Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
Kali-yuga Doṣas, the Supremacy of Rudra as Refuge, and the Closure of the Manvantara Teaching
इती श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितायां पूर्वविभागे सप्तविंशो ऽध्यायः व्यास उवाच तिष्ये मायामसूयां च वधं चैव तपस्विनाम् / साधयन्ति नरा नित्यं तमसा व्याकुलीकृताः
itī śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge saptaviṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ vyāsa uvāca tiṣye māyāmasūyāṃ ca vadhaṃ caiva tapasvinām / sādhayanti narā nityaṃ tamasā vyākulīkṛtāḥ
ดังนี้จบบทที่ยี่สิบเจ็ด ในภาคต้นแห่งศรีกูรมปุราณะ ในษัฏสาหัสรีสังหิตา วยาสะกล่าวว่า—ในยุคติษยะ (กลี) มนุษย์ผู้ถูกรบกวนด้วยตมัส ย่อมกระทำเล่ห์มายา ความริษยา และถึงกับเบียดเบียนหรือฆ่าฤๅษีผู้บำเพ็ญตบะอยู่เป็นนิตย์
Vyasa
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
Indirectly: it shows that when consciousness is dominated by tamas (ignorance), one turns away from dharma and attacks tapas; the implied remedy in Purāṇic yoga is sattva-purification so the Self’s clarity can be recognized.
No technique is taught explicitly; the verse identifies tamas, māyā (deceit), and asūyā (envy) as major obstacles to tapas and yogic life—implying the Kurma Purana’s broader emphasis on self-restraint, purity, and steadiness as prerequisites for Pashupata-style discipline.
It does not name Shiva or Vishnu directly; consistent with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, it frames a shared dharmic concern: protecting tapas and spiritual seekers from tamasic hostility, a theme upheld in both Shaiva and Vaishnava teachings.