Shloka 73
Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
स देवदेवतावाक्यमाकर्ण्य भगवान् हरः / कपालपाणिर्विश्वात्मा चचार भुवनत्रयम्
sa devadevatāvākyamākarṇya bhagavān haraḥ / kapālapāṇirviśvātmā cacāra bhuvanatrayam
Nachdem der erhabene Hara die Worte der Götter vernommen hatte, wanderte Er — den Schädel in der Hand, das All-Selbst — durch die drei Welten.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within the Kurma Purana’s dialogue frame)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By calling Hara “viśvātmā,” the verse presents him as the indwelling Self of all beings—suggesting a non-dual vision where the divine is not merely a deity among others but the Self pervading the cosmos.
The epithet “kapālapāṇi” points to Śiva’s ascetic, renunciant mode—an outer sign associated with inner detachment (vairāgya) and disciplined wandering, which the Kurma Purana often aligns with Pāśupata-oriented restraint and God-centered contemplation.
Though Śiva is named (Hara), the description “viśvātmā” uses a universal, Vedāntic register commonly applied to the Supreme—supporting the Kurma Purana’s tendency toward Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis by emphasizing shared supremacy through the language of the all-pervading Self.