Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 27
Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
त्रिशूलपिङ्गलो देवो नागयज्ञोपवीतवान् / तं प्राह भगवान् ब्रह्मा शङ्करं नीललोहितम्
triśūlapiṅgalo devo nāgayajñopavītavān / taṃ prāha bhagavān brahmā śaṅkaraṃ nīlalohitam
Vị Thiên thần rực sắc, tay cầm tam xoa, mang dây thiêng yajñopavīta bằng rắn, đứng đó. Bấy giờ Phạm Thiên cất lời với Śaṅkara—Nīlalohita.
Narrator (Purana recitation voice), transitioning to Brahmā as the next speaker
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames Śaṅkara (Rudra) with divine epithets and sacred insignia, preparing a teaching-dialogue where the Supreme is approached through Īśvara as the manifest Lord, whose forms point beyond form to the timeless Self.
No explicit practice is taught in this verse; it establishes the authority of the coming instruction by depicting Śaṅkara’s ascetic-sacral marks (trident and nāga-yajñopavīta), commonly linked in the Kūrma tradition to Pāśupata discipline, restraint, and devotion to Īśvara.
By presenting Śaṅkara in a Purāṇic narrative voice within the Kūrma corpus (a text known for Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava synthesis), it supports the non-sectarian stance: Śiva’s form is honored as a supreme manifestation within the same overarching dharmic theology that also exalts Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu).