Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 15
Yuga-Dharma: The Four Ages, Decline of Dharma, and the Rise of Social Order
वक्ष्यामि ते समासेन युगधर्मान् नरेश्वर / न शक्यते मया पार्थ विस्तरेणाभिभाषितुम्
vakṣyāmi te samāsena yugadharmān nareśvara / na śakyate mayā pārtha vistareṇābhibhāṣitum
Oh rey de los hombres, te diré en resumen los dharmas de las yugas. Oh hijo de Pṛthā, no me es posible exponerlos con amplia extensión.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu), teaching the inquirer (a royal interlocutor) on yuga-dharma
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
This verse does not define Ātman directly; it frames a dharma-teaching method—giving a concise, practical outline suited to human capacity, a common Purāṇic approach where spiritual realization is supported through yuga-appropriate discipline.
No specific yoga technique is named in this verse; it signals a structured instruction on yuga-dharma, which in the Kurma Purana typically includes age-appropriate disciplines such as japa, vrata, dāna, and devotion—foundational supports for later yogic and theistic teachings.
The verse itself is neutral, focusing on dharma pedagogy; within the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, such dharma instructions function as shared groundwork leading toward integrated devotion and yoga rather than sectarian division.