Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 30
Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī
स कृत्वा सुमहद् युद्धं ब्रह्मणा कालभैरवः / चकर्त तस्य वदनं विरिञ्चस्याथ पञ्चमम्
sa kṛtvā sumahad yuddhaṃ brahmaṇā kālabhairavaḥ / cakarta tasya vadanaṃ viriñcasyātha pañcamam
与梵天（Brahmā）鏖战一场极其宏大的战斗后，迦罗怖畏罗（Kālabhairava）斩落了毗邻支（梵天）的第五张面孔。
Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the event in the Kurma Purana narrative
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
Indirectly: it portrays the restoration of cosmic order by a divine power; the Atman/Iśvara principle is implied as the transcendent regulator that subdues egoic excess (symbolized by Brahmā’s fifth head).
No explicit yogic technique is taught in this verse; its practical takeaway aligns with Pāśupata-Śaiva ethics—mastery over pride and adherence to dharma as prerequisites for higher yogic discipline.
The verse foregrounds a Śaiva episode (Kālabhairava) within the Kurma Purana’s broader integrative theology, where sectarian narratives function within a unified dharmic cosmos rather than contradicting a single Supreme.