Shloka 67

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

Devanagari script

ततः स भगवानीशः कपर्दे नीललोहितः / ग्राहयामास वदनं ब्रह्मणः कालभैरवम्

Transliteration

tataḥ sa bhagavānīśaḥ kaparde nīlalohitaḥ / grāhayāmāsa vadanaṃ brahmaṇaḥ kālabhairavam

Translation

అప్పుడు జటాధారి నీల-లోహిత స్వరూపుడైన భగవాన్ ఈశుడు కాలభైరవునిచేత బ్రహ్ముని ముఖాన్ని గ్రహింపజేసెను।

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Desha-kala (देश/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भगवान्-ईशः: the Lord, the blessed ruler
• भगवान्-ईशः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (भगवान् ईशः)

• कपर्दे: in/with the matted hair (topknot)
• कपर्दे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपर्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘कपर्द’ = जटाजूट/कपर्दक (matted hair)

• नील-लोहितः: blue and red-hued
• नील-लोहितः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नील + लोहित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः द्वन्द्वः (नीलश्च लोहितश्च) विशेषणम् (ईशः)

• ग्राहयामास: caused to seize/caused to take
• ग्राहयामास: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (periphrastic perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative)

• वदनम्: face, mouth
• वदनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• काल-भैरवम्: Kālabhairava
• काल-भैरवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल + भैरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (कालस्य भैरवः)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (Sūta-style narration) describing Lord Śiva’s act

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Characters & Entities

• Īśa (Śiva)
• Nīlalohita (Rudra)
• Kālabhairava
• Brahmā

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By portraying Īśa as the decisive cosmic governor who commands even Brahmā’s status, the verse implies a hierarchy where the Supreme Lord (Iśvara) stands beyond created offices—pointing to the transcendent ground of being that the tradition associates with the highest Self.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is taught in this verse; instead it supports a Yogic ethic central to Śaiva-Pāśupata and broader Yoga-śāstra: humility before Iśvara, restraint of ego (ahaṅkāra), and reverence for the Lord as the regulator of time (kāla), which undergirds disciplined sādhana.

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

Though the verse is explicitly Śaiva (Īśa/Kālabhairava), within the Kurma Purana’s synthetic theology such Śiva-tattva scenes function alongside Vaiṣṇava framing (Kurma’s purāṇic voice elsewhere), reinforcing a complementary, non-sectarian vision of divine sovereignty rather than rivalry.