Shloka 42

Adhyaya 4: अहोरात्र-युग-मन्वन्तर-कल्पमान तथा प्रलयान्ते सृष्ट्युपक्रमः

Devanagari script

कल्पार्धसंख्या दिव्या वै कल्पमेवं तु कल्पयेत् कल्पानां वै सहस्रं तु वर्षमेकमजस्य तु

Transliteration

kalpārdhasaṃkhyā divyā vai kalpamevaṃ tu kalpayet kalpānāṃ vai sahasraṃ tu varṣamekamajasya tu

Translation

Quả thật, thước đo thiêng liêng được tính là nửa một Kalpa; vì vậy hãy quán niệm Kalpa theo cách ấy. Một nghìn Kalpa như thế hợp thành một năm của Aja—Đấng Vô Sinh, Chúa Tể siêu việt, là Pati vượt ngoài mọi thời gian tạo tác.

Word by Word

• कल्प (kalpa): aeon/cosmic day

• अर्ध (ardha): half

• संख्या (saṅkhyā): measure/number

• दिव्या (divyā): divine, celestial

• वै (vai): indeed

• एवम् (evam): thus

• तु (tu): and/indeed

• कल्पयेत् (kalpayet): should conceive/should reckon

• कल्पानाम् (kalpānām): of Kalpas

• सहस्रम् (sahasram): a thousand

• वर्षम् (varṣam): year

• एकम् (ekam): one

• अजस्य (ajasya): of Aja, the Unborn (the Lord).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

By defining cosmic time in relation to the Unborn Lord (Aja), the verse frames Linga-worship as alignment with Pati who transcends Kalpa—devotion to the Linga is devotion to the timeless Shiva rather than to transient cosmic phases.

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

Shiva is indicated as Aja, the Unborn—prior to and beyond the measurements of time. Kalpas and their counts belong to creation, while Shiva-tattva stands as the sovereign ground (Pati) by which time is known but not by which He is limited.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed; the takeaway is contemplative discipline (dhyāna/jñāna) central to Pashupata-oriented practice—meditating on Shiva as beyond Kala to loosen Pāśa (bondage) that binds the Pashu (soul) to cyclical time.