Shloka 30
Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
स कृत्वा सुमहद् युद्धं ब्रह्मणा कालभैरवः / चकर्त तस्य वदनं विरिञ्चस्याथ पञ्चमम्
sa kṛtvā sumahad yuddhaṃ brahmaṇā kālabhairavaḥ / cakarta tasya vadanaṃ viriñcasyātha pañcamam
ब्रह्मणा सह सुमहद्युद्धं कृत्वा कालभैरवः विरिञ्चस्य पञ्चमं वदनं चकर्त।
Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the event in the Kurma Purana narrative
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
Indirectly: it portrays the restoration of cosmic order by a divine power; the Atman/Iśvara principle is implied as the transcendent regulator that subdues egoic excess (symbolized by Brahmā’s fifth head).
No explicit yogic technique is taught in this verse; its practical takeaway aligns with Pāśupata-Śaiva ethics—mastery over pride and adherence to dharma as prerequisites for higher yogic discipline.
The verse foregrounds a Śaiva episode (Kālabhairava) within the Kurma Purana’s broader integrative theology, where sectarian narratives function within a unified dharmic cosmos rather than contradicting a single Supreme.