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Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17

Kali-yuga Doṣas, the Supremacy of Rudra as Refuge, and the Closure of the Manvantara Teaching

आसनस्थान् द्विजान् दृष्ट्वा न चलन्त्यल्पबुद्धयः / ताडयन्ति द्विजेन्द्रांश्च शूद्रा राजोपजीविनः

āsanasthān dvijān dṛṣṭvā na calantyalpabuddhayaḥ / tāḍayanti dvijendrāṃśca śūdrā rājopajīvinaḥ

Voyant les dvija assis aux places d’honneur, les esprits obtus ne se lèvent pas par respect. Et les Śūdra qui vivent au service des rois vont jusqu’à frapper les dvijendra, les plus éminents des dvija.

āsana-sthānseated; sitting on seats
āsana-sthān:
Karma (कर्म/Object)
TypeAdjective
Rootāsana (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (āsane sthitān)
dvijānBrahmins/twice-born
dvijān:
Karma (कर्म/Object)
TypeNoun
Rootdvija (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन
dṛṣṭvāhaving seen
dṛṣṭvā:
Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootdṛś (धातु)
Formकृदन्त—क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having seen)
nanot
na:
Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध/Negation)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)
calantimove; step aside
calanti:
Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
TypeVerb
Rootcal (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद
alpa-buddhayaḥthe dull-witted
alpa-buddhayaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootalpa (प्रातिपदिक) + buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (alpā buddhir yeṣām)
tāḍayantibeat; strike
tāḍayanti:
Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
TypeVerb
Roottāḍ (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद
dvija-indrānchief Brahmins
dvija-indrān:
Karma (कर्म/Object)
TypeNoun
Rootdvija (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (dvijānām indrān = best among the twice-born)
caand
ca:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक
śūdrāḥŚūdras
śūdrāḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootśūdra (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन
rāja-upajīvinaḥthose who live by serving the king
rāja-upajīvinaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootrājan (प्रातिपदिक) + upajīvin (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (rājñaḥ upajīvinaḥ)

Sūta (narrating the Purāṇic discourse on dharma and social disorder to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

D
dvija
Ś
śūdra
R
rāja (king)

FAQs

Indirectly: by condemning disrespect and violence, it frames dharma as the necessary ground for inner purification; without ethical restraint, the mind is unfit for Atman-knowledge emphasized elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.

No specific technique is taught in this verse; it supports the yogic prerequisite of yama-like discipline (non-violence, humility, reverence), which the Kurma Purana connects to higher practice such as Pāśupata-oriented devotion and self-control.

It does not name Śiva or Viṣṇu directly; it aligns with the Purāṇa’s broader synthesis by stressing dharma as a shared foundation for devotion to the one Supreme revered through both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava forms.