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
Ein Weiser soll keine Gaben vom König annehmen, noch von einem Śūdra, noch von einem, der von rechter Lebensführung abgefallen ist; ebenso wenig von irgendeinem anderen Spender, der nicht fähig ist, in rechter Weise zu geben. Der Einsichtige meide Gaben von Tadelwürdigen.
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.