Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
Kali-yuga Doṣas, the Supremacy of Rudra as Refuge, and the Closure of the Manvantara Teaching
इती श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितायां पूर्वविभागे सप्तविंशो ऽध्यायः व्यास उवाच तिष्ये मायामसूयां च वधं चैव तपस्विनाम् / साधयन्ति नरा नित्यं तमसा व्याकुलीकृताः
itī śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge saptaviṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ vyāsa uvāca tiṣye māyāmasūyāṃ ca vadhaṃ caiva tapasvinām / sādhayanti narā nityaṃ tamasā vyākulīkṛtāḥ
Ainsi s’achève le vingt-septième chapitre de la première partie du Śrī Kūrma Purāṇa, dans la Ṣaṭsāhasrī Saṃhitā. Vyāsa dit : Dans l’âge de Tiṣya (Kali), les hommes, troublés et obscurcis par tamas, poursuivent sans cesse la tromperie, l’envie, et même le fait de nuire ou de tuer les ascètes (tapasvin).
Vyasa
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
Indirectly: it shows that when consciousness is dominated by tamas (ignorance), one turns away from dharma and attacks tapas; the implied remedy in Purāṇic yoga is sattva-purification so the Self’s clarity can be recognized.
No technique is taught explicitly; the verse identifies tamas, māyā (deceit), and asūyā (envy) as major obstacles to tapas and yogic life—implying the Kurma Purana’s broader emphasis on self-restraint, purity, and steadiness as prerequisites for Pashupata-style discipline.
It does not name Shiva or Vishnu directly; consistent with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, it frames a shared dharmic concern: protecting tapas and spiritual seekers from tamasic hostility, a theme upheld in both Shaiva and Vaishnava teachings.