Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 62
Nine Creations (Sarga), Guṇa-Streams of Beings, and Brahmā’s Progeny in Cyclic Time
हिंस्त्राहिंस्त्रे मृदुक्रूरे धर्माधर्मावृतानृते / तद्भाविताः प्रपद्यन्ते तस्मात् तत् तस्य रोचते
hiṃstrāhiṃstre mṛdukrūre dharmādharmāvṛtānṛte / tadbhāvitāḥ prapadyante tasmāt tat tasya rocate
سواء في العنف أو اللاعنف، في اللين أو القسوة، في الدَّرما أو الأدهرما، في الصدق أو الكذب—فإن الكائنات تميل إلى ما ربّته نزعتها الباطنة؛ ولذلك يغدو ذلك بعينه محبوبًا لديها.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing on moral psychology and karmic conditioning
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
Indirectly: it distinguishes the conditioned personality (shaped by bhāva/saṃskāra) from the steadier witnessing Self; attraction and aversion belong to cultivated tendencies, not to the pure Atman.
It points to the yogic principle of bhāvanā (intentional cultivation): by repeatedly contemplating and practicing dharma, satya, and ahiṃsā, one rewires tendencies; this supports purification (citta-śuddhi) necessary for higher yoga.
By focusing on inner transformation through dharma (a shared Purāṇic teaching), it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: the same supreme guidance—whether voiced in Shaiva or Vaishnava frames—aims at purifying dispositions toward liberation.