Vamana Purana — Daksha's Sacrifice & Kapalin Rudra, Shloka 18
Daksha’s Sacrifice and the Origin of Kapalin Rudra (Pulastya–Narada Dialogue)
नारद उवाच किमर्थं देवताश्रेष्ठः शूलपाणिस्त्रिलोचनः कपाली भगवाञ्जातः कर्मणा केन शङ्करः
nārada uvāca kimarthaṃ devatāśreṣṭhaḥ śūlapāṇistrilocanaḥ kapālī bhagavāñjātaḥ karmaṇā kena śaṅkaraḥ
ナーラダは言った。「いかなる理由で、神々の中の最勝者、三叉戟を執り三つの眼をもつ主シャンカラは、カパーリーとなったのか。いかなる業（カルマ）によってそれが起こったのか。」
{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The question invites a dharmic reading of divine conduct: even when the Lord assumes austere or fearsome forms, Purāṇas often link it to restoring cosmic balance and instructing beings about karma, humility, and detachment.
Carita/Vamśānucarita again: it introduces the causal backstory (often told as a sub-narrative) explaining a deity’s epithet/form, serving as moral-theological instruction.
Śiva’s Kapālī form symbolizes transcendence of social norms and attachment; the skull motif points to impermanence and the sublation of ego—often contrasted with ritual pride in Dakṣa-type narratives.