Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 47
पतितव्यङ्गचण्डालानुच्छिष्टान् नावलोकयेत् / नाभिभाषेत च परमुच्छिष्टो वावगुण्ठितः
patitavyaṅgacaṇḍālānucchiṣṭān nāvalokayet / nābhibhāṣeta ca paramucchiṣṭo vāvaguṇṭhitaḥ
One should not even look at the fallen, the disfigured, or a caṇḍāla when they are in a state of uchiṣṭa (impurity from food-remnants). Nor should one speak to them—especially when one is oneself in great impurity, or when veiled/covered as in a rite of impurity.
Sūta (narrator) conveying dharma-śāstric injunctions as taught in the Kurma Purana’s discourse
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames external purity and restraint of senses/speech as preparatory disciplines; in the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching, such niyamas stabilize the mind so it can turn inward toward the Self and the Lord.
It emphasizes ethical restraint (yama/niyama-like discipline): guarding sight and speech during states of impurity. In the Kurma Purana’s larger sādhanā-arc, these restraints support steadiness (śama, dama) needed for mantra, worship, and yogic contemplation.
This verse is primarily an ācāra injunction, not a theological unity statement; however, the Kurma Purana’s synthesis treats such dharmic restraints as common foundations for both Śaiva (Pāśupata) and Vaiṣṇava devotion and yoga.