Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
नोपानद्वर्जितो वाथ जलादिरहितस्तथा / न रात्रौ नारिणा सार्धं न विना च कमण्डलुम् / नाग्निगोब्राह्मणादीनामन्तरेण व्रजेत् क्वचित्
nopānadvarjito vātha jalādirahitastathā / na rātrau nāriṇā sārdhaṃ na vinā ca kamaṇḍalum / nāgnigobrāhmaṇādīnāmantareṇa vrajet kvacit
ಚಪ್ಪಲಿ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ, ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ನೀರು ಮೊದಲಾದವುಗಳಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಹೋಗಬಾರದು. ರಾತ್ರಿ, ಮಹಿಳೆಯೊಂದಿಗೆ, ಮತ್ತು ಕಮಂಡಲು ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಸಬಾರದು. ಅಗ್ನಿ, ಗೋವು, ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರು ಮೊದಲಾದ ಪೂಜ್ಯರನ್ನು ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸಿ ಎಲ್ಲಿಗೂ ಹೋಗಬಾರದು.
Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s dharma-instructions as taught in the tradition)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Indirectly: by prescribing restraint and purity in conduct, it supports the yogic premise that a disciplined life (niyama) steadies the mind, making it fit for realizing the Atman taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
It emphasizes preparatory yogic discipline—niyama and yati-dharma—such as careful conduct, avoidance of risky or distracting situations (night travel, improper companionship), and maintaining ascetic requisites (kamaṇḍalu), which underpin Pāśupata-oriented practice in the Kurma tradition.
By centering dharma and reverence for sacred supports (agni, cows, brāhmaṇas), it reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative ethos: ethical discipline is shared ground for both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths, preparing the practitioner for higher God-realization taught in its unified theology.