (sūkṣmaḥ): subtle

• महोदर्कः (mahodarkaḥ): great illumination/clear discernment (great ‘light’ of understanding)

• दुर्लभः (durlabhaḥ): rare, hard to obtain

• दानमूलवान् (dāna-mūlavān): having charity as its root/foundation

Speaker

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

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames the end-of-age mood as one of vinivṛtti (inner withdrawal), where dāna becomes a foundational purifier; this supports sattva and steadiness needed for sincere Linga-bhakti and Shiva-oriented living.

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

By implying the movement from pāśa (bondage) toward Pati (the Lord), it points to Shiva-tattva as the supreme refuge and illuminator, the goal of subtle discernment that arises when worldly supports collapse at yuga-kṣaya.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes dāna (sacred giving) as a practical discipline and vinivṛtti (renunciative withdrawal) as a yogic orientation—key supports for Pāśupata-style purification and inward turning toward Shiva.