Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 23
Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
तदन्तरे महाज्योतिर्विरिञ्चो विश्वभावनः / प्रापश्यदद्भुतं दिव्यं पूरयन् गगनान्तरम्
tadantare mahājyotirviriñco viśvabhāvanaḥ / prāpaśyadadbhutaṃ divyaṃ pūrayan gaganāntaram
Trong lúc ấy, Viriñca (Brahmā), đấng nâng đỡ thế gian, trông thấy một luồng đại quang minh kỳ diệu, thần thánh—tràn đầy khắp khoảng không của bầu trời.
Purāṇic narrator (Sūta/compilers’ narration describing Brahmā’s vision)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By portraying the supreme as “mahājyotis,” an all-pervading divine light, the verse points to the Self as luminous consciousness that transcends form yet pervades the cosmos.
The verse emphasizes a yogic motif of darśana (direct vision): the mind becomes fit to ‘behold’ the divine radiance when purified—an idea aligned with Pāśupata-style inner discipline leading to the experience of the all-pervading Lord.
The ‘cosmic light’ functions as a non-sectarian marker of the one Supreme—read in the Kūrma tradition as the shared, ultimate reality revered as both Śiva and Viṣṇu beyond limiting names and forms.