Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 31
Incarnations of Mahādeva in Kali-yuga (Vaivasvata Manvantara) and the Nakulīśa Horizon
दशमो ब्रह्मसावर्णो धर्मसावर्ण एव च / द्वादशो रुद्रसावर्णो रोचमानस्त्रयोदशः / भौत्यश्चतुर्दशः प्रोक्तो भविष्या मनवः क्रमात्
daśamo brahmasāvarṇo dharmasāvarṇa eva ca / dvādaśo rudrasāvarṇo rocamānastrayodaśaḥ / bhautyaścaturdaśaḥ prokto bhaviṣyā manavaḥ kramāt
The tenth Manu is Brahma-sāvarṇa, and likewise the eleventh is Dharma-sāvarṇa. The twelfth is Rudra-sāvarṇa; the thirteenth is Rocamāna. The fourteenth is declared to be Bhautyā—thus, in due sequence, the future Manus are spoken of.
Narrator (Purana narrator in the Kurma Purana’s discourse tradition, relaying the cosmic chronology of Manvantaras)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames cosmic order through successive Manus, implying a divinely sustained rhythm of creation and governance within which spiritual realization (Ātma-jñāna) is pursued.
No specific yoga technique is taught in this line; its contribution is contextual—Manvantara time-cycles form the cosmological backdrop against which disciplines like Pāśupata Yoga and devotion to Īśvara are practiced and transmitted.
By listing Manus such as Rudra-sāvarṇa alongside others, the verse reflects the Purāṇic synthesis where cosmic administration is not sectarian: Rudra and the broader divine order function harmoniously within the same dharmic chronology.