Shloka 3
Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
न राज्ञः प्रतिगृह्णीयान्न शूद्रपतितादपि / न चान्यस्मादशक्तश्च निन्दितान् वर्जयेद् बुधः
na rājñaḥ pratigṛhṇīyānna śūdrapatitādapi / na cānyasmādaśaktaśca ninditān varjayed budhaḥ
لا ينبغي للحكيم أن يقبل عطايا الملك، ولا عطايا الشودرَة، ولا عطايا من سقط عن السلوك القويم؛ ولا من أيّ معطٍ آخر عاجز عن العطاء على وجهه. وعلى ذوي البصيرة أن يجتنبوا هبات المذمومين.
Sūta (narrating Vyāsa’s teaching to the sages) — Dharma instruction in the Kurma Purana’s Purva-bhaga
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
FAQs
Indirectly: it emphasizes inner purity and discernment (buddhi-śuddhi) as prerequisites for dharmic life—foundational for realizing the Self in the Kurma Purana’s broader soteriology.
No explicit technique is taught; the verse functions as an ethical restraint—avoiding tainted support and blameworthy associations—supporting the purity required for higher disciplines such as Pāśupata-oriented tapas, japa, and contemplation described elsewhere in the text.
It does not directly discuss Shiva–Vishnu unity; it provides dharma-ethics that the Kurma Purana treats as common ground for both Shaiva and Vaishnava paths leading toward the same highest liberation.