Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 51
Yuga-Dharma: The Four Ages, Decline of Dharma, and the Rise of Social Order
ऋषिपुत्रैः पुनर्भेदाद् भिद्यन्ते दृष्टिविभ्रमैः / मन्त्रब्राह्मणविन्यासैः स्वरवर्णविपर्ययैः
ṛṣiputraiḥ punarbhedād bhidyante dṛṣṭivibhramaiḥ / mantrabrāhmaṇavinyāsaiḥ svaravarṇaviparyayaiḥ
De nouveau, par de nouvelles divisions opérées par les fils des ṛṣi, les traditions se morcellent : par des égarements de compréhension, par l’altération de l’agencement des parties mantra et brāhmaṇa, et par des inversions et fautes d’accent et de phonèmes.
Sūta (narrator) conveying the Purāṇic teaching on Veda-preservation within the sages’ discourse
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it emphasizes that spiritual authority depends on precise śabda (revealed sound). When understanding and recitation are distorted, seekers may mistake the teaching; thus clarity in transmitted wisdom supports right knowledge that culminates in realization of the Self.
It points to śabda-sādhana as a discipline: careful Vedic study, correct chanting with svara, and orderly vinyāsa. In the Kurma Purana’s broader śaiva–vaiṣṇava synthesis, such purity of speech supports mantra-japa and contemplative steadiness required for Yoga.
Not by naming them, but by reinforcing a shared Purāṇic principle: both Śaiva (e.g., Pāśupata) and Vaiṣṇava paths rely on faithful transmission of mantra and meaning; unity is protected when sacred sound and doctrine are preserved without distortion.