Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 58
Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
शिरो ऽभ्यङ्गावशिष्टेन तैलेनाङ्गं न लेपयेत् / न सर्पशस्त्रैः क्रीडेत स्वानि खानि न संस्पृशेत् / रोमाणि च रहस्यानि नाशिष्टेन सह व्रजेत्
śiro 'bhyaṅgāvaśiṣṭena tailenāṅgaṃ na lepayet / na sarpaśastraiḥ krīḍeta svāni khāni na saṃspṛśet / romāṇi ca rahasyāni nāśiṣṭena saha vrajet
Do not smear the body with the oil left over after anointing the head. Do not play with weapons, nor touch your own bodily orifices. Do not go about carrying impure food-remnants, nor secretly engage in unclean acts such as plucking body-hair without purity.
Sūta (narrating traditional dharma-instructions as taught by the sages within the Kurma Purana frame)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
Indirectly: it emphasizes śauca and disciplined conduct as foundational supports for sattva and inner clarity, which are prerequisites for steady contemplation of Ātman taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana’s higher instruction.
It highlights preparatory niyamas—especially śauca (purity) and careful bodily restraint—supporting the yogic path by reducing distraction, impulsiveness, and ritual/psychophysical impurity that obstructs mantra, japa, and meditation.
Not explicitly in this śloka; however, the shared dharma of purity and self-restraint is presented as universally binding, aligning with the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where right conduct supports devotion and realization regardless of whether one approaches Śiva or Nārāyaṇa.