Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 12
Yuga-Dharma: The Four Ages, Decline of Dharma, and the Rise of Social Order
त्वं हि लोकेषु विख्यातो धृतिमाञ् जनवत्सलः / पालयाद्य परं धर्मं स्वकीयं मुच्यसे भयात्
tvaṃ hi lokeṣu vikhyāto dhṛtimāñ janavatsalaḥ / pālayādya paraṃ dharmaṃ svakīyaṃ mucyase bhayāt
Ngài nổi danh khắp các cõi—kiên định và thương dân như con. Vậy nay hãy gìn giữ Chánh pháp tối thượng, chính bổn phận được giao của ngài; làm được thế, ngài sẽ thoát khỏi sợ hãi.
Narrator/Sage addressing King Indradyumna (didactic counsel within the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching frame)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it links fearlessness (abhaya) to living in alignment with one’s highest dharma; in Purāṇic teaching, fear diminishes as one becomes steady in righteous order that reflects the inner Self’s stability.
The verse emphasizes dharma-yoga in the form of disciplined duty (svakīya-dharma) and steadfastness (dhṛti). In Kurma Purana’s broader spiritual framework, such steadiness supports inner purification that complements Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā.
Not explicitly in this verse; the synthesis appears at the level of shared dharma: the same supreme dharma upheld by a righteous ruler is presented elsewhere in the Kurma Purana as harmonious with both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths.