Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 53
Kali-yuga Doṣas, the Supremacy of Rudra as Refuge, and the Closure of the Manvantara Teaching
मन्वन्तरेषु सर्वेषु अतीतानागतेषु वै / तुल्याभिमानिनः सर्वे नामरूपैर्भवन्त्युत
manvantareṣu sarveṣu atītānāgateṣu vai / tulyābhimāninaḥ sarve nāmarūpairbhavantyuta
في جميع المَنفَنْتَرات—ماضِيَةً كانت أو آتِيَة—تتشابهُ الكائناتُ في اعتدادِها بالذات؛ وتظهرُ مرارًا وتكرارًا عبرَ أسماءٍ وصورٍ شتّى.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing the interlocutors on cyclical creation and identity through nāma-rūpa
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It implies that what repeats across Manvantaras is the pattern of ego-identification with nāma-rūpa; the Atman is to be understood as distinct from these changing names and forms.
The verse supports a yogic discipline of reducing abhimāna (ego-notion) and practicing viveka (discernment) between the Self and nāma-rūpa—central to liberation-oriented Yoga and the Kurma Purana’s ascetic-ethical trajectory.
By emphasizing a single metaphysical principle beyond nāma-rūpa and cyclic manifestation, it aligns with the Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the Supreme Lord spoken of by Vishnu (Kurma) is the same highest reality revered in Shaiva and Vaishnava frames.