Shloka 47

युगधर्मवर्णनम् — चतुर्युग, गुण, धर्मपाद, तथा वार्तोत्पत्ति

Devanagari script

अन्यथा जीवितं तासां नास्ति त्रेतायुगात्यये हस्तोद्भवा ह्यपश्चैव भवन्ति बहुशस्तदा

Transliteration

anyathā jīvitaṃ tāsāṃ nāsti tretāyugātyaye hastodbhavā hyapaścaiva bhavanti bahuśastadā

Translation

ਨਹੀਂ ਤਾਂ ਤ੍ਰੇਤਾ ਯੁਗ ਦੇ ਅੰਤ ਵੇਲੇ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦੀ ਜੀਵਨ-ਰੱਖਿਆ ਨਹੀਂ ਰਹਿੰਦੀ। ਉਸ ਸਮੇਂ ਵਾਰ ਵਾਰ ਬਹੁਤ ਸਾਰੇ ‘ਹਸਤੋਦਭਵ’ ਜੀਵ ਜਨਮ ਲੈਂਦੇ ਹਨ ਅਤੇ ‘ਪਸ਼ੂ’—ਯਜ्ञ-ਵਿਧੀ ਦੇ ਯੋਗ—ਨਾ ਹੋਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਵੀ ਪ੍ਰਗਟ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਨ।

Word by Word

• anyathā: otherwise

• jīvitam: life, survival

• tāsām: of them

• nāsti: does not exist

• tretā-yuga-atyaye: at the end of the Tretā-yuga

• hasta-udbhavāḥ: hand-born, arising from the hand (lit.)

• hi: indeed

• apaś: non-pashu / not fit for the sacrificial-pashu category (contextual)

• ca eva: and also

• bhavanti: become, arise

• bahuśaḥ: many times, repeatedly

• tadā: then

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya; contextual attribution)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-centered Shaiva teaching within yuga-cycles: when worldly orders destabilize at yuga-ends, refuge is sought in Pati (Shiva), whose Linga is the stable sign of transcendence beyond changing creation.

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

By implication, Shiva-tattva stands beyond cyclical dissolution and irregular births; as Pati, Shiva remains the constant governor of pashu (souls) amid shifting embodiments and karmic conditions.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse points to the breakdown of sacrificial classifications (pashu/apaś) at yuga transitions, implying the need for Shaiva sadhana—especially Pashupata-aligned discipline and Linga-puja—as a reliable path when external ritual order becomes unstable.