Shloka 82

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

Devanagari script

शङ्खचक्रगदापाणिः पीतवासा महाभुजः / विष्वक्सेन इति ख्यातो विष्णोरंशसमुद्भवः

Transliteration

śaṅkhacakragadāpāṇiḥ pītavāsā mahābhujaḥ / viṣvaksena iti khyāto viṣṇoraṃśasamudbhavaḥ

Translation

Portant dans ses mains la conque, le disque et la massue, vêtu de jaune et doté de bras puissants, il est renommé Viṣvaksena, né d’une portion (aṁśa) du Seigneur Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

• शङ्ख-चक्र-गदा-पाणिः: one whose hands bear conch, discus and mace
• शङ्ख-चक्र-गदा-पाणिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्ख (प्रातिपदिक) + चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + गदा (प्रातिपदिक) + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (‘whose hands have conch, discus, mace’)

• पीत-वासा: wearing yellow garments
• पीत-वासा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पीत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + वासस्/वासा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (‘whose garment is yellow’)

• महाभुजः: mighty-armed
• महाभुजः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाभुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (‘great’ + ‘armed’) विशेषणम्

• विष्वक्सेनः: Viṣvaksena
• विष्वक्सेनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्वक्सेन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम (proper noun)

• इति: thus
• इति: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• ख्यातः: known (as)
• ख्यातः: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ख्या (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘renowned/called’

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• अंश-समुद्भवः: arisen from (Viṣṇu’s) portion
• अंश-समुद्भवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अंश (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (‘from a portion’ + ‘arisen’)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, traditionally Sūta) describing Vaishnava divine attendants within the Kurma Purana’s syncretic frame

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Viṣvaksena
• Viṣṇu
• Śaṅkha
• Cakra
• Gadā

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By stating that Viṣvaksena is “born from a portion of Viṣṇu,” the verse uses the aṁśa (emanation) doctrine to indicate graded manifestations of divinity—implying a single supreme source (Īśvara) from whom powers and attendants proceed, consistent with the Kurma Purana’s theistic yet integrative metaphysics.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit yogic technique is taught in this verse; instead it supports dhyāna (meditative visualization) through iconographic markers—conch, discus, mace, and yellow robes—used in devotional contemplation (upāsanā) that the Kurma Purana harmonizes with broader Yoga-śāstra disciplines.

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

While Śiva is not named here, the verse fits the Kurma Purana’s synthesis by presenting Viṣṇu’s emanational theology (aṁśa) in a way that parallels Purāṇic descriptions of divine manifestations across sects, supporting a non-hostile, integrative Shaiva–Vaishnava framework rather than exclusivism.