Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
अहमेव परं ज्योतिरहमेव परा गतिः / मत्प्रेरितेन भवता सृष्टं भुवनमण्डलम्
ahameva paraṃ jyotirahameva parā gatiḥ / matpreritena bhavatā sṛṣṭaṃ bhuvanamaṇḍalam
Я один — Высший Свет; Я один — высшая Цель. Побуждённый Мною, ты сотворил всю эту космическую сферу — круг миров.
The Supreme Lord (identified in the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis as Ishvara/Narayana speaking with the authority of the Supreme Self)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
It identifies the Supreme as the ultimate Light (parama-jyotis) and the final Refuge/Goal (parā gati), implying that all spiritual realization culminates in that one Ishvara who illumines and fulfills all beings.
The verse supports Ishvara-centered meditation: contemplating the Supreme as inner Light and final gati. In Kurma Purana’s broader yoga-teaching style, this aligns with steady dhyāna on Ishvara as the source, guide, and goal—strengthening surrender (īśvara-praṇidhāna) and one-pointedness.
By speaking in terms of the single Supreme Light and supreme Goal, the verse fits the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where the highest Ishvara can be understood through both Shaiva and Vaishnava lenses as one supreme reality guiding creation.