Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 18

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

Devanagari script

सेवन्ते ब्राह्मणास्तत्र स्तुवन्ति स्तुतिभिः कलौ तपोयज्ञफलानां च विक्रेतारो द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

sevante brāhmaṇāstatra stuvanti stutibhiḥ kalau tapoyajñaphalānāṃ ca vikretāro dvijottamāḥ

Translation

Sa panahong Kali, ang mga Brahmana roon ay hahanap ng tagapagtaguyod at mabubuhay sa mga papuring pambola; maging ang tinatawag na pinakamainam na dwija ay magiging mangangalakal ng ‘bunga’ ng tapa at yajña, ituturing ang banal na merit bilang kalakal sa halip na handog kay Pati (Śiva).

Word by Word

• सेवन्ते (sevante): serve/seek service, depend on patronage

• ब्राह्मणाः (brāhmaṇāḥ): Brahmins

• तत्र (tatra): there/in that condition

• स्तुवन्ति (stuvanti): they praise/flatter

• स्तुतिभिः (stutibhiḥ): with eulogies/praises

• कलौ (kalau): in Kali(-yuga)

• तपो-यज्ञ-फलानाम् (tapo-yajña-phalānām): of the fruits of austerity and sacrifice

• च (ca): and

• विक्रेतारः (vikretāraḥ): sellers/traffickers

• द्विजोत्तमाः (dvijottamāḥ): the ‘best’ among the twice-born (used here with irony).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)

FAQs

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

It warns that Kali-yuga religion becomes transactional—praise and ritual are performed for payment—whereas Linga-worship is meant to be niṣkāma (non-commercial) devotion to Pati, not the sale of ‘merit’.

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

By implication it points to Śiva as Pati—the Lord who cannot be bought by traded ritual results; Shiva-tattva is approached through sincerity, purity, and inner surrender rather than commodified tapas or yajña.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It references tapas (austerity) and yajña (sacrifice) and cautions against treating their phala (results) as saleable; the Shaiva takeaway is to align practice with liberation of the paśu from pāśa through authentic devotion and discipline, not marketplace spirituality.