Shloka 44

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

Devanagari script

अधर्माभिनिवेशित्वात् तमोवृत्तं कलौ स्मृतम् प्रजासु ब्रह्महत्यादि तदा वै सम्प्रवर्तते

Transliteration

adharmābhiniveśitvāt tamovṛttaṃ kalau smṛtam prajāsu brahmahatyādi tadā vai sampravartate

Translation

अधर्माभिनिवेशित्वात् तमोवृत्तं कलौ स्मृतम् । प्रजासु ब्रह्महत्यादि तदा वै सम्प्रवर्तते ॥

Word by Word

• adharma-ābhiniveśitvāt: due to obsessive attachment to unrighteousness

• tamaḥ-vṛttam: tamasic conduct/behavior rooted in darkness

• kalau: in Kali-yuga

• smṛtam: is remembered/declared

• prajāsu: among the people/subjects

• brahma-hatyā-ādi: brahmahatyā and other grave sins

• tadā: then

• vai: indeed

• sampravartate: arises/spreads/comes to prevail

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Kali
• Brahma (via brahmahatyā—crime against brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

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

It frames Kali-yuga as tamas-dominated and sin-prone, implying that steadfast Shiva-Linga worship and śiva-dharma are essential purificatory supports for the pashu (soul) to loosen pasha (bondage) in a dark age.

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

By highlighting the spread of tamas and great sins, the verse implicitly points to Shiva as Pati—the transcendent purifier and liberator—whose grace and śiva-jñāna counteract tamasic bondage and restore dharma.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse does not name a specific rite, but its Kali-yuga diagnosis aligns with Pāśupata-oriented remedies: daily śiva-smaraṇa, Linga-pūjā with mantra and abhiṣeka, and yogic discipline to conquer tamas (inertia, delusion) and prevent mahāpātaka-like conduct.