Shloka 38
Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
यस्तु देवानृषीन् विप्रान्वेदान् वा निन्दति द्विजः / न तस्य निष्कृतिर्दृष्टा शास्त्रेष्विह मुनीश्वराः
yastu devānṛṣīn viprānvedān vā nindati dvijaḥ / na tasya niṣkṛtirdṛṣṭā śāstreṣviha munīśvarāḥ
হে মুনীশ্বর! যে দ্বিজ দেবগণ, ঋষিগণ, বিপ্রগণ বা বেদসমূহকে নিন্দা করে, শাস্ত্রে এখানে তার কোনো প্রায়শ্চিত্ত দেখা যায় না।
Suta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching in a sages’ dialogue context
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
Indirectly: it safeguards the śāstric means of knowing the Self—by declaring that reviling devas, ṛṣis, and especially the Veda (śruti) is a grave obstruction to right knowledge and liberation-oriented dharma.
It emphasizes the prerequisite attitude for Yoga—śraddhā (reverent trust) toward Veda, sages, and dharma. In Kurma Purana’s Pashupata-leaning frame, inner discipline and devotion cannot mature if one commits śāstra-nindā (scriptural blasphemy).
By insisting on reverence for devas and Vedic authority rather than sectarian contempt, it supports the Kurma Purana’s synthetic stance: authentic devotion (whether Shaiva or Vaishnava) rests on honoring the shared Vedic and rishi tradition.