Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 66
Dakṣa’s Progeny, Nṛsiṃha–Varāha Avatāras, and Andhaka’s Defeat
Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis
कथं देवो महादेवः शाश्वतः कालवर्जितः / कालेन हन्यते विष्णुः कालात्मा कालरूपधृक्
kathaṃ devo mahādevaḥ śāśvataḥ kālavarjitaḥ / kālena hanyate viṣṇuḥ kālātmā kālarūpadhṛk
How is Mahādeva, the Great Lord, eternal and beyond Time—yet Viṣṇu, whose very essence is Time and who bears the form of Time, is said to be struck down by Time?
A questioning sage (inquiry within the Kurma Purana dialogue frame)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It raises the key metaphysical problem of how the truly eternal (beyond kāla) can be described with time-bound predicates like “slain,” pushing the reader toward the distinction between the timeless Self and time-governed manifestations.
This verse functions as viveka (discriminative inquiry): a contemplative analysis of kāla versus the kāla-transcendent reality, which supports yogic detachment from temporality and identification with the timeless principle.
By juxtaposing Śiva as beyond time and Viṣṇu as time-embodied, it frames complementary aspects of one supreme reality—transcendence and immanence—typical of the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.