Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52
मान्योऽध्वरोसौ भवता तथा शतधृतिस्त्वयम् । कपालं वैधसं चापि नीललोहित धारय
mānyo'dhvarosau bhavatā tathā śatadhṛtistvayam | kapālaṃ vaidhasaṃ cāpi nīlalohita dhāraya
Hormatilah yajña itu, dan demikian pula hormatilah Śatadhṛti (Brahmā). Wahai Nīlalohita, pikullah pula tengkorak Vaidhasa (Brahmā).
Śiva (within Skanda’s narration; direct speech of Śiva to Bhairava)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: Śiva commands Bhairava/Nīlalohita to honor the sacrifice and Brahmā, and to bear Brahmā’s skull—visualized as a stark kapāla held or hung, signifying both terror and sacred duty.
FAQs
Even after fierce divine acts, dharma requires honoring cosmic order—yajña and Brahmā—while accepting the burden (kapāla) that signifies accountability.
The verse belongs to the Kāśī-centered Bhairava cycle; the immediate focus is on the kapāla motif that becomes central to Bhairava’s sacred identity.
Bearing the kapāla (skull) is indicated, foreshadowing the kāpāla observance described next.