Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 31
Snātaka and Gṛhastha-Dharma: Conduct, Marriage Norms, Daily Rites, and Liberating Virtues
स्वदुः खेष्विव कारुण्यं परदुः खेषु सौहृदात् / दयेति मुनयः प्राहुः साक्षाद् धर्मस्य साधनम्
svaduḥ kheṣviva kāruṇyaṃ paraduḥ kheṣu sauhṛdāt / dayeti munayaḥ prāhuḥ sākṣād dharmasya sādhanam
La compassion qui éprouve la souffrance d’autrui comme la sienne, née d’une bienveillance du cœur envers l’affligé, voilà ce que les sages nomment « dayā » (miséricorde). En vérité, elle est un moyen direct du dharma.
Sages (munayaḥ) teaching dharma (narrative voice within the Kurma Purana’s dharma-upadeśa context)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By defining dayā as feeling another’s pain as one’s own, the verse points to an inner unity of selves; compassion arises when the ego-bound separation weakens and the same Self is intuited in all beings—an ethical expression supportive of realizing Atman.
No single technique is named; the verse highlights yama-like ethical discipline—dayā—as a foundational sādhanā. In Kurma Purana’s broader yoga/dharma framework (including Pāśupata-oriented spirituality), such compassion purifies the mind and steadies it for japa, dhyāna, and devotion.
It does not explicitly name Śiva or Viṣṇu, but it reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative spirit: dharma is grounded in universal virtues like compassion, which are upheld across both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths as direct means to spiritual maturation.