Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 4
Time-Reckoning (Kāla-gaṇanā): Yugas, Manvantaras, Kalpas, and Prākṛta Pralaya
काष्ठा पञ्चदश ख्याता निमेषा द्विजसत्तमाः / काष्ठास्त्रिंशत् कला त्रिंशत् कला मौहूर्तिकी गतिः
kāṣṭhā pañcadaśa khyātā nimeṣā dvijasattamāḥ / kāṣṭhāstriṃśat kalā triṃśat kalā mauhūrtikī gatiḥ
Ó melhor entre os duas-vezes-nascidos: quinze nimeṣas são conhecidos como uma kāṣṭhā. Trinta kāṣṭhās formam uma kalā; e trinta kalās constituem a medida do tempo chamada muhūrta.
Narrator-sage (Purāṇic discourse tradition; instructional voice addressing the dvija-sages)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it establishes precise measures of time (kāla-māna), which Purāṇas use as a framework for understanding embodied life, ritual discipline, and cosmological order—contexts in which Self-knowledge is later taught.
No specific yoga technique is taught in this verse; however, by defining nimeṣa–kāṣṭhā–kalā–muhūrta, it supports traditional timing for sādhana (practice), such as choosing auspicious muhūrtas and structuring disciplined routines central to Purāṇic dharma and later yogic instruction.
It does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; it contributes to the shared Purāṇic cosmology where kāla (time-order) is upheld within a unified sacred framework that later accommodates Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis in the Kurma Purana.