Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 96

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

Devanagari script

व्रजस्व भगवन् दिव्यां पुरीं वाराणसीं शुभाम् / यत्राखिलजगद्दोषं क्षिप्रं नाशयताश्वरः

Transliteration

vrajasva bhagavan divyāṃ purīṃ vārāṇasīṃ śubhām / yatrākhilajagaddoṣaṃ kṣipraṃ nāśayatāśvaraḥ

Translation

பகவனே, தெய்வீகமும் மங்களமுமான வாராணசி நகரத்திற்குச் செல்வாயாக; அங்கே ஈஸ்வரன் உலகமெங்கும் ஒட்டிய குற்றப் பாவங்களை விரைவில் அழிக்கின்றான்।

Word by Word

• vrajasva: go
• vrajasva: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; धातु: व्रज्

• bhagavan: O Lord
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• divyām: divine
• divyām: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘purīm’)

• purīm: city
• purīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vārāṇasīm: Vārāṇasī
• vārāṇasīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; नगरनाम (proper noun)

• śubhām: auspicious
• śubhām: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘vārāṇasīm/purīm’)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• akhila: entire
• akhila: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘jagaddoṣam’)

• jagaddoṣam: the sin/fault of the world
• jagaddoṣam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat + doṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: जगतः दोषः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kṣipram: quickly
• kṣipram: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṣipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्ययीभूतम् (adverb: quickly)

• nāśayatā: by (the one) destroying
• nāśayatā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: naś (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन; causative stem: नाशय (णिच्)

• īśvaraḥ: the Lord
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

A sacred narrator/teacher within the Kurma Purana’s pilgrimage discourse (tirtha-mahatmya section), instructing a revered addressee (bhagavan) to go to Kashi

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• Īśvara (Lord Shiva)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It implies that liberation-oriented purity is granted through Īśvara’s grace: the Supreme Lord removes doṣa (impurity) rapidly, indicating that spiritual transformation is not only self-effort but also divine bestowal—consistent with the Purana’s theistic (Īśvara-centered) approach to realizing the Self.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse highlights tīrtha-sevā as an auxiliary discipline: pilgrimage to a sanctified locus (Kāśī) supports inner purification (doṣa-kṣaya), preparing the aspirant for higher practices such as mantra-japa, dhyāna, and Īśvara-bhakti emphasized across Kurma Purana’s yoga-dharma framework.

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

By using the title Īśvara as the purifier in Kāśī while addressing a “bhagavan,” it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthetic theology: Shiva functions as Īśvara in the tīrtha, yet the Supreme Lordhood is harmonized rather than opposed—supporting a Shaiva-Vaishnava unity model.