Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 6
Dāna-dharma: Types of Charity, Worthy Recipients, Vrata-Timings, and Śiva–Viṣṇu Propitiation
यत् तु पापोपशान्त्यर्थं दीयते विदुषां करे / नैमित्तिकं तदुद्दिष्टं दानं सद्भिरनुष्ठितम्
yat tu pāpopaśāntyarthaṃ dīyate viduṣāṃ kare / naimittikaṃ taduddiṣṭaṃ dānaṃ sadbhiranuṣṭhitam
But that gift which is given into the hands of the learned for the purpose of pacifying or expiating sin is declared to be ‘naimittika’—an occasional, cause-based charity—performed by the virtuous.
Sūta (narrating dharma-teachings of the Kūrma Purāṇa to the sages)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames ethical purification (pāpa-upaśānti) through dharmic action as a preparatory discipline, supporting inner clarity that later teachings associate with Self-knowledge.
No direct yogic technique is taught here; the verse emphasizes karmic purification through naimittika-dāna as a supporting limb for sādhana—removing obstacles (pāpa) that hinder meditation and higher knowledge.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it reflects the Purāṇa’s shared dharma-ground where purification through righteous acts undergirds later Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis in devotion and yoga.