Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 28
Kali-yuga Doṣas, the Supremacy of Rudra as Refuge, and the Closure of the Manvantara Teaching
निन्दन्ति च महादेवं तमसाविष्टचेतसः / वृथा धर्मं चरिष्यन्ति कलौ तस्मिन् युगान्तिके
nindanti ca mahādevaṃ tamasāviṣṭacetasaḥ / vṛthā dharmaṃ cariṣyanti kalau tasmin yugāntike
En cet âge de Kali, à l’approche de la fin du yuga, ceux dont l’esprit est saisi par les ténèbres outrageront Mahādeva ; et ils pratiqueront le dharma en vain — simple apparence extérieure, privée de sa vérité intérieure.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing the sages on Kali-yuga symptoms
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
By contrasting tamas-driven contempt with “fruitless dharma,” the verse implies that true dharma must be rooted in inner clarity and right vision—aligned with the indwelling Self—rather than mere external acts performed in ignorance.
The verse points indirectly to yogic discipline: overcoming tamas through sattva—self-restraint, purity, truthful conduct, and devotion—so that practice becomes inwardly transformative rather than an empty formality.
With Lord Kurma warning against reviling Mahādeva, the Purana reinforces Shaiva–Vaishnava harmony: honoring Śiva is consistent with devotion to Viṣṇu, and sectarian disparagement is portrayed as a tamasic mark of Kali-yuga.