Shloka 84

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

Devanagari script

सुखमायुर्बलं रूपं धर्मो ऽर्थः काम एव च युगेष्वेतानि हीयन्ते त्रींस्त्रीन् पादान् क्रमेण तु

Transliteration

sukhamāyurbalaṃ rūpaṃ dharmo 'rthaḥ kāma eva ca yugeṣvetāni hīyante trīṃstrīn pādān krameṇa tu

Translation

幸福、寿命、力量、容貌、正法（dharma）、利养（artha）乃至欲求（kāma）——在相继的诸瑜伽之中，这一切都依次递减，循序而下，每一阶段都减去三分。

Word by Word

• सुखम्: happiness

• आयुः: lifespan

• बलम्: strength

• रूपम्: beauty/form

• धर्मः: dharma/righteous order

• अर्थः: prosperity/means

• कामः: desire/pleasure

• एव च: and indeed

• युगेषु: in the yugas

• एतानि: these

• हीयन्ते: decline/diminish

• त्रीन् त्रीन् पादान्: by three parts/quarters each time

• क्रमेण: gradually/in sequence

• तु: indeed

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames why Kali-yuga practitioners need stronger reliance on Shiva-bhakti and Linga-pūjā: as worldly supports like health, strength, and even dharma decline, the Pashu (bound soul) turns to Pati (Shiva) through devotion and disciplined worship.

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

By implying that all conditioned excellences (sukha, āyus, bala, rūpa, dharma, artha, kāma) are time-bound and diminishing, it points to Shiva-tattva as the stable Pati beyond yuga-change— the refuge when pāśa (bondage) intensifies.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

While not naming a single rite, the teaching supports Kali-yuga emphasis on Shaiva sādhana—regular Linga-pūjā, japa, and Pāśupata-oriented self-discipline (restraint, purity, and devotion) as antidotes to the yuga-wise decline of inner and outer virtues.