Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 61
Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
न शातयेदिष्टकाभिः फलानि न फलेन च / न म्लेच्छभाषां शिक्षेत नाकर्षेच्च पदासनम्
na śātayediṣṭakābhiḥ phalāni na phalena ca / na mlecchabhāṣāṃ śikṣeta nākarṣecca padāsanam
One should not knock down fruits with bricks, nor with other fruits. One should not learn the speech of the mlecchas (impure tongues), and one should not drag about a footstool or seat.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing on dharma and sādhaka-ācāra
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
Indirectly: it emphasizes outward discipline and purity (ācāra, vāṅ-niyama) as prerequisites for inner clarity, which supports steady contemplation of the Self taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana’s higher instruction.
It points to preparatory restraints (niyama-like discipline): non-careless behavior, restraint in speech, and orderly conduct—foundational for a sādhaka before deeper practice such as Pāśupata-oriented devotion, japa, and meditation.
By focusing on shared dharmic discipline rather than sectarian markers, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s synthetic approach: the same purity and restraint support devotion and realization whether framed through Śaiva or Vaiṣṇava theology.