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
Não se deve andar sem sandálias, nem sem água e o que for necessário. Não se deve viajar à noite, nem na companhia de uma mulher, nem sem o kamaṇḍalu (vaso de água sagrada). Nunca se vá a lugar algum com desrespeito ao fogo sagrado, às vacas, aos brāhmaṇas e a outros seres veneráveis.
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.