Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 22
Naimittika-pralaya and the Theology of Kāla: Seven Suns, Saṃvartaka Fire, Flood, and Varāha Kalpa
सर्वलोकप्रणाशश्च सो ऽग्निर्भूत्वा सुकुण्डली / चतुर्लोकमिदं सर्वं निर्दहत्यात्मतेजसा
sarvalokapraṇāśaśca so 'gnirbhūtvā sukuṇḍalī / caturlokamidaṃ sarvaṃ nirdahatyātmatejasā
ثم يصير هو تلك النار التي تُفني جميع العوالم، ملتفّةً في لوالب عظيمة؛ وبضياء قوّته الباطنة يَحرق هذا العالم الرباعي كلَّه بوهج ذاته.
Primary narrator (Purana-vakta) describing pralaya; framed within the Kurma Purana’s teaching discourse (often attributed to Lord Kurma’s revelation in the broader narrative).
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It portrays dissolution as powered by ātma-tejas—intrinsic, self-born radiance—implying that the ultimate reality is not dependent on external fuel or instruments; it is the inner divine power that both manifests and withdraws the cosmos.
While not prescribing a technique directly, the verse supports a yogic stance of vairāgya (dispassion): all realms are burnable and impermanent in pralaya, so the practitioner should seek the deathless Self beyond cosmic change—an underpinning of Pashupata-oriented renunciation and contemplation.
By attributing cosmic dissolution to a single inner radiance (ātma-tejas) rather than a sectarian agent, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s integrative theology where the one Ishvara—revered as Shiva or Vishnu—performs creation, maintenance, and dissolution.