Shloka 12
Kali-yuga Doṣas, the Supremacy of Rudra as Refuge, and the Closure of the Manvantara Teaching
अट्टशूला जनपदाः शिवशूलाश्चतुष्पथाः / प्रमदाः केशशूलिन्यो भविष्यन्ति कलौ युगे
aṭṭaśūlā janapadāḥ śivaśūlāścatuṣpathāḥ / pramadāḥ keśaśūlinyo bhaviṣyanti kalau yuge
कलियुगे जनपदाः अट्टशूलाः; चतुष्पथाः शिवशूलैः चिह्निताः; प्रमदाः केशशूलिन्यो भविष्यन्ति।
Suta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s account to the sages at Naimisharanya, describing Kali-yuga portents)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
This verse does not directly teach Atman-doctrine; it functions as a diagnostic of Kali-yuga suffering, implying that when dharma and inner discipline decline, embodied life becomes dominated by duḥkha rather than Self-knowledge.
No specific practice is named in this line; as a Kali-yuga warning, it indirectly supports the Kurma Purana’s broader emphasis on sādhana—self-restraint, purity, and devotion to Ishvara (often framed through Shaiva-Vaishnava harmony and Pashupata-oriented discipline) as remedies to degeneration.
By invoking “Śiva’s trident” as a cultural-religious marker within a Vishnu-centered Purana, the verse reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative tone, where Shaiva imagery comfortably appears within a Vaishnava narrative frame.