Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 28
Cosmic Realms Above Dhruva, the Pātālas Below, and the Foundation of Pralaya
Ananta–Kāla
तमाविश्य महायोगी कालस्तद्वदनोत्थितः / विषज्वालामयो ऽन्ते ऽसौ जगत् संहरति स्वयम्
tamāviśya mahāyogī kālastadvadanotthitaḥ / viṣajvālāmayo 'nte 'sau jagat saṃharati svayam
เมื่อกาลผู้เป็นมหาโยคีเข้าไปสถิตในพระองค์ แล้วอุบัติจากพระโอษฐ์ ครั้นถึงกาลอวสานก็กลายเป็นมวลเปลวพิษ และด้วยตนเองย่อมทำลายโลกให้เข้าสู่ลัย
Narratorial voice within the Kurma Purana’s cosmology (teaching context traditionally framed around Lord Kūrma’s instruction)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By portraying Kāla as a cosmic force that “enters” and then dissolves the world, the verse implies the Atman/Iśvara stands prior to and beyond temporal processes—Time operates in relation to that supreme ground, which remains untouched by dissolution.
The verse uses Yoga language—calling Time a “mahāyogin”—to suggest mastery and inward withdrawal (saṃhāra). In practice, it supports the yogic ideal of pratyāhāra and vairāgya: recognizing all phenomena as time-bound and cultivating detachment toward the cycle of creation and dissolution.
Without naming either directly, the imagery aligns with Purāṇic non-dual synthesis: dissolution is a function of the one supreme Lord’s power (often articulated as Viṣṇu sustaining and Rudra/Śiva dissolving), indicating complementary expressions of a single ultimate reality rather than competing deities.