Shloka 26
Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
प्रजज्वालातिकोपेन ब्रह्मणः पञ्चमं शिरः / क्षणाददृश्यत महान् पुरुषो नीललोहितः
prajajvālātikopena brahmaṇaḥ pañcamaṃ śiraḥ / kṣaṇādadṛśyata mahān puruṣo nīlalohitaḥ
प्रजज्वालातिकोपेन ब्रह्मणः पञ्चमं शिरः । क्षणाददृश्यत महान् पुरुषो नीललोहितः ॥
Sūta (narrator) recounting the Purāṇic episode to the sages
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By calling Nīlalohita a “mahān puruṣa,” the verse frames the deity as a cosmic Person who can manifest instantly—suggesting a transcendent reality that is not limited by ordinary causation, yet appears within creation to restore order.
No specific technique is taught in this verse, but it sets a Shaiva-Pāśupata tone: uncontrolled krodha (wrath) is shown as a destabilizing force, implying the Yogic need for self-mastery (dama) and inner steadiness that later supports Pāśupata discipline and devotion.
Though this verse names a Rudra-form (Nīlalohita), the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis treats such manifestations as expressions of the same supreme governance of dharma—supporting a non-sectarian reading where Śiva’s theophany complements Viṣṇu’s cosmic role rather than opposing it.