paṇ purindha nān maṛaiyōn senniṅ pali yeṟṟa - Śiva had severed one of the heads of Brahmā, who had mastered the Vedas with all their intonations. He severed the head of one who was not only his progenitor but also the father of all beings in the world. Śiva himself declares in the Matsya Purāṇa 1-8-2: "vāmāṅguṣṭha nakāgreṇa chinnam tasya śiro mayā" (That Brahmā's