Shloka 76

Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī

Devanagari script

पीत्वा कदमृतं दिव्यमानन्दं परमेष्ठिनः / लीलाविलासूबहुलो लोकानागच्छतीश्वरः

Transliteration

pītvā kadamṛtaṃ divyamānandaṃ parameṣṭhinaḥ / līlāvilāsūbahulo lokānāgacchatīśvaraḥ

Translation

وبعد أن شرب ذلك الرحيق الشبيه بالأمريتة، وهو الفرح الإلهي العائد للربّ الأعلى، خرج الإيشڤرا—الممتلئ باللِّيلَا واللعب المقدّس—إلى العوالم متجلّيًا.

Word by Word

• pītvā: having drunk
• pītvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pā (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/त्वान्त), ‘having drunk’

• kada-amṛtam: the kada-nectar
• kada-amṛtam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kada (प्रातिपदिक) + amṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana; तत्पुरुषः—‘Kada-nectar’

• divya-ānandam: divine bliss
• divya-ānandam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक) + ānanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana; कर्मधारयः—‘divine bliss’

• parameṣṭhinaḥ: of Parameṣṭhin (Brahmā)
• parameṣṭhinaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parameṣṭhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana

• līlā-vilāsa-ū-bahulaḥ: abounding in playful sport
• līlā-vilāsa-ū-bahulaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: līlā (प्रातिपदिक) + vilāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + bahula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana; तत्पुरुषः—‘abounding in playful sports’ (ū as euphonic glide in sandhi)

• lokān: the worlds
• lokān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Bahuvacana

• āgacchati: comes/approaches
• āgacchati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√gam (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present/वर्तमान), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd/प्रथम), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• īśvaraḥ: the Lord
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana

Speaker

Narrator/Sūta describing Īśvara (in the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Ishvara
• Parameshthin

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

It portrays the Supreme as divyānanda—pure, nectar-like bliss—suggesting the highest reality is blissful consciousness, from which the Lord’s presence in the worlds proceeds without diminishing that fullness.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse points to tasting (as it were) divine bliss—an inward realization associated with samādhi. In the Kurma Purana’s yogic frame (often linked with Pāśupata-oriented devotion), such bliss arises through disciplined meditation, devotion to Īśvara, and steadiness of mind.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

By using the title Īśvara/Parameṣṭhin in a non-sectarian way, it supports the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: the one Supreme Lord—understood by Shaivas as Śiva and by Vaishnavas as Viṣṇu—manifests in the worlds through līlā while remaining established in divine bliss.