Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 53
Kali-yuga Doṣas, the Supremacy of Rudra as Refuge, and the Closure of the Manvantara Teaching
मन्वन्तरेषु सर्वेषु अतीतानागतेषु वै / तुल्याभिमानिनः सर्वे नामरूपैर्भवन्त्युत
manvantareṣu sarveṣu atītānāgateṣu vai / tulyābhimāninaḥ sarve nāmarūpairbhavantyuta
Dans tous les Manvantara—passés comme à venir—les êtres sont, en vérité, semblables dans leur sentiment d’ego; et, encore et encore, ils surgissent à travers des noms et des formes variés.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing the interlocutors on cyclical creation and identity through nāma-rūpa
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It implies that what repeats across Manvantaras is the pattern of ego-identification with nāma-rūpa; the Atman is to be understood as distinct from these changing names and forms.
The verse supports a yogic discipline of reducing abhimāna (ego-notion) and practicing viveka (discernment) between the Self and nāma-rūpa—central to liberation-oriented Yoga and the Kurma Purana’s ascetic-ethical trajectory.
By emphasizing a single metaphysical principle beyond nāma-rūpa and cyclic manifestation, it aligns with the Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the Supreme Lord spoken of by Vishnu (Kurma) is the same highest reality revered in Shaiva and Vaishnava frames.