Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 29
Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
श्रुत्वा सगर्ववचनं पद्मयोनेरथेश्वरः / प्राहिणोत् पुरुषं कालं भैरवं लोकदाहकम्
śrutvā sagarvavacanaṃ padmayoneratheśvaraḥ / prāhiṇot puruṣaṃ kālaṃ bhairavaṃ lokadāhakam
蓮華より生まれし者（ブラフマー）の驕れる言葉を聞くや、主は「時（カーラ）」と名づくるプルシャを遣わした。すなわちバイラヴァ、諸界を焼き尽くし世界を呑む炎である。
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing the event; traditionally Sūta relating to sages)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It implies that all created authority—even Brahmā’s—stands under a higher, impersonal-cosmic principle: Kāla (Time). In Kurma Purana’s synthesis, the Supreme governs through such powers, showing that ego (garva) is transient before the eternal reality.
The verse itself is narrative, but its yogic implication is vairāgya and humility: contemplation on Kāla (time, death, impermanence) is a classical aid to dispassion, supporting Pāśupata-leaning discipline where pride is purified and the seeker aligns with īśvara-niyati (the Lord’s order).
By presenting Bhairava (a Śaiva form) as the operative force of Kāla within a Purāṇa that also honors Viṣṇu, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian stance: divine governance is one, expressed through multiple names and forms across Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava theology.