Shloka 57
Yuga-Dharma: The Four Ages, Decline of Dharma, and the Rise of Social Order
आद्ये कृते तु धर्मो ऽस्ति स त्रेतायां प्रवर्तते / द्वापरे व्याकुलीभूत्वा प्रणश्यति कलौ युगे
ādye kṛte tu dharmo 'sti sa tretāyāṃ pravartate / dvāpare vyākulībhūtvā praṇaśyati kalau yuge
Im ersten Zeitalter—Kṛta—steht der Dharma wahrhaft fest; in Tretā wirkt er weiter. In Dvāpara gerät er in Unruhe und wird unstet, und im Kali‑Zeitalter geht er beinahe zugrunde.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing the sages/Indradyumna on yuga-dharma (contextual attribution within the Purva-bhaga discourse)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames the changing outer order (yuga-dharma) as unstable across time, implying that spiritual realization of the Self—beyond yuga conditions—is the enduring refuge when social Dharma declines.
The verse itself is diagnostic (yuga decline), and in Kurma Purana’s broader teaching this decline is met through disciplined sādhana—especially Śaiva-oriented Pāśupata-yoga and steady dharma-based conduct (yama-niyama, worship, japa, and inner steadiness) suited to Kali-yuga.
By focusing on Dharma as the cosmic principle upheld by the Lord across yugas, it aligns with the Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: preservation of Dharma is a shared divine function, harmonizing Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva frameworks rather than opposing them.