Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 18

Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)

Devanagari script

देवद्रोहाद् गुरुद्रोहः कोटिकोटिगुणाधिकः / ज्ञानापवादो नास्तिक्यं तस्मात् कोटिगुणाधिकम्

Transliteration

devadrohād gurudrohaḥ koṭikoṭiguṇādhikaḥ / jñānāpavādo nāstikyaṃ tasmāt koṭiguṇādhikam

Translation

Compared to hostility toward the gods, betrayal of one’s guru is millions upon millions of times more grievous. And the disparagement of true knowledge—namely atheistic denial—is, in turn, millions of times more grievous than that.

Word by Word

• देवद्रोहात्: than treachery against the gods
• देवद्रोहात्: Apadana (अपादान/Source-Comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव-द्रोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—देवस्य द्रोहः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• गुरुद्रोहः: treachery against the guru
• गुरुद्रोहः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु-द्रोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—गुरोः द्रोहः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• कोटि-कोटि-गुण-अधिकः: greater by crores upon crores of times
• कोटि-कोटि-गुण-अधिकः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि + कोटि + गुण + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कोटिकोटिभिः गुणैः अधिकः (तत्पुरुष; अर्थतः बहुगुणाधिक)

• ज्ञानापवादः: denigration of (true) knowledge
• ज्ञानापवादः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान-अपवाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—ज्ञानस्य अपवादः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• नास्तिक्यम्: atheism/denial
• नास्तिक्यम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नास्तिक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति निपातवत् प्रयोगः; हेत्वर्थे (therefore)

• कोटि-गुण-अधिकम्: greater by a crore-fold
• कोटि-गुण-अधिकम्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि + गुण + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—कोट्या गुणैः अधिकम् (तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing in a dharma-teaching context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Characters & Entities

• Guru
• Devas
• Jñāna (true knowledge)
• Nāstikya (atheistic denial)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

Indirectly: it upholds jñāna (true liberating knowledge) as sacred; denying or slandering such knowledge is treated as a grave fall, implying that realization of the Self and the Lord rests on śāstra-guided insight rather than nihilistic denial.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No technique is listed, but the verse establishes the ethical foundation required for Yoga—guru-reverence, trust in śāstra, and protection of jñāna—without which disciplines like Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā and devotion cannot mature.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

It does not explicitly name Śiva or Viṣṇu; instead it reflects the Purāṇa’s synthesis by prioritizing guru and jñāna as universal dharmic supports that undergird both Vaiṣṇava devotion and Śaiva (including Pāśupata) spiritual discipline.