Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 19
Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
गोभिश्च दैवतैर्विप्रैः कृष्या राजोपसेवया / कुलान्यकुलतां यान्ति यानि हीनानि धर्मतः
gobhiśca daivatairvipraiḥ kṛṣyā rājopasevayā / kulānyakulatāṃ yānti yāni hīnāni dharmataḥ
Par l’élevage des bovins, le service rituel rendu aux dieux, la fréquentation des brahmanes, l’agriculture et le service des rois, même les familles déficientes en dharma perdent leur rang et tombent dans l’état de « non-lignée » (déshonneur social).
Narratorial puranic voice (instructional discourse on varnashrama-dharma within the Kurma Purana)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames dharma as the necessary outer discipline that stabilizes society and the individual, which in the Kurma Purana supports inner purification needed for Self-knowledge.
No explicit meditation is taught in this verse; it emphasizes ethical and occupational purity (dharma-shuddhi) as preparatory ground that, in the Kurma Purana’s broader yoga framework, precedes higher yogic practice such as Pashupata-oriented restraint and devotion.
It does not mention Shiva or Vishnu directly; it reflects the Purana’s integrative stance by prioritizing dharma as a shared foundation for both Shaiva and Vaishnava paths leading toward liberation.