Adhyaya 97: The Glory of Rudra: The Origin of the Kapālamocana Pilgrimage Site and Rudra’s Expiatory Vow

Verse 1

॥ अथ रुद्रमाहात्म्यम् ॥ वराह उवाच ॥ अथ रुद्रव्रतोत्पत्तिं शृणु देवि वरानने ॥ येन ज्ञातेन पापेभ्यो मुच्यते नात्र संशयः ॥

Varāha said: Now, O goddess of fair countenance, listen to the origin of the Rudra-vrata; by knowing it one is released from sins—of this there is no doubt.

Verse 2

ब्रह्मणा तु यदा सृष्टः पूर्वं रुद्रो वरानने ॥ तृतीये जन्मनि विभुः पिङ्गाक्षो नीललोहितः ॥

When Rudra was first created by Brahmā, O fair-faced one, in the third birth the mighty one appeared as Piṅgākṣa, ‘Nīlalohita’—the ‘Blue-and-Red’.

Verse 3

तदा कौतूहलाद्ब्रह्मा स्कन्धे तं जगृहे प्रभुः ॥ स्कन्धारूढस्तदा रुद्रो ब्रह्मणोऽव्यक्तजन्मनः ॥

Then, out of curiosity, Brahmā—the Lord—took him onto his shoulder. At that time Rudra was seated upon the shoulder of Brahmā, whose birth is described as unmanifest (avyakta).

Verse 4

जन्मतश्च शिरो यद्धि पञ्चमं तज्जगाद ह ॥ मन्त्रंाथर्वणं रुद्रो येन सद्यः प्रमुच्यते ॥

And concerning the head, indeed, he declared it as a “fifth” (portion or principle). Then Rudra taught an Atharvanic mantra by which one is immediately released.

Verse 5

कपालिन् रुद्र बभ्रोऽथ भव कैरात सुव्रत ॥ पाहि विश्वं विशालाक्ष कुमार वरविक्रम ॥

“O Kapālin, O Rudra, O Babhru; O Bhava, O Kairāta, O one of excellent observance—protect the world, O wide-eyed one; O Kumāra of splendid valor.”

Verse 6

एवमुक्तस्तदा रुद्रो भविष्यैर्नामभिर्भवः ॥ कपालशब्दात्कुपितस्तच्छिरो विचकर्त्त ह ॥

Thus addressed, Rudra—Bhava—was invoked by names that would be known in the future. Angered by the word “kapāla,” he then cut off that head, so the narrative relates.

Verse 7

वामाङ्गुष्ठनखेनाद्यं प्राजापत्यं विचक्षणः ॥ तन्निकृत्तं शिरो धात्री हस्तलग्नं बभूव ह ॥

With the nail of his left thumb, the discerning one severed the primordial head of Prajāpati. That cut-off head, O Dhātrī (Earth), became fixed to his hand, so it is said.

Verse 8

तस्मिन्निकृत्ते शिरसि प्राजापत्यं त्रिलोचनः ॥ ब्रह्माणं प्रयतो भूत्वा रुद्रो वचनमब्रवीत् ॥

When the Prajāpati head had been cut off, the three-eyed one (Rudra), becoming composed and attentive, spoke words to Brahmā.

Verse 9

रुद्र उवाच ॥ कथं कपालं मे देव करात्पतति सुव्रत ॥ नश्यते च कथं पापं ममैदद्वद सुव्रत ॥

Rudra said: “O god, O you of excellent observance—how will this skull-bowl fall from my hand? And how, indeed, is my sin to be destroyed? Tell me this, O you of excellent vow.”

Verse 10

एवमुक्तस्तदा रुद्रो ब्रह्मणाऽव्यक्तमूर्त्तिना ॥ आजगाम गिरिं गन्तुं माहेन्द्रं पापनाशनम् ॥

Thus addressed at that time by Brahmā of unmanifest form, Rudra set out to go to Mount Mahendra, the destroyer of sin.

Verse 11

तत्र स्थित्वा महादेवस्तच्छिरो बिभिदे त्रिधा ॥ तस्मिन् भिन्ने पृथक्केशान्गृहीत्वा भगवान्भवः ॥

Having stayed there, Mahādeva split that skull into three parts; when it was thus divided, the Lord Bhava took the hair separately.

Verse 12

यज्ञोपवीतं केशं तु महास्थ्नाक्षमणींस्तथा ॥ कपालशकलं चैकमसृक्पूर्णं करे स्थितम् ॥

And (he took) the sacred thread and also the hair, and likewise the great rosary of rudrākṣa beads; and one fragment of the skull, filled with blood, remained in his hand.

Verse 13

अपरं खण्डशः कृत्वा जटाजूटे न्यवेशयत् ॥ एवं कृत्वा महादेवो बभ्रामेमां वसुन्धराम् ॥

The other portion he broke into pieces and placed into his mass of matted locks; having done so, Mahādeva wandered over this earth.

Verse 14

सप्तद्वीपवतीं पुण्यां मज्जंस्तीर्थेषु नित्यशः ॥ समुद्रे प्रथमं स्नात्वा ततो गङ्गां व्यगाहत ॥

Continually immersing himself at the sacred fords of the holy land described as “possessing seven continents,” he first bathed in the ocean and then entered the Gaṅgā.

Verse 15

वितस्तां चन्द्रभागां च गोमतीं सिन्धुमेव च ॥ तुङ्गभद्रां तथा गोदामुत्तरे गण्डकीं तथा ॥

(He visited) the Vitastā and the Candrabhāgā, the Gomati, and also the Sindhu; likewise the Tuṅgabhadrā and the Godā, and in the northern region as well the Gaṇḍakī.

Verse 16

नेपालं च ततो गत्वा ततो रुद्रमहालयम् ॥ ततो दारुवनं गत्वा केदारगमनं पुनः ॥

Then he went to Nepal, and then to Rudra’s great abode; then he went to Dāruvana, and again proceeded to Kedāra.

Verse 17

महेश्वरं ततो गत्वा गयां पुण्यामथागमत् ॥ तत्र फल्गुकृतस्नानः पितॄन्सन्तर्प्य यत्नतः ॥

Then, having gone to Maheśvara, he arrived at holy Gayā. There, after bathing in the Phalgu, he carefully satisfied the ancestors with offerings.

Verse 18

परिधानं तु कौपीनं नग्नः कापालिकोऽभवत् ॥ भ्रमतः परिधानं तु कौपीनं रशनागतम् ॥

His garment was only a kaupīna, a loincloth; nearly naked, he became a Kāpālika. As he wandered, that loincloth—his sole clothing—was fastened at his waist by a cord.

Verse 19

तस्मिंस्तु पतिते देवि नग्नः कापालिकोऽभवत्॥

O Goddess, when that skull had fallen, he became a naked kāpālika, an ascetic who bears a skull.

Verse 20

पुनरब्दद्वयं भ्रान्तस्तीर्थे तीर्थे हरः स्वयम्॥ कपालं त्यक्तुकामः सन् तद्धस्तात्तत्तु नापतत्॥

Again, for two years Hara himself wandered from tīrtha to tīrtha. Though wishing to cast away the skull, it did not fall from his hand.

Verse 21

पुनरब्दद्वयं भ्रान्तो ब्रह्माण्डं तीर्थकारणात्॥ तीर्थेतीर्थे हरः स्नात्वा कपालं त्यक्तुमिच्छति॥

Again, for two years he wandered through the brahmāṇḍa—the world-egg, the cosmos—on account of the tīrthas. Bathing at each sacred ford, Hara sought to abandon the skull.

Verse 22

त्यजतोऽपि न तद्धस्ताच्छ्यवते भूतधारिणि॥ ततोऽब्दमेकं बभ्राम हिमवत्पर्वते शुभे॥

O bearer of beings, even as he tried to cast it away, it did not slip from his hand. Then he roamed for one year upon the auspicious Himavat mountain.

Verse 23

ततोऽन्यद्वर्षमेकं तु वर्तते हिमवद्गिरौ॥ भ्रमतो विभ्रमो जातस्त्रिणेत्रस्य महात्मनः॥

Then, for another year, he remained on the Himavat mountain. As he wandered, bewilderment arose in the great-souled Three-Eyed One.

Verse 24

पुनरब्दद्वयं चान्यत्परमेष्ठी वृषाकपिः॥ बभ्राम रुद्रस्तीर्थानि पुराणानि समन्ततः॥

And again, for another two years, the exalted one—Vṛṣākapi, Rudra—wandered on every side, traversing the ancient tīrthas, the sacred fords, all around.

Verse 25

कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य द्वादशेऽब्दे धराधरे॥ वाराणसीं गतो देवस्तत्र स्नानमथारभत्॥

Then, after some time—when twelve years had passed—the god went to Vārāṇasī; there he began the ritual bath.

Verse 26

गङ्गायां देवदेवेशो यावन्मज्जति भामिनि॥ भवेत्कपालं पतितं हस्ताग्राद्ब्रह्मणः पुरा॥

O radiant one, as the Lord of the gods immersed in the Gaṅgā, the skull—formerly (taken) from Brahmā—fell from the tip of his hand.

Verse 27

गत्वा हरिहरक्षेत्रं स्नात्वा देवाङ्गदे तथा॥ सोमेश्वरं समभ्यर्च्य गतोऽसौ चक्रतीर्थकम्॥

Having gone to Harihara-kṣetra and bathed likewise at Devāṅgada, and having duly worshipped Someśvara, he went on to Cakra-tīrtha.

Verse 28

तत्र स्नात्वा तथा नत्वा त्रिजलेश्वरसंज्ञितम्॥ अयोध्यायां तथा गत्वा वाराणस्यां ततोऽगमत्॥

Having bathed there and likewise bowed to (the deity) known as Trijaleśvara, he then went to Ayodhyā, and thereafter proceeded to Vārāṇasī.

Verse 29

द्वादशाब्दैर्गतवतः सीमाचारिगणैस्तथा ॥ बलात्कारेण तद्धस्तात्कपालं पातितं भुवि

After twelve years had passed, and likewise through the agency of groups who patrol the boundary, by force the skull-bowl was made to fall from his hand onto the ground.

Verse 30

कपालमोचनं तीर्थं ततो जातमघापहम् ॥ गङ्गाम्भसि ततः स्नाप्य विश्वेशं पूज्य भक्तितः

From that event arose the pilgrimage-place called Kapālamocana, a remover of sin; then, having bathed in the waters of the Gaṅgā, one should worship Viśveśa with devotion.

Verse 31

रुद्रो विशुद्धिमापन्नो मुक्तः स ब्रह्महत्यया ॥ कपालमोचनं नाम तीर्थं त्रैलोक्यविश्रुतम्

Rudra attained purity; he was released from the taint of brahman-slaying. The pilgrimage-site is named Kapālamocana, renowned throughout the three worlds.

Verse 32

यत्राप्लुतो नरो भक्त्या ब्रह्महा तु विशुध्यति ॥ कपालं पतितं दृष्ट्वा रुद्रहस्ताच्चतुर्मुखः

There, a man who bathes with devotion—even a slayer of a brahmin—becomes purified. Seeing the skull-bowl fallen from Rudra’s hand, the Four-faced (Brahmā) …

Verse 33

आगतो देवसहितो वाक्यं चेदमुवाच ह ॥ ब्रह्मोवाच ॥ भव रुद्र विशालाक्ष लोकमार्गव्यवस्थित

He arrived accompanied by the gods and spoke these words. Brahmā said: ‘O Bhava, O Rudra, wide-eyed one, established in the path of the world …’

Verse 34

भव रुद्र विरूपाक्ष लोकमार्गे व्यास्थितः ॥ व्रतानि कुरु ते देव त्वच्छीर्णानि महाप्रभो ॥ कपालं गृहीत्वा यद्भ्रान्तं कपालव्यग्रपाणिना ॥ तद्व्रतं नग्नकपालं भविष्यति नृणां भुवि

“O Bhava, O Rudra, O Virūpākṣa—standing upon the path of the world—perform, O God, the sacred observances, O great Lord, those undertaken by you. That wandering while holding the skull-bowl in the hand, intent upon the skull, shall among humans on earth become the vow called ‘Nagnakāpāla.’”

Verse 35

यच्च ते बभ्रुता जाता हिमवत्यचलोत्तमे ॥ भ्रमतोस्तद्व्रतं देव बाब्रव्यं तद्भविष्यति

“And the tawny condition (babhrutā) that came upon you on Himavat, the best of mountains, while you wandered—this, O God, shall become the vow called ‘Bābhravya.’”

Verse 36

ये पुरस्कृत्य देवास्त्वां पूज्यं यद्विधिनान्विताः ॥ शास्त्राणि तानि सर्वेषां कथयिष्यामि नान्यथा

“Those gods who, placing you foremost, honored you as worthy of worship and endowed with the proper procedure—those ordinances (śāstras) for all of them I shall set forth, not otherwise.”

Verse 37

व्रतानि कुरुते देव त्वत्कृतानि हि पुत्रक ॥ स त्वत्प्रसाद्देवेश ब्रह्महापि विशुध्यति

“Whoever performs, O God, the vows established by you—indeed, dear child—by your favor, O Lord of gods, even a slayer of a brāhmaṇa becomes purified.”

Verse 38

यद्व्रतं नग्नकपालं यद्बाब्रव्यं त्वया कृतम् ॥ यत्कृतं शुद्धशैवं च तत्तन्नाम्ना भविष्यति

“That vow called ‘Nagnakāpāla’, that ‘Bābhravya’ performed by you, and that which is the Śuddhaśaiva practice as well—each shall come to be known by its respective name.”

Verse 39

मां पुरस्कृत्य देवास्त्वं पूज्यसे यैर्विधानतः ॥ तेषां शास्त्राणि सर्वाणि शास्त्रं पाशुपतं तथा

Placing Me at the forefront, the gods worship you according to proper procedure; and among all their treatises, the Pāśupata Śāstra too is counted as authoritative.

Verse 40

कथयस्व महादेव सविधानं समासतः ॥ एवमुक्तस्ततो रुद्रो ब्रह्मणा अव्यक्तमूर्त्तिना

“Explain, O Mahādeva, the procedure together with its ordinances, in summary.” Thus addressed, Rudra was then spoken to by Brahmā, whose form was unmanifest.

Verse 41

देवैर्जयेति संतुष्टः कैलासनिलयं ययौ ॥ ब्रह्मा चापि सुरैः सार्द्धं गतः स्वर्लोकमुत्तमम्

Pleased by the gods’ acclamation of “Victory!”, he went to his abode on Kailāsa. And Brahmā too, together with the gods, went to the excellent world of heaven.

Verse 42

देवा अपि ययुः खं च स्वस्थानं ते यथागतम् ॥ एतद्रुद्रस्य माहात्म्यं मया ते परिकीर्त्तितम्

The gods too went through the sky to their own abodes, as they had come. Thus, I have recounted to you this account of Rudra’s greatness.

Verse 43

चरितं यच्च देवस्य वित्तं समभवद्भुवि

And (I shall relate) the conduct of the Deity, and what wealth came to be upon the earth.

Verse 44

सरस्वतीं ततो गत्वा यमुनासङ्गमं ततः ॥ शतद्रुं च ततो गत्वा देविकां च महानदीम्

Then, having gone to the Sarasvatī, then to the confluence of the Yamunā; and then having gone to the Śatadru, and also to Devikā, the great river.

Verse 45

ब्रह्मोवाच ॥ इदमेव व्रतं देव चर कापालिकं विभो ॥ समयाचारसंयुक्तं कृत्वा स्वेनैव तेजसा

Brahmā said: “This indeed is the observance; O god, practice the Kāpālika vow, O mighty one—endowed with the discipline of proper conventions and conduct—having undertaken it by your own radiance (inner power).”

Verse 46

एवं वेगेन सकलं ब्रह्माण्डं भूतधारिणि ॥ बभ्राम सर्वदेवेशः षष्ठेऽब्दे तस्य चापतत्

Thus, with such force, he wandered through the entire cosmic sphere, O bearer of beings; and in the sixth year, it (then) befell him as well.

Verse 47

कपालमोचनं नाम ततस्तीर्थमनुत्तमम् ॥ पृथिव्यां ख्यातिमगमद्वाराणस्यां धराधरे

Then there was an unsurpassed sacred ford called Kapālamocana; it attained renown on earth—at Vārāṇasī, on the mountain (bearing the earth).

Verse 48

यच्छेदानीं विशुद्धस्य तीर्थेऽस्मिन्देहशुद्धता ॥ तच्छुद्धशैवं भवतु व्रतं ते पापनाशनम्

If now, for one who is purified, bodily purification is obtained at this sacred ford, then let your vow be a pure Śaiva observance—one that brings about the destruction of wrongdoing.