Shloka 40

युगधर्मवर्णनम् — चतुर्युग, गुण, धर्मपाद, तथा वार्तोत्पत्ति

Devanagari script

अथाल्पकृष्टाश्चानुप्ता ग्राम्यारण्याश्चतुर्दश ऋतुपुष्पफलाश्चैव वृक्षगुल्माश् च जज्ञिरे

Transliteration

athālpakṛṣṭāścānuptā grāmyāraṇyāścaturdaśa ṛtupuṣpaphalāścaiva vṛkṣagulmāś ca jajñire

Translation

Kemudian terbitlah tumbuh-tumbuhan yang sedikit diusahakan dan yang tidak disemai sama sekali; yang tumbuh di desa dan yang lahir di rimba—empat belas golongan semuanya—berserta pohon dan belukar yang berbunga serta berbuah menurut musimnya. Maka demikianlah alam tumbuhan tersusun menampakkan diri dalam ciptaan Pati (Śiva), menjadi sandaran bagi para paśu yang berjasad, terikat oleh pāśa.

Word by Word

• atha: then

• alpa-kṛṣṭāḥ: lightly cultivated (low-tillage) plants

• ca: and

• an-uptāḥ: not sown / self-sprung

• grāmya-āraṇyāḥ: village (domestic) and forest (wild) kinds

• caturdaśa: fourteen

• ṛtu-puṣpa-phalāḥ: those with seasonal flowers and fruits

• ca eva: and indeed

• vṛkṣa: trees

• gulmāḥ: shrubs/bushes

• ca: and

• jajñire: were born / came into existence

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the creation sequence as taught in the Linga Purana)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It grounds Linga-puja in Shiva’s ordered creation: seasonal flowers, fruits, trees, and shrubs arise as legitimate offerings, showing that puja materials are part of Pati’s manifest grace sustaining embodied beings.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as Pati—the Lord who brings forth a regulated cosmos (ṛtu, seasonal order). This intelligible order supports pashus living under pāśa, pointing to Shiva as both creator and governor of manifestation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Ritually, it points to using season-appropriate flowers and fruits in Shiva-puja; yogically, it supports viveka (discernment) that the world’s ordered cycles are within pāśa and are to be used as aids—not ends—on the Pashupata path toward liberation.