Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 31
Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
एकपङ्क्त्युपविष्टा ये न स्पृशन्ति परस्परम् / भस्मना कृतमर्यादा न तेषां संकरो भवेत्
ekapaṅktyupaviṣṭā ye na spṛśanti parasparam / bhasmanā kṛtamaryādā na teṣāṃ saṃkaro bhavet
Those who sit in a single row yet do not touch one another, and who set the boundary by marking it with sacred ash (bhasma)—among them there is no saṅkara, no intermixture.
Traditional narration context (Purāṇic discourse): the teaching voice of the text, commonly framed as Sūta/Vyāsa transmitting dharma-instructions to sages
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse is primarily dharma-oriented rather than metaphysical: it emphasizes disciplined boundaries (maryādā) and non-contact rules to preserve ritual order, not a direct exposition of Ātman.
No formal yogic technique is taught here; however, the use of bhasma (vibhūti) reflects a Śaiva discipline of purity and regulated conduct—supporting the broader Kurma Purana ethos where outer observance reinforces inner restraint (yama-niyama-like control).
Indirectly: the ash-boundary (bhasma) is a Śaiva marker, yet preserved within a Purāṇic dharma framework—showing the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance where Śaiva ritual symbols can function within a wider Vaiṣṇava-Purāṇic order.