Shloka 97

Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī

Devanagari script

ततः शर्वाणि गुह्यानि तीर्थान्यायतनानि च / जगाम लीलया देवो लोकानां हितकाम्यया

Transliteration

tataḥ śarvāṇi guhyāni tīrthānyāyatanāni ca / jagāma līlayā devo lokānāṃ hitakāmyayā

Translation

അനന്തരം ദേവൻ ലോകഹിതം ആഗ്രഹിച്ചു, ലീലാപൂർവ്വം സ്വേച്ഛയായി എല്ലാ ഗുഹ്യ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിലേക്കും പുണ്യ ആയതനങ്ങളിലേക്കും പോയി।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: ततः-शब्दः, अपादान/अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/from there)

• śarvāṇi: all
• śarvāṇi: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying the following nouns collectively: ‘all’)

• guhyāni: secret
• guhyāni: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• tīrthāni: pilgrimage places
• tīrthāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• āyatanāni: abodes/shrines
• āyatanāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyatana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• jagāma: went
• jagāma: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: गम्

• līlayā: playfully/as a sport
• līlayā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: līlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• devaḥ: the god (Lord)
• devaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• lokānām: of the worlds/of people
• lokānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• hitakāmyayā: with the wish for (their) welfare
• hitakāmyayā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hita + kāmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपपद/षष्ठीभाव: हितं काम्यते यस्या सा), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; हेतुवाचक-करणे (by/with the desire)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa/Sūta-style narration) describing the Lord’s actions

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Deva (the Lord)
• Tīrtha
• Āyatana

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

By portraying the Deva as moving “by līlā” (effortlessly, freely), the verse implies a sovereign, unbound divinity whose actions are not compelled by karma but are undertaken for loka-hita (the good of beings).

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is taught in this verse; instead it frames a dharmic practice: tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage) and visiting āyatanas as supports for purification, devotion, and inner recollection—common preparatory disciplines aligned with Purāṇic Yoga culture.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

The Lord’s visitation of “guhya tīrthas” and “āyatanas” gestures to a shared sacred landscape revered across Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions, reinforcing the Kurma Purana’s integrative (non-sectarian) vision of dharma.