Shloka 72
Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
यदा द्रक्ष्यसि देवेशं नारायणमनामयम् / तदासौ वक्ष्यति स्पष्टमुपायं पापशोधनम्
yadā drakṣyasi deveśaṃ nārāyaṇamanāmayam / tadāsau vakṣyati spaṣṭamupāyaṃ pāpaśodhanam
เมื่อเจ้าได้เห็นนารายณ์ ผู้เป็นจอมเทพและปราศจากทุกโรคภัยแล้ว พระองค์นั้นจักตรัสบอกอย่างชัดแจ้งถึงอุบายชำระบาป
Narratorial instruction within a dialogue context (a teacher-figure guiding the seeker toward Nārāyaṇa as revealer of expiation and purification)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It points to Nārāyaṇa as the transcendent, unblemished Lord (“anāmaya”), implying a reality beyond defect and suffering—the kind of purity associated with the Supreme Self and its realization.
The verse emphasizes darśana—beholding the Lord—as the pivotal spiritual turning point; in Kurma Purana’s idiom, such God-centered contemplation and surrender become the doorway through which the concrete upāyas (discipline, vows, worship, and expiations) are then taught.
By presenting Nārāyaṇa as the authoritative teacher of purification while the Kurma Purana overall harmonizes Shaiva and Vaishnava paths, it supports a synthesis where divine instruction and liberation are not sectarian but converge in one supreme guidance.