Shloka 56
भैरवावतारलीलावर्णनम् (Bhairava-avatāra-līlā-varṇanam) — “Narration of the Divine Play of Bhairava’s Descent”
कपालं ब्राह्मणः सद्यो भैरवस्य करांबुजात् । पपात भुवि तत्तीर्थमभूत्कापालमोचनम्
kapālaṃ brāhmaṇaḥ sadyo bhairavasya karāṃbujāt | papāta bhuvi tattīrthamabhūtkāpālamocanam
At once, the Brahmin’s skull-bowl slipped from Bhairava’s lotus-hand and fell upon the earth; and that very spot became a sacred tīrtha called Kāpālamocana, where the (sin of) the skull was released.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Bhairava
FAQs
It presents Shiva as Bhairava, the supreme Pati, who dissolves a binding impurity symbolized by the skull; the falling away of the kapāla signifies release from pāśa (bondage) and the arising of a tīrtha where seekers remember purification and freedom.
Bhairava is a Saguna manifestation of Shiva whose compassionate power transforms a physical event into a sacred place; such tīrthas and Lingas anchor devotion, remembrance, and grace in the world, guiding devotees from outer worship toward inner liberation.
Pilgrimage and purification are implied: visit or contemplate Kāpālamocana, worship Shiva/Bhairava with mantra-japa (e.g., Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and seek inner ‘release’ by offering one’s impurities and egoic bondage into Shiva’s grace.