Shloka 9
Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
तृणं काष्ठं फलं पुष्पं प्रकाशं वै हरेद् बुधः / धर्मार्थं केवलं विप्रा ह्यन्यथा पतितो भवेत्
tṛṇaṃ kāṣṭhaṃ phalaṃ puṣpaṃ prakāśaṃ vai hared budhaḥ / dharmārthaṃ kevalaṃ viprā hyanyathā patito bhavet
ഹേ വിപ്രന്മാരേ! ബുദ്ധിമാൻ പുല്ല്, വിറക്, ഫലം, പുഷ്പം, അല്പം വെളിച്ചം/ഇന്ധനം എന്നിവ ധർമ്മാർത്ഥം മാത്രമേ എടുക്കാവൂ; അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അവൻ പതിതനാകും।
Sūta (narrator) conveying the dharma-teaching as preserved in the Kurma Purana’s discourse tradition
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
Indirectly: it teaches that dharma begins with inner restraint and purity of intention; such ethical self-governance is a prerequisite for clearer knowledge of the Self in later spiritual instruction.
It emphasizes foundational yogic discipline—restraint (yama-like conduct) and limiting acquisition to what supports dharma—aligning with the Kurma Purana’s broader stress on purification before higher contemplation.
Not directly; it reflects the shared dharmic ground underlying Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis in the Kurma Purana: ethical restraint is upheld as a common prerequisite for devotion and liberation-oriented practice.