Shloka 67

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

Devanagari script

निर्मर्यादा निराक्रान्ता निःस्नेहा निरपत्रपाः नष्टे धर्मे प्रतिहताः ह्रस्वकाः पञ्चविंशकाः

Transliteration

nirmaryādā nirākrāntā niḥsnehā nirapatrapāḥ naṣṭe dharme pratihatāḥ hrasvakāḥ pañcaviṃśakāḥ

Translation

ధర్మం నశించినప్పుడు ప్రజలు నియమరహితులు, అదుపులేని వారు, స్నేహరహితులు, లజ్జలేని వారవుతారు. ధర్మక్షయంతో సదాచారం అడ్డుపడుతుంది; కాయం-బలం తగ్గి ఆయుష్షు ఇరవై ఐదు సంవత్సరాలకే పరిమితం అవుతుంది।

Word by Word

• निर्मर्यादा: without boundaries/restraint

• निराक्रान्ता: unrestrained/unchecked (not held back by discipline)

• निःस्नेहा: devoid of affection/compassion

• निरपत्रपाः: shameless/without modesty

• नष्टे: when destroyed

• धर्मे: in Dharma/righteous order

• प्रतिहताः: thwarted/blocked (in right conduct)

• ह्रस्वकाः: short/diminished (in stature, vigor, or longevity)

• पञ्चविंशकाः: twenty-five (years of life)

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 Kali-Yuga as an age where the Pashu (individual soul) is heavily bound by Pāśa (shame-lessness, lack of compassion, and moral collapse), implying that refuge in Pati—Lord Shiva through Linga-upāsanā—is the corrective means to restore inner discipline and Dharma.

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

By highlighting the collapse of Dharma and the shrinking of human capacity, the verse implicitly points to Shiva as Pati—the transcendent Lord and source of order—whose grace and governance remain steady even when worldly norms disintegrate.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Though not naming a rite directly, the teaching supports Pāśupata discipline—self-restraint (yama-like control), compassion, and shame/modesty as ethical safeguards—typically reinforced through Shiva-pūjā and steady Linga-upāsanā in Kali-Yuga.