Kāpālika
Kāpālika, “one who bears the skull”
Grammar: adjective and masculine noun, from kapāla (skull): “belonging to the skull; one who bears the skull”.
Meaning: the fourth of the four śāstras of Śiva-pūjā; and a follower of that śāstra.
In the scriptures: after the liṅga was established, Brahmā made the four varṇas devoted to the arcana of Hara and set going four chief śāstras: the first Śaiva, the second Pāśupata, the third Kālavadana (Kālāmukha), and the fourth Kāpālika. The text then names the first teachers and their disciples:
- Śakti, the son of Vasishṭha, a Śaiva, whose disciple was Gopāyana;
- Bharadvāja, a Mahāpāśupata, whose disciple was King Ṛshabha Somakeśvara;
- Āpastamba, a devotee of the Kālāmukha path, whose disciple was Krātheśvara, a vaiśya;
- Kubera, initiated in the Mahāvrata, whose disciple was Karṇodara, a śūdra.
After this, Śiva established the liṅga in subtle form at Citravana (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 6).
Earlier, Śiva himself took the name: carrying the skull of Brahmā that clung to his palm, he came to Nārāyaṇa at Badarikāśrama and said, “I am a Mahākāpālika; I have come seeking bhikshā” (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 2).
Related terms: Kapāla · Kapālī · Pāśupata · Kālāmukha · Śaiva · Mahāvrata
Sources
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 2, 6