Time-Reckoning (Kāla-gaṇanā): Yugas, Manvantaras, Kalpas, and Prākṛta Pralaya
दिव्यैर्वर्षसहस्त्रैस्तु कृतत्रेतादिसंज्ञितम् / चतुर्युगं द्वादशभिः तद्विभागं निबोधत
divyairvarṣasahastraistu kṛtatretādisaṃjñitam / caturyugaṃ dvādaśabhiḥ tadvibhāgaṃ nibodhata
Mesuré en milliers d’années divines, le cycle nommé Kṛta, Tretā et les autres est appelé l’âge des quatre yuga (caturyuga). Sache que sa division se compose de douze parts.
Sūta (narrator) recounting the teaching of the sages in the Purva-bhāga context
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames the Purāṇic teaching by establishing cosmic time (caturyuga proportions), a backdrop used to discuss dharma and liberation across ages.
No specific yoga practice is taught in this verse; it provides cosmological time-structure, within which Kurma Purana later situates disciplines like Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā, dharma, and liberation teachings.
It does not explicitly address Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it is a technical statement on yuga-measurement that supports the Purāṇa’s broader synthesis by grounding teachings in a shared cosmological framework.