Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
पुष्पे शाक्रोदके काष्ठे तथा मूले फले तृणे / अदत्तादानमस्तेयं मनुः प्राह प्रजापतिः
puṣpe śākrodake kāṣṭhe tathā mūle phale tṛṇe / adattādānamasteyaṃ manuḥ prāha prajāpatiḥ
في شأن الزهور والخضار والماء والحطب، وكذلك الجذور والثمار والعشب—أعلن مانو، وهو البراجابتي، أن أخذ ما لم يُعطَ هو سرقة؛ و«أستِيا» (عدم السرقة) هو الانضباط بالامتناع عن أخذ غير المأذون به.
Narrator/Sage transmitting Manu’s dharma teaching (Manu as authoritative source)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
It does not describe the Atman directly; it establishes dharmic restraint (asteya) as a purifying discipline that supports clarity of mind, which later enables higher knowledge of Self in the Kurma Purana’s yoga-and-jñāna framework.
The verse highlights asteya (non-stealing), a foundational ethical restraint akin to a yama in yoga-discipline; such moral purification is treated as a prerequisite for steadiness in meditation and for the Kurma Purana’s broader Pashupata-oriented sādhanā.
It does not name Shiva or Vishnu, but it reflects the Purana’s integrative approach: universal dharma (like asteya) is upheld as common ground supporting both Shaiva (Pashupata) and Vaishnava paths toward liberation.