Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 28

Kali-yuga Doṣas, the Supremacy of Rudra as Refuge, and the Closure of the Manvantara Teaching

Devanagari script

निन्दन्ति च महादेवं तमसाविष्टचेतसः / वृथा धर्मं चरिष्यन्ति कलौ तस्मिन् युगान्तिके

Transliteration

nindanti ca mahādevaṃ tamasāviṣṭacetasaḥ / vṛthā dharmaṃ cariṣyanti kalau tasmin yugāntike

Translation

ఆ కలియుగంలో, యుగాంతానికి సమీపంగా, తమస్సుతో కప్పబడిన మనస్సు గలవారు మహాదేవుని నిందిస్తారు; అలాగే ధర్మాన్ని కూడా వ్యర్థంగా ఆచరిస్తారు—అంతఃసత్యం లేని బాహ్యాచారం మాత్రమే.

Word by Word

• nindanti: they revile
• nindanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nind (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Bahuvacana

• ca: and
• ca: Samucchaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• mahādevam: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• mahādevam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (mahān devaḥ); Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• tamasā: by darkness/ignorance
• tamasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• āviṣṭa-cetasaḥ: whose minds are overcome
• āviṣṭa-cetasaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āviṣṭa (कृदन्त, क्त; ā-√viś) + cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi (whose minds are possessed/entered); Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; qualifying implied subject of 'nindanti/cariṣyanti'

• vṛthā: in vain
• vṛthā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vṛthā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण), meaning 'in vain'

• dharmam: dharma/righteousness
• dharmam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• cariṣyanti: they will practice
• cariṣyanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु)
• Form: Luṭ-lakāra (Future), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Bahuvacana

• kalau: in Kali (age)
• kalau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular

• tasmin: in that
• tasmin: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th), Singular

• yugāntike: at the end of the age
• yugāntike: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक) + antika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (yugasya antike = near the end of the age); Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th), Singular; agreeing with 'kalau/tasmin' (locative setting)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing the sages on Kali-yuga symptoms

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Mahadeva
• Shiva
• Kali-yuga
• Dharma
• Tamas

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

By contrasting tamas-driven contempt with “fruitless dharma,” the verse implies that true dharma must be rooted in inner clarity and right vision—aligned with the indwelling Self—rather than mere external acts performed in ignorance.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse points indirectly to yogic discipline: overcoming tamas through sattva—self-restraint, purity, truthful conduct, and devotion—so that practice becomes inwardly transformative rather than an empty formality.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

With Lord Kurma warning against reviling Mahādeva, the Purana reinforces Shaiva–Vaishnava harmony: honoring Śiva is consistent with devotion to Viṣṇu, and sectarian disparagement is portrayed as a tamasic mark of Kali-yuga.