Shloka 26
Kali-yuga Doṣas, the Supremacy of Rudra as Refuge, and the Closure of the Manvantara Teaching
ज्ञानकर्मण्युपरते लोके निष्क्रियतां गते / कीटमूषकसर्पाश्च धर्षयिष्यन्ति मानवान्
jñānakarmaṇyuparate loke niṣkriyatāṃ gate / kīṭamūṣakasarpāśca dharṣayiṣyanti mānavān
ज्ञानकर्मण्युपरते लोके निष्क्रियतां गते। कीटमूषकसर्पाश्च मानवान् धर्षयिष्यन्ति॥
Suta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s teaching discourse; the verse describes a dharma-decline scenario within the Purva-bhaga narrative frame)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
Indirectly: it warns that abandoning jñāna (inner realization) together with karma (dharma-guided action) leads to tamas (inertia), where life becomes dominated by lower forces; the Atman-centered life is implied as the remedy through awakened knowledge and disciplined duty.
The verse points to the foundational Yogic principle of avoiding tamas through a synthesis of jñāna and karma—steady discipline, purposeful action aligned with dharma, and inner clarity—preparing the ground for higher practices taught elsewhere in the Kurma tradition (including Pashupata-oriented restraint and devotion).
It does not name Shiva or Vishnu explicitly; its Kurma Purana framing supports the text’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis by emphasizing dharma, knowledge, and disciplined action as shared essentials, regardless of whether one approaches the Supreme as Hari or Hara.