Shloka 39
Rules of Purity (Shauca) — Rules of Purity (Śauca), Permissible Foods, and the Duties of the Householder and Forest-Dweller
न निष्ठुरं नागमशास्त्रहीनं वाक्यं वदेत्साधुजनेन येन निन्द्यो भवेन्नैव च धर्मःएदी संगं न चासत्सु नरेषु कुर्यात्
na niṣṭhuraṃ nāgamaśāstrahīnaṃ vākyaṃ vadetsādhujanena yena nindyo bhavennaiva ca dharmaḥedī saṃgaṃ na cāsatsu nareṣu kuryāt
Ein rechtschaffener Mensch soll weder harte Worte sprechen noch Worte, die ohne Āgama und Śāstra (autoritative Lehre) sind, wodurch er unter den Guten tadelnswert würde. Er soll die Dharma nicht schmähen und sich nicht mit bösen Männern einlassen.
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FAQs
Speech is treated as karmically and socially consequential: it must be non-harmful (not harsh) and normatively grounded (aligned with āgama/śāstra). The verse also asserts that one’s moral trajectory is shaped by association—avoidance of asat-saṅga is itself a dharmic practice.
As with the prior verses, this is ancillary dharma-ācāra instruction embedded in the Purāṇa. It functions as a practical ethical code that undergirds the viability of vaṃśa (lineage continuity) and vaṃśānucarita (exemplary lives), though it is not itself sarga/pratisarga material.
‘Āgama’ and ‘śāstra’ symbolize the “spine” of tradition; harsh speech symbolizes uncontrolled ego. The injunction to avoid wicked company indicates that dharma is not only an internal vow but also an ecosystem—one must choose environments where dharma can survive and grow.