Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
Yuga-Dharma: The Four Ages, Decline of Dharma, and the Rise of Social Order
इति श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितायां पूर्वविभागे षड्विंशो ऽध्यायः ऋषय ऊचुः कृतं त्रेता द्वापरं च कलिश्चेति चतुर्युगम् / एषां स्वभावं सूताद्य कथयस्व समासतः
iti śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge ṣaḍviṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ ṛṣaya ūcuḥ kṛtaṃ tretā dvāparaṃ ca kaliśceti caturyugam / eṣāṃ svabhāvaṃ sūtādya kathayasva samāsataḥ
Như vậy, trong Śrī Kūrma Purāṇa, thuộc Ṣaṭsāhasrī Saṃhitā, phần Pūrva-bhāga—(mở đầu chương). Các bậc hiền triết thưa rằng: “Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara và Kali—đó là bốn thời đại (caturyuga). Ôi Sūta, xin hãy nói vắn tắt bản tính và đặc trưng của từng thời đại ấy.”
The sages (Ṛṣis), addressing Sūta
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames a doctrinal inquiry into time (caturyuga) and dharma across ages—an essential Purāṇic context in which liberation-teachings (including knowledge of Self) are later presented.
No specific yoga practice is taught in this verse; it introduces a request for a concise account of yuga-characteristics, which typically determines which sādhana (discipline)—ritual, devotion, austerity, or contemplative yoga—is emphasized in each age in the broader Purāṇic teaching.
This verse is a narrative prompt rather than a theological statement; it sets up instruction by Sūta on cosmic time and dharma, within the Kurma Purana’s wider framework that often harmonizes Shaiva and Vaishnava teachings through shared dharma and soteriology.