Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
पतितव्यङ्गचण्डालानुच्छिष्टान् नावलोकयेत् / नाभिभाषेत च परमुच्छिष्टो वावगुण्ठितः
patitavyaṅgacaṇḍālānucchiṣṭān nāvalokayet / nābhibhāṣeta ca paramucchiṣṭo vāvaguṇṭhitaḥ
On ne doit même pas regarder le déchu, le difforme ou un caṇḍāla lorsqu’ils sont en état d’uchiṣṭa (impureté due aux restes de nourriture). On ne doit pas non plus leur parler, surtout lorsque l’on est soi-même en grande impureté ou voilé/couvert selon le rite d’impureté.
Sūta (narrator) conveying dharma-śāstric injunctions as taught in the Kurma Purana’s discourse
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
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.