Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 63
Dharma of Non-Injury, Non-Stealing, Purity, and Avoidance of Hypocrisy (Ācāra and Saṅkarya-Nivṛtti)
नोत्सङ्गेभक्षयेद् भक्ष्यं वृथा चेष्टां च नाचरेत् / न नृत्येदथवा गायेन्न वादित्राणि वादयेत्
notsaṅgebhakṣayed bhakṣyaṃ vṛthā ceṣṭāṃ ca nācaret / na nṛtyedathavā gāyenna vāditrāṇi vādayet
不可将食物置于膝上而食，亦不可作无益之举。不可起舞歌唱，也不可轻佻无度地奏弄乐器。
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing sages/seekers on dharma and disciplined conduct
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
FAQs
By discouraging frivolous sensory display (song, dance, instruments) and vain activity, the verse supports inwardness and self-mastery—conditions that help the seeker turn attention from external pleasure toward the witnessing Self (Ātman).
It emphasizes foundational yogic restraint—akin to yama/niyama and śaucācāra—reducing distraction and cultivating steadiness (saṃyama) so that higher practices like dhyāna and devotion to Īśvara can mature.
Though not naming Śiva directly, the ethic of restraint and disciplined living is shared across Vaiṣṇava devotion and Śaiva (including Pāśupata) sādhanā, reflecting the Kurma Purana’s integrative, non-sectarian spiritual framework.