Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 27

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

Devanagari script

सर्वे वणिग्जनाश्चापि भविष्यन्त्यधमे युगे कुशीलचर्याः पाषण्डैर् वृथारूपैः समावृताः

Transliteration

sarve vaṇigjanāścāpi bhaviṣyantyadhame yuge kuśīlacaryāḥ pāṣaṇḍair vṛthārūpaiḥ samāvṛtāḥ

Translation

在那最卑下的时代，连商贾之众也将行止败坏；又被诸般邪见欺诳者（pāṣaṇḍa）所遮覆——徒具空虚外相之人——以致正法（dharma）晦暗不明。

Word by Word

• सर्वे: all

• वणिग्जनाः: merchants/traders

• च अपि: and also

• भविष्यन्ति: will become

• अधमे: lowest/most base

• युगे: in the age (yuga)

• कुशीलचर्याः: of vile/immoral conduct

• पाषण्डैः: by heretics/false religionists

• वृथारूपैः: by those with vain/meaningless outward forms

• समावृताः: covered/overlaid/obscured

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

FAQs

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

It warns that in Kali-yuga, outer religious display can mask inner adharma; true Linga-worship is measured by purity, restraint, and devotion to Pati (Shiva), not by a fabricated appearance.

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

By implication, Shiva-tattva is the revealer of truth beyond appearances; when pasha (deluding coverings) spreads through hypocrisy, refuge in Pati—Shiva as the inner witness—restores discernment and dharma.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this line; the takeaway aligns with Pashupata discipline—inner ethical purification (yama-like restraint), sincerity in puja, and rejection of counterfeit religiosity.