Shloka 12
Naimittika-pralaya and the Theology of Kāla: Seven Suns, Saṃvartaka Fire, Flood, and Varāha Kalpa
ततो भवत्यनावृष्टिस्तीव्रा सा शतवार्षिकी / भूतक्षयकरी घोरा सर्वभूतक्षयङ्करी
tato bhavatyanāvṛṣṭistīvrā sā śatavārṣikī / bhūtakṣayakarī ghorā sarvabhūtakṣayaṅkarī
Dann erhebt sich eine furchtbare Dürre—heftig, hundert Jahre währende—die die Geschöpfe auszehrt, schrecklich und die Vernichtung aller Wesen bewirkend.
Sūta (narrating the Purāṇic account to the sages, describing pralaya-portents)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
By depicting universal destruction as a cosmic phase, the verse implies that embodied life is impermanent; the enduring refuge taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana is the Self beyond change, known through yoga and devotion.
This verse itself describes a pralaya-omen, but its practical implication aligns with Kurma Purana guidance: cultivate steadiness (yoga), restraint, and devotion to Īśvara so one is not shaken by worldly instability and scarcity.
The verse is cosmological rather than sectarian; within the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, such pralaya processes are governed by the one Īśvara—honored as Hari and Hara—whose unified power presides over creation and dissolution.