Shloka 19

युगधर्मवर्णनम् — चतुर्युग, गुण, धर्मपाद, तथा वार्तोत्पत्ति

Devanagari script

वर्णाश्रमव्यवस्था च तदासीन्न च संकरः रसोल्लासः कालयोगात् त्रेताख्ये नश्यते द्विज

Transliteration

varṇāśramavyavasthā ca tadāsīnna ca saṃkaraḥ rasollāsaḥ kālayogāt tretākhye naśyate dvija

Translation

在那一时代，种姓（varṇa）与行期（āśrama）的秩序稳固建立，毫无杂乱混淆。然而，噢二次生者，由于时间（kāla）的合会，法（dharma）的欢悦妙味——神圣的 rasa-ullāsa——在名为特雷塔（Tretā）的时代渐衰而失。

Word by Word

• वर्णाश्रम-व्यवस्था: the system/order of varṇa and āśrama

• च: and

• तदा: then/in that age

• आसीत्: existed/was

• न: not

• च: and

• संकरः: mixture/confusion (of duties/lineages)

• रस-उल्लासः: the flourishing of rasa, joyful vigor (of dharma/sattva)

• काल-योगात्: due to the conjunction/influence of Time

• त्रेता-आख्ये: in the age named Tretā

• नश्यते: perishes/declines

• द्विज: O twice-born (brāhmaṇa interlocutor)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating yuga-dharma to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Time (Kala)

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-worship within yuga-dharma: as Time causes dharmic “rasa” to decline, devotion to Pati (Shiva) and stable observance of prescribed disciplines become essential supports for the pashu (soul) amid weakening social-spiritual order.

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

Indirectly, it distinguishes Kāla’s power to erode worldly dharma from the transcendent refuge of Pati: Shiva-tattva stands beyond temporal decay, while embodied beings experience decline through kāla-yoga and therefore require anchoring in the Lord.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes disciplined varṇa-āśrama conduct as the outer support for inner sādhana; in Shaiva terms, such regulated living becomes a preparatory framework for Pāśupata-oriented devotion and worship that steadies the mind as yugas decline.