Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 46

Yuga-Dharma: The Four Ages, Decline of Dharma, and the Rise of Social Order

Devanagari script

ततस्ता जगृहुः सर्वा अन्योन्यं क्रोधमूर्छिताः / वसुदारधनाद्यांस्तु बलात् कालबलेन तु

Transliteration

tatastā jagṛhuḥ sarvā anyonyaṃ krodhamūrchitāḥ / vasudāradhanādyāṃstu balāt kālabalena tu

Translation

تب وہ سب غضب سے بےخود ہو کر ایک دوسرے پر ٹوٹ پڑے؛ اور زمانہ (کال) کی ناقابلِ مغلوب قوت کے زیرِ اثر زور سے زمین، بیویاں، دولت وغیرہ چھیننے لگے۔

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: सम्बन्ध/काल-देश (संदर्भ/Context)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• ताः: those (fem. pl.)
• ताः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• जगृहुः: they seized/took
• जगृहुः: क्रिया (Kriyā/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सर्वाः: all (fem. pl.)
• सर्वाः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• अन्योन्यम्: one another
• अन्योन्यम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्योन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; परस्परार्थे (reciprocal sense)

• क्रोध-मूर्छिताः: fainted/overpowered by anger
• क्रोध-मूर्छिताः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रोध (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्छित (कृदन्त, मूर्छ्-धातु)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे विशेषणवत्; मूर्छित = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (agreeing with ताः/सर्वाः)

• वसु-दार-धन-आद्यान्: wealth, wives, riches, and the like
• वसु-दार-धन-आद्यान्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसु (प्रातिपदिक) + दार (प्रातिपदिक) + धन (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार-द्वन्द्व/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (enumerative); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ (but/indeed)

• बलात्: by force
• बलात्: करण/हेतु (Karaṇa/Means or Hetu/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेतौ/प्रकारे (by force)

• काल-बलेन: by the power of Time
• काल-बलेन: करण (Karaṇa/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kālasya balam); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) relating the account to the sages (Naimiṣāraṇya frame)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Characters & Entities

• Kāla (Time)
• Krodha (anger)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly, it contrasts the unruled mind—overpowered by krodha and Kāla—with the stable, witnessing Self taught elsewhere in the Purāṇa; when one forgets inner restraint, one is swept into grasping and conflict.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

This verse implies the need for mastery over krodha (anger) and lobha (grasping), a core prerequisite for Yoga: self-control (dama), ethical restraint (yama-like discipline), and steadiness against the impulses that Kāla intensifies in worldly life.

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

Not explicitly; however, by emphasizing Kāla as an overpowering cosmic principle, it aligns with the Purāṇa’s broader non-sectarian vision where the same supreme governance (often articulated through both Shaiva and Vaishnava lenses) regulates creation, decline, and ethical order.