अस्यावश्यकत्वे हेतुःWhy they are needed
Verse 12
कलावन्नगतप्राणाः मानवा हीनतेजसः । तेषां हिताय कल्याणि कुलधर्मो निरूपितः ॥ १२ ॥
kalāvannagataprāṇāḥ mānavā hīnatējasaḥ | tēṣāṁ hitāya kalyāṇi kuladharmō nirūpitaḥ || 12 ||
Translation
In the Kali age men live on food and their vigour is small; for their good, auspicious one, the kula-dharma has been taught.
Word by word
- kalau
- (kalau) in the Kali age
- anna
- in food
- gata
- resting
- prāṇāḥ
- (prāṇāḥ) whose life
- mānavāḥ
- (mānavāḥ) men
- hīna
- weak
- tējasaḥ
- (tejasaḥ) in vigour
- tēṣāṁ
- their
- hitāya
- for the good
- kalyāṇi
- O auspicious one
- kula
- the kula
- dharmaḥ
- (dharmaḥ) dharma
- nirūpitaḥ
- has been taught
Meaning
"Annagata-prāṇa", whose life rests in food, is the classic description of beings of the Kali age: their life depends wholly on what they eat, and their tejas, the fiery energy needed for long austerities, is weak. For such people the kula-dharma, the way of the Kaulas set out in this Tantra, has been given. It asks less of the body and more of devotion and knowledge.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
See the commentary on verse 10.