Shloka 54
Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
नमो नमो ऽस्तु रुद्राय रुद्राण्यै ते नमो नमः / नमो नमस्ते कामाय मायायै च नमो नमः
namo namo 'stu rudrāya rudrāṇyai te namo namaḥ / namo namaste kāmāya māyāyai ca namo namaḥ
રુદ્રને વારંવાર નમસ્કાર; હે રુદ્રાણી, તમને પણ પુનઃપુનઃ પ્રણામ. હે કામશક્તિ, તમને નમો નમઃ; અને હે માયાશક્તિ, તમને પણ વારંવાર નમસ્કાર.
A devotee/narratorial voice offering a stuti within the chapter’s Shaiva praise (as transmitted in the Purana’s discourse setting).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By saluting Rudra together with Rudrāṇī and also as Kāma and Māyā, the verse implies one supreme divinity whose powers appear as desire (impulsion) and māyā (manifestation/veiling), while remaining the underlying reality beyond these functions.
The verse models mantra-like repetition of salutations (namas) and contemplative identification of the deity with inner forces (kāma) and cosmic projection (māyā), aligning with Purāṇic bhakti as a support for concentration (dhāraṇā) and inner purification prior to higher yogic absorption.
Though explicitly naming Rudra and Rudrāṇī, the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis treats such praise as compatible with Vishnu’s supremacy/identity in many contexts—presenting sectarian forms as manifestations of one Ishvara, approached through unified devotion and non-contradictory theology.