Shloka 23
Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
नाधार्मिकैर्वृते ग्रामे न व्याधिबहुले भृशम् / न शूद्रराज्ये निवसेन्न पाषण्डजनैर्वृते
nādhārmikairvṛte grāme na vyādhibahule bhṛśam / na śūdrarājye nivasenna pāṣaṇḍajanairvṛte
અધાર્મિકોથી ઘેરાયેલા ગામમાં, અતિશય રોગવાળા પ્રદેશમાં, શૂદ્રરાજ્યમાં તથા પાષંડજનોથી ભરેલા દેશમાં નિવાસ ન કરવો।
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing in dharma-śāstra style counsel (Kurma Purana narrative instruction).
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames outer discipline (sadācāra) as a support for inner clarity—living amid adharma, disease, and disruptive influences agitates the mind, obstructing steadiness needed for Self-knowledge.
No technique is named; the verse emphasizes preparatory yogic conditions—wholesome environment, social harmony, and avoidance of destabilizing company—supporting śama (calm), dhyāna (meditation), and dharma-based purification.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva-Viṣṇu unity; however, its dharma counsel aligns with the Purana’s synthesis where devotion and yoga (including Śaiva currents like Pāśupata) rest on a shared Vedic ethical ground upheld by the Supreme.