Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
प्रविष्टमात्रे देवेशे ब्रह्महत्या कपर्दिनि / हा हेत्युक्त्वा सनादं सा पातालं प्राप दुः खिता
praviṣṭamātre deveśe brahmahatyā kapardini / hā hetyuktvā sanādaṃ sā pātālaṃ prāpa duḥ khitā
தேவேசன் உள்ளே நுழைந்தவுடனே, கபர்தினான சிவன் முன்னிலையில் பிரம்மஹத்யை ‘அய்யோ! அய்யோ!’ என்று பேரொலியுடன் அலறி, துயருற்று பாதாளத்திற்குச் சென்றாள்.
Sūta (narrator) describing events to the sages
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Indirectly: it portrays how the mere presence of divine lordship (Deveśa) and Kapardin (Śiva) dispels the force of grievous sin—suggesting a higher, purifying sovereignty beyond moral taint, toward which the self seeks refuge through dharma and devotion.
No technique is taught explicitly in this verse; its yogic implication is purification (śuddhi) through proximity to the Lord and adherence to dharma—an ethical foundation that later supports disciplines like Pāśupata-oriented restraint, devotion, and inner cleansing.
By placing Deveśa and Kapardin in a single purifying scene, the verse reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative theology: the divine presence—whether named through Śiva’s epithet or the lord of gods—functions harmoniously as a force that subdues adharma and removes impurity.