Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 27
Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
त्रिशूलपिङ्गलो देवो नागयज्ञोपवीतवान् / तं प्राह भगवान् ब्रह्मा शङ्करं नीललोहितम्
triśūlapiṅgalo devo nāgayajñopavītavān / taṃ prāha bhagavān brahmā śaṅkaraṃ nīlalohitam
ទេវតាពណ៌ភ្លឺរលោង កាន់ត្រីសូល និងពាក់យជ្ញោបវីតជាពស់ បានឈរនៅទីនោះ។ ព្រះព្រហ្មបាននិយាយទៅកាន់សង្ករ—នីលលោហិត—នោះ។
Narrator (Purana recitation voice), transitioning to Brahmā as the next speaker
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames Śaṅkara (Rudra) with divine epithets and sacred insignia, preparing a teaching-dialogue where the Supreme is approached through Īśvara as the manifest Lord, whose forms point beyond form to the timeless Self.
No explicit practice is taught in this verse; it establishes the authority of the coming instruction by depicting Śaṅkara’s ascetic-sacral marks (trident and nāga-yajñopavīta), commonly linked in the Kūrma tradition to Pāśupata discipline, restraint, and devotion to Īśvara.
By presenting Śaṅkara in a Purāṇic narrative voice within the Kūrma corpus (a text known for Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava synthesis), it supports the non-sectarian stance: Śiva’s form is honored as a supreme manifestation within the same overarching dharmic theology that also exalts Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu).