Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 43
Naimittika-pralaya and the Theology of Kāla: Seven Suns, Saṃvartaka Fire, Flood, and Varāha Kalpa
धाराभिः पूरयन्तीदं चोद्यमानाः स्वयंभुवा / अत्यन्तसलिलौघैश्च वेला इव महोदधिः
dhārābhiḥ pūrayantīdaṃ codyamānāḥ svayaṃbhuvā / atyantasalilaughaiśca velā iva mahodadhiḥ
Được Svayambhū—Đấng Tự Sinh—thúc giục, những dòng thác nước tràn ngập khắp thế gian này, như đại dương lớn dâng vượt bờ, cuộn lên bằng những trận lũ mênh mông.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator in the Kurma Purana’s discourse framework)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
Indirectly: it portrays cosmic events as operating under a higher impulsion (svayambhu), implying an ordering intelligence behind change—while the Atman, in Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis, remains the steady witness beyond such upheavals.
No technique is stated explicitly; the verse functions as cosmological instruction. In Kurma Purana’s larger Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, such pralaya imagery supports vairāgya (dispassion) and steadiness of mind—foundational attitudes for Pāśupata Yoga and Ishvara-centered meditation taught more directly in the Upari-bhaga.
It does not name Shiva or Vishnu directly; instead it emphasizes a single divine governance of cosmic processes (svayambhu’s impulsion). This aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian tendency to read cosmic authority as ultimately one, even when expressed through different divine forms elsewhere.