Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 47
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
पतित, विकलांग और चाण्डाल—यदि वे उच्छिष्ट (अशुद्ध) हों तो उन्हें देखे भी नहीं; और उनसे बात भी न करे—विशेषतः जब स्वयं अत्यन्त उच्छिष्ट हो या आवगुण्ठित (आवृत/वेष्टित) हो।
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.