Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 56
Dāna-dharma: Types of Charity, Worthy Recipients, Vrata-Timings, and Śiva–Viṣṇu Propitiation
दानधर्मात् परो धर्मो भूतानां नेह विद्यते / तस्माद् विप्राय दातव्यं श्रोत्रियाय द्विजातिभिः
dānadharmāt paro dharmo bhūtānāṃ neha vidyate / tasmād viprāya dātavyaṃ śrotriyāya dvijātibhiḥ
For beings in this world, no dharma is higher than the dharma of giving. Therefore the twice-born should offer gifts to a brāhmaṇa—especially to a śrotriya, learned in the Veda and established in sacred discipline.
Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing on dharma
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames dāna as the highest dharma for embodied beings, implying that spiritual maturity (rooted in dharma) supports inner purification that makes realization of the Self possible.
No specific technique is taught here; the verse emphasizes ethical preparation—dāna and right giving to worthy recipients—which functions as a purifying discipline that supports later Yoga and devotion in the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching.
It does not explicitly discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it presents a shared dharmic foundation (dāna and worthy giving) that underlies the Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.