Shloka 42

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

Devanagari script

विद्यासहायो भगवान् यस्यासौ मण्डलान्तरम् / हिरण्यगर्भपुत्रो ऽसावीश्वरो दृश्यते किल

Transliteration

vidyāsahāyo bhagavān yasyāsau maṇḍalāntaram / hiraṇyagarbhaputro 'sāvīśvaro dṛśyate kila

Translation

Внутри его солнечного круга пребывает Бхагаван, сопровождаемый священным Знанием (Видьей); и там, воистину, говорится, что созерцается Ишвара, именуемый сыном Хираньягарбхи.

Word by Word

• विद्या-सहायः: one aided by knowledge
• विद्या-सहायः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या (प्रातिपदिक) + सहाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (विद्यायाः सहायः = having knowledge as helper/with knowledge as aid)

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन, पुं/नपुंसक

• असौ: that (he)
• असौ: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; निर्देशार्थ (deictic pronoun)

• मण्डल-अन्तरम्: the interior of the sphere/region
• मण्डल-अन्तरम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (मण्डलस्य अन्तरम् = inside/within the sphere)

• हिरण्यगर्भ-पुत्रः: son of Hiraṇyagarbha
• हिरण्यगर्भ-पुत्रः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्यगर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (हिरण्यगर्भस्य पुत्रः = son of Hiraṇyagarbha)

• असौ: that (he)
• असौ: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; निर्देशार्थ

• ईश्वरः: the Lord
• ईश्वरः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेष्य (apposition to असौ)

• दृश्यते: is seen/appears
• दृश्यते: क्रिया (Kriyā)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे (appears)

• किल: indeed/it is said
• किल: निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—निपात (particle: indeed/traditionally/it is said)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing the sages (Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavan
• Vidyā
• Maṇḍala (solar orb)
• Hiraṇyagarbha
• Īśvara

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme as Īśvara who is ‘seen’ through vidyā (liberating knowledge), implying that true realization is not merely physical sight but yogic-spiritual apprehension of the Lord present within cosmic order.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse points to dhyāna supported by vidyā—contemplation grounded in right doctrine—where the seeker internalizes a cosmic locus (the solar orb/maṇḍala) as a support for Īśvara-darśana, consistent with Purāṇic yoga that unites insight and devotion.

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

By using the shared title Īśvara and placing divine presence at the heart of the cosmos, it supports the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the one Lord—named variously in Shaiva or Vaishnava idioms—is realized through the same vidyā and yogic vision.