Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 21
Kali-yuga Doṣas, the Supremacy of Rudra as Refuge, and the Closure of the Manvantara Teaching
वाहनस्थान् समावृत्य शूद्राञ् शूद्रोपजीविनः / सेवन्ते ब्राह्मणास्तत्र स्तुवन्ति स्तुतिभिः कलौ
vāhanasthān samāvṛtya śūdrāñ śūdropajīvinaḥ / sevante brāhmaṇāstatra stuvanti stutibhiḥ kalau
کلی یُگ میں شُودر کے سہارے جینے والے برہمن گاڑیوں کے ٹھکانوں پر جمع ہو کر شُودرَوں کی خدمت کریں گے اور چاپلوسانہ مدح سے ان کی تعریف کریں گے۔
Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s Kali-yuga characteristics as taught in the Purāṇic dialogue)
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
It does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine; instead it diagnoses Kali-yuga as a time when outer social roles (varṇa-dharma) become distorted—implying the need to return to inner discipline and dharmic integrity taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
No specific practice is named in this verse; it functions as a warning-sign of Kali. In the Kurma Purana’s broader framework, such decline is countered by sādhana—especially devotion and yogic restraint aligned with Śiva–Nārāyaṇa oriented dharma (often discussed alongside Pāśupata-style discipline in later sections).
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; its teaching is ethical-social. Within the Purāṇa’s synthesis, restoring dharma through devotion to the one Supreme (Śiva–Viṣṇu non-sectarian unity) is presented as the corrective to Kali-yuga disorder.