Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3

Kali-yuga Doṣas, the Supremacy of Rudra as Refuge, and the Closure of the Manvantara Teaching

Devanagari script

अधार्मिका अनाचारा महाकोपाल्पचेतसः / अनृतं वदन्ति ते लुब्धास्तिष्ये जाताः सुदुः प्रजाः

Transliteration

adhārmikā anācārā mahākopālpacetasaḥ / anṛtaṃ vadanti te lubdhāstiṣye jātāḥ suduḥ prajāḥ

Translation

Im Zeitalter Tiṣya (Kali) werden die Menschen zutiefst elend geboren—ohne Dharma, ohne rechte Lebensführung, zu großem Zorn schnell entflammt und von geringem Verstand. Von Gier getrieben, reden sie Unwahrheit.

Word by Word

• अधार्मिकाः: unrighteous
• अधार्मिकाः: विशेषण (of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधार्मिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (प्रजाः/ते इत्यस्य)

• अनाचाराः: of bad conduct
• अनाचाराः: विशेषण (of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनाचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• महाकोप-अल्प-चेतसः: having great anger and little sense
• महाकोप-अल्प-चेतसः: विशेषण (of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाकोप (प्रातिपदिक) + अल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि (महाकोपः अल्पं चेतः येषां ते)

• अनृतम्: falsehood
• अनृतम्: कर्म (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वदन्ति: speak
• वदन्ति: क्रिया (मुख्यक्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: they
• ते: कर्ता (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• लुब्धाः: greedy
• लुब्धाः: विशेषण (of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लुब्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (ते इत्यस्य)

• तिष्ये: in (the time of) Tiṣya
• तिष्ये: अधिकरण (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जाताः: born/arisen
• जाताः: क्रिया (विधेय/Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जात (कृदन्त, √जन्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle, active sense), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘born/come to be’ (प्रजाः इत्यस्य विधेय)

• सुदुः: very (intensely)
• सुदुः: क्रियाविशेषण/विशेषण-प्रबलक (intensifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दुः (अव्यय/दुष्-भाव)
• Form: उपसर्ग/निपात-समूह (intensifier: very/utterly)

• प्रजाः: subjects/people
• प्रजाः: कर्ता (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) describing Kali-yuga characteristics

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Characters & Entities

• Kurma
• Tiṣya (Kali-yuga)
• Dharma
• Ācāra

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by listing anger, greed, falsehood, and weak discernment as Kali traits, it implies the Atman is obscured when buddhi is clouded; dharmic conduct and truthfulness are prerequisites for clear self-knowledge in the Purāṇic yogic vision.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No technique is named, but the verse points to foundational yamas: satya (truthfulness), krodha-nigraha (restraint of anger), and lobha-tyāga (abandoning greed). In Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-aligned ethos, such ethical purification supports mantra, japa, and contemplative steadiness.

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

It does not explicitly mention Shiva, yet it reflects the shared Shaiva-Vaishnava dharmic framework of the Kurma Purana: the Lord (Hari as Kūrma) teaches universal restraints—truth, self-control, and right conduct—central to both Pāśupata discipline and Vaiṣṇava dharma.