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
Comment Mahādeva, le Grand Dieu, peut-il être éternel et au-delà du Temps—et pourtant Viṣṇu, dont l’essence même est le Temps et qui en revêt la forme, serait-il dit frappé et abattu par le Temps ?
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.