Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

उत्सीदन्ति नराश्चैव क्षत्रियाश् च विशः क्रमात् शूद्राणां मन्त्रयोगेन संबन्धो ब्राह्मणैः सह

Transliteration

utsīdanti narāścaiva kṣatriyāś ca viśaḥ kramāt śūdrāṇāṃ mantrayogena saṃbandho brāhmaṇaiḥ saha

Translation

क्रमाने लोक—क्षत्रिय व वैश्यही—अवनती पावतात. आणि मंत्रांचा (अयुक्त) योग झाल्याने शूद्रांचा ब्राह्मणांशी संबंध जुळतो.

Word by Word

• ut-sīdanti: fall into decline, sink down

• narāḥ: people, men

• ca eva: and indeed

• kṣatriyāḥ: the warrior-rulers

• ca: and

• viśaḥ: the vaiśyas (commoners/merchant-agricultural class)

• kramāt: gradually, in sequence

• śūdrāṇām: of the śūdras

• mantra-yogena: by the joining/application of mantras (mantra-practice)

• saṁbandhaḥ: association, connection

• brāhmaṇaiḥ saha: together with brāhmaṇas

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana to the sages at Naimisharanya; contextual description of decline in dharma)

FAQs

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

It frames a Kali-yuga backdrop where dharma weakens and mantra-discipline becomes confused—implying that Linga-puja requires proper niyama (restraint), right transmission, and purity of practice to remain spiritually efficacious.

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

Indirectly: when social and ritual order collapses, refuge is sought in Pati (Shiva) as the stabilizing principle beyond decay; Shiva-tattva remains pure while pashus (souls) become further entangled through disorder and misapplied rites.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Mantra-yoga (mantra application/discipline) is highlighted—warning that mantra without proper adhikara (qualification), guidance, and observance can lead to dharmic confusion rather than liberation.