Shloka 19
Time-Reckoning (Kāla-gaṇanā): Yugas, Manvantaras, Kalpas, and Prākṛta Pralaya
एवं ब्रह्मा च भूतानि वासुदेवो ऽपि शङ्करः / कालेनैव तु सृज्यन्ते स एव ग्रसते पुनः
evaṃ brahmā ca bhūtāni vāsudevo 'pi śaṅkaraḥ / kālenaiva tu sṛjyante sa eva grasate punaḥ
एवं ब्रह्मा च सर्वाणि भूतानि वासुदेवोऽपि शङ्करः। कालेनैव तु सृज्यन्ते स एव पुनरपि तान् ग्रसते॥
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) speaking in a teaching context
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By subordinating even Brahmā, Viṣṇu (Vāsudeva), and Śiva (Śaṅkara) to Kāla, the verse points to an ultimate principle beyond individual cosmic roles—an absolute reality that manifests as Time governing origination and dissolution.
The verse is primarily metaphysical rather than procedural: it supports yogic vairāgya (dispassion) by stressing impermanence under Kāla, a foundation for meditation on the timeless Lord who is understood to preside over (and transcend) time-bound creation and pralaya.
By naming Vāsudeva and Śaṅkara together as equally subject to Kāla, the Kurma Purana presents a synthetic, non-sectarian frame: the great deities operate within one cosmic order, encouraging a Shaiva–Vaishnava unity of understanding.