Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 22
Naimittika-pralaya and the Theology of Kāla: Seven Suns, Saṃvartaka Fire, Flood, and Varāha Kalpa
सर्वलोकप्रणाशश्च सो ऽग्निर्भूत्वा सुकुण्डली / चतुर्लोकमिदं सर्वं निर्दहत्यात्मतेजसा
sarvalokapraṇāśaśca so 'gnirbhūtvā sukuṇḍalī / caturlokamidaṃ sarvaṃ nirdahatyātmatejasā
وہ تمام جہانوں کی فنا کا سبب بننے والی آگ بن کر، عظیم کنڈلیوں کی طرح لپٹتا ہوا، اپنے باطنی نورِ ذات سے اس چار جہانی سارے عالم کو جلا ڈالتا ہے۔
Primary narrator (Purana-vakta) describing pralaya; framed within the Kurma Purana’s teaching discourse (often attributed to Lord Kurma’s revelation in the broader narrative).
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It portrays dissolution as powered by ātma-tejas—intrinsic, self-born radiance—implying that the ultimate reality is not dependent on external fuel or instruments; it is the inner divine power that both manifests and withdraws the cosmos.
While not prescribing a technique directly, the verse supports a yogic stance of vairāgya (dispassion): all realms are burnable and impermanent in pralaya, so the practitioner should seek the deathless Self beyond cosmic change—an underpinning of Pashupata-oriented renunciation and contemplation.
By attributing cosmic dissolution to a single inner radiance (ātma-tejas) rather than a sectarian agent, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s integrative theology where the one Ishvara—revered as Shiva or Vishnu—performs creation, maintenance, and dissolution.