Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 29
Cosmic Realms Above Dhruva, the Pātālas Below, and the Foundation of Pralaya
Ananta–Kāla
सहस्त्रमायो ऽप्रतिमः संहर्ता शङ्करोद्भवः / तामसी शांभवी मूर्तिः कालो लोकप्रकालनः
sahastramāyo 'pratimaḥ saṃhartā śaṅkarodbhavaḥ / tāmasī śāṃbhavī mūrtiḥ kālo lokaprakālanaḥ
Lui, aux mille puissances de māyā, sans égal, le Dissolveur—issu de Śaṅkara ; sa forme Śāmbhava est tāmasique (liée à la dissolution). Il est le Temps lui-même, régulateur et mûrisseur des mondes.
Primary narrator in the Purva-bhaga (Suta to the sages), describing Rudra/Śiva’s cosmic function in a litany of epithets
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By identifying the Lord with Kāla (Time) and the cosmic dissolver, the verse points to a supreme principle that transcends individual events and governs creation’s withdrawal—an aspect of the one Īśvara functioning as universal regulator.
The verse itself is theological rather than procedural, but it supports meditative contemplation (dhyāna) on Rudra as Kāla and saṃhartā—useful in Pāśupata-oriented reflection on impermanence, detachment (vairāgya), and the dissolution of egoic identifications.
It frames Śiva (Śaṅkara/Śāmbhava) as the divine source of the dissolving power and identifies him with cosmic Time, aligning with the Kurma Purana’s synthetic theology where the one Īśvara is praised through complementary Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava lenses.