Shloka 78
Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
गायन्ति विविधं गीतं नृत्यन्ति पुरतः प्रभोः / सस्मितं प्रेक्ष्य वदनं चक्रुर्भ्रूभङ्गमेव च
gāyanti vividhaṃ gītaṃ nṛtyanti purataḥ prabhoḥ / sasmitaṃ prekṣya vadanaṃ cakrurbhrūbhaṅgameva ca
వారు ప్రభువు ముందర విభిన్న గీతాలు పాడుతూ నర్తించారు; ఆయన స్మితముఖాన్ని చూచి కనుబొమ్మల భావప్రదర్శన కూడా చేశారు।
Purana narrator (Vyasa/Suta-style narration) describing the scene before Lord Kurma (Vishnu)
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
Indirectly, it presents the Supreme as personally accessible through darśana: the Lord’s smiling countenance becomes the focal point for devotion, suggesting that the transcendent Self is also immanent and approachable to the devotee.
The verse foregrounds bhakti-yoga through upacāra (reverential service): singing, dancing, and steady gazing upon the Lord’s face function as concentration (ekāgratā) and devotional absorption, harmonizing with the Kurma Purana’s broader yoga-and-worship synthesis.
While Shiva is not named here, the verse exemplifies the Purana’s non-sectarian devotional mode: the same ritual-aesthetic language of worship (gīta, nṛtya, darśana) is shared across Shaiva and Vaishnava contexts, supporting a reconciliatory, unified approach.