Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 22
Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
इत्येवमुक्ते ऽपि तदा यज्ञमूर्तेरजस्य च / नाज्ञानमगमन्नाशमीश्वरस्यैव मायया
ityevamukte 'pi tadā yajñamūrterajasya ca / nājñānamagamannāśamīśvarasyaiva māyayā
即使如此宣说之后，那位不生之主——其形体即是祭祀——的无明仍未止息，因为它被自在天（Īśvara）自身的幻力（māyā）所遮蔽。
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing the situation; traditionally transmitted through Vyāsa’s narration to the sages)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents Īśvara as the transcendent “Unborn” reality who can nevertheless be associated with ignorance at the level of divine play—because māyā (His own power) can veil or project appearances without compromising His essential supremacy.
The verse underscores the need for discernment (viveka) against māyā’s veiling—an idea aligned with Kurma Purana’s yogic counsel that liberation requires steady knowledge (jñāna) supported by discipline and devotion, not merely hearing instruction once.
By centering Īśvara and the sacrificial Lord as the same supreme principle, it fits the Kurma Purana’s synthesis where ultimate divinity is one, expressed through different theological idioms (Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava) without contradiction.