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
Quả thật, kẻ nào phỉ báng Guru (bậc Thầy), Thần linh, hay Kinh Veda cùng các phần phụ trợ và lời chú giải có thẩm quyền, người ấy sẽ bị thiêu đốt trong địa ngục Raurava suốt trăm ức kiếp (kalpa) và còn hơn thế nữa.
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.