Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 62
Nine Creations (Sarga), Guṇa-Streams of Beings, and Brahmā’s Progeny in Cyclic Time
हिंस्त्राहिंस्त्रे मृदुक्रूरे धर्माधर्मावृतानृते / तद्भाविताः प्रपद्यन्ते तस्मात् तत् तस्य रोचते
hiṃstrāhiṃstre mṛdukrūre dharmādharmāvṛtānṛte / tadbhāvitāḥ prapadyante tasmāt tat tasya rocate
ਹਿੰਸਾ ਜਾਂ ਅਹਿੰਸਾ, ਕੋਮਲਤਾ ਜਾਂ ਕਠੋਰਤਾ, ਧਰਮ ਜਾਂ ਅਧਰਮ, ਸੱਚ ਜਾਂ ਝੂਠ—ਅੰਦਰ ਜੋ ਭਾਵ ਪਾਲਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਜੀਵ ਉਸੇ ਵੱਲ ਝੁਕਦੇ ਹਨ; ਇਸ ਲਈ ਉਹੀ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਚੰਗਾ ਲੱਗਦਾ ਹੈ।
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing on moral psychology and karmic conditioning
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
Indirectly: it distinguishes the conditioned personality (shaped by bhāva/saṃskāra) from the steadier witnessing Self; attraction and aversion belong to cultivated tendencies, not to the pure Atman.
It points to the yogic principle of bhāvanā (intentional cultivation): by repeatedly contemplating and practicing dharma, satya, and ahiṃsā, one rewires tendencies; this supports purification (citta-śuddhi) necessary for higher yoga.
By focusing on inner transformation through dharma (a shared Purāṇic teaching), it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: the same supreme guidance—whether voiced in Shaiva or Vaishnava frames—aims at purifying dispositions toward liberation.