Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 7

Time-Reckoning (Kāla-gaṇanā): Yugas, Manvantaras, Kalpas, and Prākṛta Pralaya

Devanagari script

दिव्यैर्वर्षसहस्त्रैस्तु कृतत्रेतादिसंज्ञितम् / चतुर्युगं द्वादशभिः तद्विभागं निबोधत

Transliteration

divyairvarṣasahastraistu kṛtatretādisaṃjñitam / caturyugaṃ dvādaśabhiḥ tadvibhāgaṃ nibodhata

Translation

In Tausenden göttlicher Jahre gemessen heißt der Zyklus, der Kṛta, Tretā und die übrigen genannt wird, das Vier-Yuga-Zeitalter (caturyuga). Erkenne seine Einteilung als aus zwölf Teilen bestehend.

Word by Word

• दिव्यैः: divine
• दिव्यैः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental, 3rd), बहुवचन; वर्षसहस्त्रैः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• वर्षसहस्त्रैः: by thousands of years
• वर्षसहस्त्रैः: Karana (करण/Measure-instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/अन्वयार्थक (emphasis/contrast)

• कृतत्रेतादिसंज्ञितम्: called ‘Kṛta, Tretā, etc.’
• कृतत्रेतादिसंज्ञितम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (समानााधिकरण/Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत + त्रेता + आदि + संज्ञित (प्रातिपदिक; संज्ञि/संज्ञा + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्तान्त (past passive participle) ‘named’; चतुर्युगम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• चतुर्युगम्: the four-yuga cycle
• चतुर्युगम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन

• द्वादशभिः: by twelve
• द्वादशभिः: Karana (करण/Measure)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश (संख्याशब्द/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (Instrumental, 3rd), बहुवचन; (युगैः/भागैः) इति अध्याहारः—‘by twelve (parts)’

• तत्: its/that
• तत्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विभागम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• विभागम्: division
• विभागम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• निबोधत: understand/learn
• निबोधत: Kriyā (क्रिया/Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + बुध् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) recounting the teaching of the sages in the Purva-bhāga context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Kṛta Yuga
• Tretā Yuga
• Caturyuga

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames the Purāṇic teaching by establishing cosmic time (caturyuga proportions), a backdrop used to discuss dharma and liberation across ages.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific yoga practice is taught in this verse; it provides cosmological time-structure, within which Kurma Purana later situates disciplines like Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā, dharma, and liberation teachings.

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

It does not explicitly address Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it is a technical statement on yuga-measurement that supports the Purāṇa’s broader synthesis by grounding teachings in a shared cosmological framework.