Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
निन्दयेद् वै गुरुं देवं वेदं वा सोपबृंहणम् / कल्पकोटिशतं साग्रं रौरवे पच्यते नरः
nindayed vai guruṃ devaṃ vedaṃ vā sopabṛṃhaṇam / kalpakoṭiśataṃ sāgraṃ raurave pacyate naraḥ
ผู้ใดหมิ่นประมาทครู (คุรุ) เทวะ หรือพระเวท พร้อมทั้งอุปพฤṃหณะ (คัมภีร์เสริมและคำอธิบายอันเป็นหลัก) ผู้นั้นย่อมถูกทรมานในนรกเราُรวะตลอดร้อยโกฏิกัลป์และยิ่งกว่านั้น
Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teachings as transmitted in the Purāṇic dialogue)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Indirectly: it upholds Veda and guru as valid means of right knowledge (pramāṇa) for realizing truth; reviling them is treated as a grave obstruction to dharma and liberating insight.
No specific technique is taught in this verse; it establishes the ethical foundation for yoga—śraddhā (reverent trust) in guru, deva, and śāstra—without which disciplines like Pāśupata-oriented practice and Vedic sādhanā are considered fruitless.
By emphasizing reverence to “Deva” and Veda rather than sectarian rivalry, the verse aligns with the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance: devotion and scriptural authority support a unified dharmic path compatible with both Shaiva and Vaishnava orientations.