Shloka 49

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

Devanagari script

युगस्वभावाः संध्यास्तु तिष्ठन्तीह तु पादशः संध्यास्वभावाः स्वांशेषु पादशस्ते प्रतिष्ठिताः

Transliteration

yugasvabhāvāḥ saṃdhyāstu tiṣṭhantīha tu pādaśaḥ saṃdhyāsvabhāvāḥ svāṃśeṣu pādaśaste pratiṣṭhitāḥ

Translation

இங்கே சந்த்யாகாலங்கள் யுகத்தின் இயல்பைத் தாங்கி பாதம் பாதமாக நிலைகொள்கின்றன; அதுபோல யுகங்களும் தத்தம் பகுதிகளில் சந்த்யாவின் இயல்பைத் தாங்கி பாதம் பாதமாக நிறுவப்பட்டுள்ளன.

Word by Word

• yuga-svabhāvāḥ: having the nature of the yugas

• saṃdhyāḥ: junction-periods (dawn/dusk between yugas)

• tu: indeed

• tiṣṭhanti: abide/stand

• iha: here (in this cosmic order)

• pādaśaḥ: by quarters/stepwise

• saṃdhyā-svabhāvāḥ: having the nature of the sandhyās

• sva-aṃśeṣu: in their own portions/segments

• te: they (those yugas/sandhyās)

• pratiṣṭhitāḥ: firmly established/grounded

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmic order to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames time (kāla) and yuga-transition (sandhyā) as a precise, ordered structure—reminding the devotee that Linga-pūjā aligns the pashu (soul) with Pati (Shiva), who governs cosmic rhythms beyond changing yugas.

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

By emphasizing the ordered establishment of yugas and their junctions, it points to Shiva as Kāla-īśvara—Pati who sustains the law of time while remaining transcendent to its divisions, enabling liberation from pasha (bondage) rooted in temporality.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A practical takeaway is sandhyā-oriented discipline—regular worship, japa, and Pāśupata steadiness performed consistently “by quarters” (pādaśaḥ), i.e., with measured daily and life-stage observances that remain stable through changing conditions.