Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 26

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

Devanagari script

प्रमदाः केशशूलिन्यो भविष्यन्ति कलौ युगे चित्रवर्षी तदा देवो यदा प्राहुर्युगक्षयम्

Transliteration

pramadāḥ keśaśūlinyo bhaviṣyanti kalau yuge citravarṣī tadā devo yadā prāhuryugakṣayam

Translation

Sa Kali Yuga, ang mga babae’y magiging mabagsik at palaaway, na wari’y ang kanilang buhok ay parang mga sibat. At kapag ipinahayag na nalalapit ang wakas ng panahon, magpapadala ang Deva ng mga pag-ulang kakaiba at sari-sari ang kulay—masasamang palatandaan na gumuho ang yuga sa bigat ng pagkagapos ng pāśa.

Word by Word

• प्रमदाः: women

• केशशूलिन्यः: having hair like spears (i.e., fierce, contentious, weapon-like in demeanor)

• भविष्यन्ति: will become

• कलौ युगे: in the Kali age

• चित्रवर्षी: causing wondrous/strange rains, raining in variegated ways

• तदा: then

• देवः: the Deva (cosmic lord/power governing portents)

• यदा: when

• प्राहुः: they say/they declare

• युगक्षयम्: the decay/end of the yuga

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Kali-Yuga as a time of intensified pāśa (bondage) and social disturbance; Linga worship is implied as a stabilizing Shaiva dharma that reconnects the pashu (soul) to Pati (Shiva) beyond yuga-decay.

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

By contrasting yuga-collapse and ominous portents with the Deva’s cosmic governance, it implies Shiva-tattva as the transcendent Pati who remains unchanged while the manifested order cycles through decline.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No single rite is named, but the verse supports the Shaiva response to Kali: Pashupata-oriented discipline—purification, mantra-japa, and steadfast Linga-puja—to loosen pāśa as yuga-kṣaya approaches.