Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 9
Virocana–Bali, Aditi’s Tapas, and the Vāmana–Trivikrama Episode
इत्युक्तो ऽसुरराजस्तं पुनः प्राह महामुनिम् / धर्माणां परमं धर्मं ब्रूहि मे ब्रह्मवित्तम
ityukto 'surarājastaṃ punaḥ prāha mahāmunim / dharmāṇāṃ paramaṃ dharmaṃ brūhi me brahmavittama
یوں مخاطب کیے جانے پر اسوروں کے راجا نے پھر اس مہامنی سے کہا— “اے برہمن کے جاننے والے! مجھے دھرموں میں سب سے اعلیٰ دھرم، تمام دھرموں کا برتر اصول بتائیے۔”
Asura King (Asurarāja)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It frames the inquiry in Brahma-vidyā: the “highest Dharma” is to be known from a brahma-vit (knower of Brahman), implying that supreme duty culminates in realization of Brahman/Ātman rather than mere ritual or social obligation.
This verse is a gateway question rather than a practice-list: it signals a turn from general dharmas to the highest path typically taught in the Kurma tradition as inner discipline—yoga, self-restraint, and knowledge-oriented devotion—often articulated through Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā in later instruction.
By asking for “parama dharma” from a Brahman-knower, it sets the non-sectarian frame typical of the Kūrma Purāṇa: the supreme teaching is grounded in Brahman-realization, within which Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths are presented as convergent when directed to the one Highest Reality.