Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
तिलमुद्गयवादीनां मुष्टिर्ग्राह्या पथि स्थितैः / क्षुधार्तैर्नान्यथा विप्रा धर्मविद्भिरिति स्थितिः
tilamudgayavādīnāṃ muṣṭirgrāhyā pathi sthitaiḥ / kṣudhārtairnānyathā viprā dharmavidbhiriti sthitiḥ
हे विप्रांनो! मार्गावर क्षुधार्त प्रवाशांनी तीळ, मूग, जव इत्यादींची फक्त एक मुठ घ्यावी; त्याहून अधिक नाही—धर्मज्ञांनी हाच नियम ठरविला आहे।
Sūta (narrating the dharma-teaching as preserved by the sages)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Indirectly: it teaches restraint (niyama) and non-greed, disciplines that purify the mind and make it fit for realizing the Self, though the verse itself is a practical dharma rule.
It reflects aparigraha (non-hoarding) and moderation—ethical foundations aligned with yogic yamas/niyamas, preparing the practitioner for higher contemplative practice emphasized more explicitly in the Kurma Purana’s later teachings.
It does not directly discuss Shiva–Vishnu unity; it focuses on universal dharma. In the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis, such dharma-restraint supports the same spiritual goal upheld across Shaiva and Vaishnava frames.