Shloka 5

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

Devanagari script

विप्राणां कर्म दोषेण प्रजानां जायते भयम् नाधीयन्ते तदा वेदान् न यजन्ति द्विजातयः

Transliteration

viprāṇāṃ karma doṣeṇa prajānāṃ jāyate bhayam nādhīyante tadā vedān na yajanti dvijātayaḥ

Translation

विप्राणां कर्मदोषेण प्रजानां जायते भयम्। तदा द्विजातयो वेदान् नाधीयन्ते न यजन्ति च॥

Word by Word

• विप्राणाम्: of the Brahmins (vipras)

• कर्म: prescribed rites/duties

• दोषेण: by the fault/defect

• प्रजानाम्: of the subjects/creatures (people)

• जायते: arises/is born

• भयम्: fear

• न: not

• अधीयन्ते: they study/recite (the Veda)

• तदा: then

• वेदान्: the Vedas

• न: not

• यजन्ति: they sacrifice/perform yajña

• द्विजातयः: the twice-born (dvijas)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

FAQs

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

It frames a dharmic crisis: when Vedic study and yajña decline due to karmic faults, society falls into fear—implying the need to restore purity of conduct and worship, which the Linga Purana later stabilizes through Shiva-centered devotion and right observance.

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

Indirectly: fear and disorder arise from karma-doṣa (pāśa). Shiva as Pati is the transcendent regulator who removes pāśa through dharma, tapas, and devotion—restoring right knowledge (Veda) and right action (yajña).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Veda-adhyayana (Vedic recitation/study) and yajña (ritual sacrifice) are highlighted as foundational disciplines; their lapse signals impurity of karma, which Shaiva practice corrects through purification, observance, and Pashupata-oriented restraint.