Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3
Time-Reckoning (Kāla-gaṇanā): Yugas, Manvantaras, Kalpas, and Prākṛta Pralaya
निजेन तस्य मानेन आयुर्वर्षशतं स्मृतम् / तत् पराख्यं तदर्धं च परार्धमभिदीयते
nijena tasya mānena āyurvarṣaśataṃ smṛtam / tat parākhyaṃ tadardhaṃ ca parārdhamabhidīyate
அதன் சொந்த அளவின்படி அதன் ஆயுள் நூறு ஆண்டுகள் என நினைவில் கூறப்படுகிறது. அது ‘பர’ எனப்படும்; அதன் பாதி ‘ததர்த’, அதன் மேலும் பாதி ‘பரார்த’ என்று சொல்லப்படுகிறது।
Sūta (narrator) conveying Purāṇic time-measure doctrine to the sages
Primary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: by defining precise measures of time and lifespan, the text contrasts the measurable (kāla-bound life) with the implied transcendent reality that Yoga and jñāna aim to realize beyond time.
No specific practice is prescribed in this verse; it supplies the cosmological/time framework that supports disciplined sādhana—valuing human life-span and structuring vrata, japa, and yogic effort within a clear sense of kāla.
It does not explicitly mention Shiva or Vishnu; however, Kurma Purana’s shared cosmological vocabulary is part of the broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where the same kāla-tattva order underlies devotion and Yoga directed to Īśvara.