Shloka 37

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

Devanagari script

सुभिक्षं क्षेममारोग्यं सामर्थ्यं दुर्लभं तदा कौशिकीं प्रतिपत्स्यन्ते देशान्क्षुद्भयपीडिताः

Transliteration

subhikṣaṃ kṣemamārogyaṃ sāmarthyaṃ durlabhaṃ tadā kauśikīṃ pratipatsyante deśānkṣudbhayapīḍitāḥ

Translation

那时，当粮食丰足、安宁、健康与力量都变得难以获得，诸方因饥馑之惧而受折磨者，将归投考希吉（Kauśikī）为庇护之所，以求护佑与复苏。

Word by Word

• सुभिक्षम्: plentiful food/abundance

• क्षेमम्: safety/welfare

• आरोग्यम्: health/freedom from disease

• सामर्थ्यम्: strength/capacity

• दुर्लभम्: difficult to obtain/rare

• तदा: then/at that time

• कौशिकीम्: Kauśikī (the Goddess as protective Shakti)

• प्रतिपत्स्यन्ते: will take refuge in/approach

• देशान्: regions/countries

• क्षुत्-भय-पीडिताः: afflicted by the fear of hunger (famine-stricken).

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Kauśikī
• Shakti
• Deśa (regions/people)

FAQs

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

It frames divine refuge as practical grace: when worldly supports fail (food, health, security), devotees turn to the Goddess as Shiva’s Shakti—reinforcing that Linga-centered devotion includes reliance on Pati’s protective power expressed through Shakti.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as Pati—the ultimate protector and sustainer—whose saving agency operates through Shakti (here, Kauśikī), relieving the Pashu (bound souls) from suffering rooted in embodied vulnerability.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) and devotional approach to Shakti; in a Shaiva frame this supports Linga-pūjā with protective prayers for kṣema, ārogya, and subhikṣa rather than a specific Pāśupata yogic technique.