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Shloka 15

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

दुः खप्रचुरताल्पायुर्देहोत्सादः सरोगता / अधर्माभिनिवेशित्वात् तमोवृत्तं कलौ स्मृतम्

duḥ khapracuratālpāyurdehotsādaḥ sarogatā / adharmābhiniveśitvāt tamovṛttaṃ kalau smṛtam

کلی یگ میں مخلوق ادھرم میں سختی سے جُڑ جاتی ہے؛ اسی لیے اسے تامسی حالت کہا گیا ہے—دکھ کی کثرت، کم عمر، جسم کا زوال اور ہر طرف بیماری۔

duḥkha-pracuratāabundance of suffering
duḥkha-pracuratā:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootduḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + pracuratā (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (duḥkhasya pracuratā)
alpa-āyuḥshort lifespan
alpa-āyuḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootalpa (प्रातिपदिक) + āyus (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग (āyus), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (alpam āyuḥ)
deha-utsādaḥdecline of the body
deha-utsādaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootdeha (प्रातिपदिक) + utsāda (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (dehasya utsādaḥ)
sa-rogatābeing with diseases; sickness
sa-rogatā:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootsa (अव्यय/उपसर्ग-सदृश) + rogatā (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (rogaiḥ saha vartamānatā)
adharma-abhiniveśitvātbecause of attachment to unrighteousness
adharma-abhiniveśitvāt:
Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
TypeNoun
Rootadharma (प्रातिपदिक) + abhiniveśitva (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (cause: ‘because of’)
tamo-vṛttamdark conduct; tamasic behavior
tamo-vṛttam:
Karma (कर्म/Predicative complement)
TypeNoun
Roottamas (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛtta (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-आधारित)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (tamasā sambandhi vṛttam)
kalauin the Kali age
kalau:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
TypeNoun
Rootkali (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन
smṛtamis remembered/said (to be)
smṛtam:
Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
TypeVerb
Rootsmṛ (धातु)
Formकृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भावे/कर्मणि प्रयोगः (‘is said/considered’)

Sūta (narrator) conveying the Purāṇic description of Kali-yuga

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

K
Kali-yuga
D
Dharma
A
Adharma
T
Tamas

FAQs

Indirectly: it describes Kali as a tamasic condition driven by attachment to adharma; by implication, realizing the Atman requires rising beyond tamas through dharma, clarity (sattva), and disciplined yogic discernment.

No technique is named, but the diagnosis—tamas expressed as suffering, disease, and decay—supports the Kurma Purana’s broader yogic remedy: purification through dharma, self-restraint, and contemplative discipline that reduces tamasic abhiniveśa (clinging).

It does not name Shiva or Vishnu directly; it fits the Kurma Purana’s shared Shaiva-Vaishnava ethic by defining Kali through adharma and tamas—conditions both traditions address through devotion, right conduct, and yoga aimed at liberation.