Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 35
Brahmacārin-Dharma: Guru-Sevā, Daily Vedic Study, Gāyatrī-Japa, and Anadhyāya Regulations
भ्रातुर्भार्योपसंग्राह्या सवर्णाहन्यहन्यपि / विप्रोष्य तूपसंग्राह्या ज्ञातिसंबन्धियोषितः
bhrāturbhāryopasaṃgrāhyā savarṇāhanyahanyapi / viproṣya tūpasaṃgrāhyā jñātisaṃbandhiyoṣitaḥ
Even if she is of the same varṇa, one must never—day after day—take one’s brother’s wife. Only when the brother has gone away and is absent or lost may a woman related through the family bond be taken, according to the rule stated here.
Suta (narrator) conveying dharma-instructions of the Kurma Purana’s teaching section
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily dharma-śāstra in tone, focusing on social-ethical restraint (niyama). In the Kurma Purana’s broader spiritual arc, such restraint supports inner purity that becomes a prerequisite for steadiness in yoga and contemplation of the Self.
No direct yogic technique is taught here; instead it emphasizes ethical discipline—avoiding forbidden relations—which functions as a foundational niyama (conduct-restraint) supporting later Pāśupata-oriented practice and mental steadiness.
It does not explicitly discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it contributes to the Kurma Purana’s shared dharma framework that undergirds both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths, preparing the practitioner for later integrative teachings.