Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 14
Time-Reckoning (Kāla-gaṇanā): Yugas, Manvantaras, Kalpas, and Prākṛta Pralaya
मन्वन्तरेण चैकेन सर्वाण्येवान्तराणि वै / व्याख्यातानि न संदेहः कल्पं कल्पेन चैव हि
manvantareṇa caikena sarvāṇyevāntarāṇi vai / vyākhyātāni na saṃdehaḥ kalpaṃ kalpena caiva hi
ഒരു മന്വന്തരത്തെ മാത്രം വ്യാഖ്യാനിച്ചാൽ ഇടയ്ക്കുള്ള എല്ലാ അന്തരകാലങ്ങളും വ്യാഖ്യാനിച്ചതുപോലെ തന്നേ—സംശയമില്ല. അതുപോലെ ഒരു കല്പം വിവരിച്ചാൽ മറ്റു കല്പങ്ങളും അറിയപ്പെടുന്നു.
Sūta (narrator) explaining Purāṇic time-cycles in the Kurma Purana’s discourse framework
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames cosmic history as cyclical and pattern-based, implying an underlying, stable order behind changing epochs—an idea later aligned with the unchanging Atman/Ishvara that remains constant through recurring creations.
No specific practice is taught in this verse; it sets a cosmological method—understanding recurring patterns. In Kurma Purana’s broader teaching, such reflective understanding supports viveka (discernment) that prepares the mind for disciplines like Pāśupata-oriented devotion, japa, and meditation taught elsewhere.
It does not explicitly mention Shiva or Vishnu; however, its emphasis on a single archetype explaining many cycles matches the Kurma Purana’s synthetic outlook where one supreme principle (Ishvara) is approached through both Shaiva and Vaishnava language across the text.