Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 2
Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
तृणं वा यदि वा शाकं मृदं वा जलमेव वा / परस्यापहरञ्जन्तुर्नरकं प्रतिपद्यते
tṛṇaṃ vā yadi vā śākaṃ mṛdaṃ vā jalameva vā / parasyāpaharañjanturnarakaṃ pratipadyate
Dù chỉ là một ngọn cỏ, một mớ rau, một cục đất hay thậm chí là nước—kẻ nào trộm lấy vật thuộc về người khác thì sa vào địa ngục.
Traditional Purāṇic narration (instructional voice within the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching section)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
Indirectly: by condemning theft, it reinforces dharma as a purifying discipline; purity of conduct supports inner clarity in which the Atman is realized without distortion from greed and possessiveness.
It highlights the yama-like restraint of non-stealing (asteya). In the Kurma Purana’s broader Yoga-śāstra ethos, such ethical restraints are prerequisites for steadiness of mind and successful meditation.
This verse is primarily a dharma injunction rather than a theological statement; it aligns with the Purana’s synthesis by presenting a shared moral foundation—ethical restraint and karmic accountability—honored across Shaiva and Vaishnava paths.