Shloka 110

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

Devanagari script

एतद् वः कथितं पुण्यं महापातकनाशनम् / कपालमोचनं तीर्थं स्थाणोः प्रियकरं शुभम्

Transliteration

etad vaḥ kathitaṃ puṇyaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam / kapālamocanaṃ tīrthaṃ sthāṇoḥ priyakaraṃ śubham

Translation

Так я поведал вам о святой переправе Капāламочана: благой и благоприятной, любимой Стхану (Шивой) и уничтожающей великие грехи (махапатаки).

Word by Word

• etat: this (teaching/statement)
• etat: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Napuṃsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा) ekavacana; demonstrative pronoun

• vaḥ: of you / to you (your)
• vaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Ṣaṣṭhī (षष्ठी) bahuvacana; enclitic pronoun

• kathitam: told, narrated
• kathitam: Karma (कर्म/Predicate complement)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (कथ्-धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Kṛdanta past passive participle (क्त-प्रत्यय), Napuṃsaka, Prathamā ekavacana; agrees with etat

• puṇyam: meritorious, holy
• puṇyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Prathamā ekavacana; adjective qualifying etat

• mahā-pātaka-nāśanam: destroyer of great sins
• mahā-pātaka-nāśanam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + pātaka (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Prathamā ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: mahāpātakānāṃ nāśanam (destroyer of great sins)

• kapāla-mocanam: (the) Kapālamocana (place of skull-release)
• kapāla-mocanam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; apposition to etat)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapāla (प्रातिपदिक) + mocana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Prathamā ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: kapālasya mocanam (release from the skull/bowl)

• tīrtham: sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• tīrtham: Karta (कर्ता/Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Prathamā ekavacana; in apposition

• sthāṇoḥ: of Sthāṇu (Śiva)
• sthāṇoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī ekavacana

• priya-karam: pleasing, dear-making
• priya-karam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Prathamā ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: priyaṃ karoti iti (that which makes dear/pleasing)

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Prathamā ekavacana; adjective

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic Sūta-style voice) addressing sages/assembly

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Kapālamocana
• Sthāṇu (Śiva)
• tīrtha
• mahāpātaka

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse does not directly define Ātman; it emphasizes purificatory sacred geography—contact with a Śiva-beloved tīrtha is presented as a means of removing heavy karmic defilements.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific yogic technique is taught in this line; the practice implied is tīrtha-sevā (pilgrimage, ritual bathing, and reverent approach), framed as a dhārmic purification supportive of higher sādhana.

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

By praising a tīrtha as ‘dear to Sthāṇu (Śiva)’ within a Vaiṣṇava Purāṇa context, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance—honoring Śiva’s sanctity as fully compatible with Purāṇic devotion and liberation-oriented practice.