Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 42
Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
न पापं पापिनां ब्रूयादपापं वा द्विजात्तमाः / सतेनतुल्यदोषः स्यान्मिथ्या द्विर्देषवान् भवेत्
na pāpaṃ pāpināṃ brūyādapāpaṃ vā dvijāttamāḥ / satenatulyadoṣaḥ syānmithyā dvirdeṣavān bhavet
噢，最胜的再生者啊：不应宣扬罪人之罪，也不应将无罪者说成有罪。如此作为，其过失等同盗窃；若又出于虚妄诬陷，其罪责便加倍。
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing sages on dharma (contextual attribution within Purva-bhaga teachings)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
Indirectly: it teaches satya and restraint in speech as dharmic disciplines that purify the mind (antaḥkaraṇa), which is a prerequisite for clear knowledge of the Self in the Kurma Purana’s broader soteriology.
The verse supports foundational self-restraints—truthfulness and non-injury through speech—functioning like yamas that stabilize the practitioner for higher disciplines described elsewhere in the Kurma Purana, including Pashupata-oriented inner purification.
It does so implicitly through shared dharma: the moral law governing speech is presented as universal, aligning with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where the same dharmic order underlies devotion and liberation.