Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 32

Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti

Devanagari script

ततः कालवशात् तासां रागद्वेषादिको ऽभवत् / अधर्मो मुनिशार्दूलाः स्वधर्मप्रतिबन्धकः

Transliteration

tataḥ kālavaśāt tāsāṃ rāgadveṣādiko 'bhavat / adharmo muniśārdūlāḥ svadharmapratibandhakaḥ

Translation

ثمّ، بقهر الزمان، نشأت فيهم الشهوةُ (rāga) والبغضاءُ (dveṣa) وما شابه؛ وظهر الأدهرما (Adharma)—يا معشرَ الحكماء، يا نمورَ المونِيّين—قوّةً تعوق سْفَدْهَرْمَا المرء، أي دهرمَه المعيَّن له.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Kāla/Anvaya (अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रम/हेतुवाचक अव्यय)

• kāla-vaśāt: due to the sway of time
• kāla-vaśāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative (पञ्चमी/5), Singular; तत्पुरुषः ‘कालस्य वशः’ → ‘by the power of time’

• tāsām: of them
• tāsām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Plural

• rāga-dveṣa-ādikaḥ: attachment, aversion, etc.
• rāga-dveṣa-ādikaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāga (प्रातिपदिक) + dveṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative/1, Singular; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः with ādi as ‘etc.’; collective singular

• abhavat: arose/occurred
• abhavat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: Luṅ (लुङ्, aorist), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• adharmaḥ: unrighteousness
• adharmaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative/1, Singular

• muni-śārdūlāḥ: O best of sages
• muni-śārdūlāḥ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + śārdūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (सम्बोधन/8), Plural; तत्पुरुषः ‘मुनीनां शार्दूलाः’ (O tigers among sages)

• svadharma-pratibandhakaḥ: obstructing one’s own duty
• svadharma-pratibandhakaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + pratibandhaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative/1, Singular; तत्पुरुषः ‘स्वधर्मस्य प्रतिबन्धकः’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic discourse tradition; sages addressed as 'muniśārdūlāḥ')

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Characters & Entities

• Kāla (Time)
• Dharma
• Adharma
• Rāga
• Dveṣa

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

Indirectly: it describes rāga and dveṣa as time-born disturbances that obstruct svadharma; by implication, the Atman is to be known as distinct from these fluctuating afflictions that cloud right discernment.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

This verse points to the yogic task of restraining rāga-dveṣa (the primary mental opposites) so svadharma can function unobstructed—an ethical foundation that later supports Kurma Purana themes like Pāśupata-oriented discipline, steadiness of mind, and purification.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

Not explicitly; it prepares the shared doctrinal ground of the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis: both traditions prescribe conquering rāga-dveṣa and restoring dharma as prerequisites for realizing the one Supreme (Īśvara) beyond sectarian division.