Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 98
Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
संस्तूयमानः प्रमथैर्महायोगैरितस्ततः / नृत्यमानो महायोगी हस्तन्यस्तकलेवरः
saṃstūyamānaḥ pramathairmahāyogairitastataḥ / nṛtyamāno mahāyogī hastanyastakalevaraḥ
Praised on all sides by the Pramathas—those great yogins—he, the Great Yogin, danced here and there, his bodily form held in perfect control, as though placed in his own hand.
Narrator (Purāṇic narration within the Kurma Purana’s Purva-bhaga)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
By portraying the Mahāyogin as fully master of the body (“hastanyasta-kalevaraḥ”), the verse implies an Atman-centered yogic ideal: the Self is sovereign over the embodied state, not driven by it.
The emphasis is on yogic mastery (mahāyoga): steadiness amid movement, disciplined control of the body-mind, and the capacity to act (even dance) without loss of inner composure—an ideal aligned with Pāśupata-leaning Śaiva yoga in the Kurma Purana.
While the verse directly praises Shiva as Mahāyogin, the Kurma Purana’s broader theology frames such yogic sovereignty as a mark of the Supreme—supporting its recurring non-sectarian vision where Shiva’s and Vishnu’s supreme qualities are mutually affirmed.